From left, during a campus visit last year, alumnus David A. Plastino chats with Tom Apple, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; 2007 Plastino Scholar Gina Siddiqui; and Cynthia Schmidt-Cruz, associate professor of Spanish and Latin American studies and chairperson of the Plastino Scholars Selection Committee.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 5:25 p.m., Feb. 19. The deadline for the Plastino Scholars Program has been extended to 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 5.

6:26 p.m., Feb. 18, 2008--UD undergraduates are invited to apply by 4 p.m., March 5, for the David A. Plastino Scholars Program in the College of Arts and Sciences.

These grants support self-designed, off-campus learning experiences that make a transformational difference in the lives of the recipients and enable them to pursue a passionate interest to a degree not otherwise possible.

Up to four scholarships are awarded each year, with the amount of the award varying up to $6,000, depending on the nature of the proposed experience.

Any undergraduate UD student may apply provided that he or she is enrolled for at least 12 credit hours and has completed at least one but not more than six semesters. To be considered, students must present convincing evidence of exceptional intellectual, creative, civic or leadership ability and must propose an experience that extends well beyond the scope of an academic course, summer job or internship.

Complete details on the program, including the application procedure, are available at [http://www.art-sci.udel.edu/legacy/plastino-scholars/].

The Plastino Scholars Program was established in 2007 by a gift from UD alumnus David A. Plastino.

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson