Serving as a Reference

Montana educators, we need your help!

In keeping with our land grant mission, we want to identify Montana students with both a tremendous amount of potential and a solid work ethic to enroll as Hilleman Scholars at Montana State University.

You know exactly the type of student we are talking about. They work hard but don’t do it for the glory—team players with a quiet sense of responsibility. They have much more potential than their grades demonstrate. And we both know if there were a program to unearth and direct their potential, they would certainly set the world on fire….

Together, we can help these students find their groove—their passion and focus—and give them the support and guidance they need to change their futures and positively impact Montana and the world around them. These students are the reason we are educators, the reason why we keep doing what we do—they need us, they inspire us, and they matter.

This program is inspired by the legacy of Dr. Maurice Hilleman, a “nice boy” from Miles City, Montana, who experienced unique challenges from the very beginning of his life: his twin sister died at birth, and his mother just a few days afterward. He was raised by an aunt and uncle on the family farm and learned early to work hard. He seriously considered accepting a job at the local J.C. Penney after graduating from high school. If it weren’t for his older brother nudging him towards another opportunity and a scholarship from MSU, he may not have realized his potential—and saved millions of lives around the world in the process.

2016 marked the inaugural year of the MSU Hilleman Scholars Program, and we will continue to support a class of scholars each year, beginning with an intensive Summer Success Academy. Students who successfully complete this month-long intensive math, writing, and critical thinking experience will receive $2,000 ($1,000 stipend, $1,000 applied to fall semester tuition). Students who receive a B average or better in the math and writing courses offered during the summer program could qualify for an additional bonus of up to $500 to use toward educational expenses. Additionally, students who complete the Summer Success Academy will receive a four-year, $4,000 per year scholarship, as well as up to $3,000 to support a group study abroad experience (contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and exemplary program commitment during the first three years of the program). Finally, this financial support will be complemented by MSU’s entire suite of academic support services, including academic and success advising, career and financial coaching, peer mentoring, tutoring, and more.