December 10, 2003

New Office To Help Students
Apply For National Scholarships

A new office has been established to help students compete for national and international scholarships.

"The mission of the office is to recruit and mentor high-achieving students to compete successfully for prestigious scholarships," says Lynne Goodstein, associate vice provost for undergraduate educational enrichment. "It is a focused effort to let students and faculty know that these scholarships exist, and provide an opportunity for students to reach another level of excellence."

Steven Zinn, an associate professor of animal science, will head the Office of National Scholarships.

Zinn will work to raise awareness among students and faculty of opportunities to compete for scholarships, including the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Gates, Goldwater, and USA Today awards.

"We'll identify promising students and help them prepare for the competition," Zinn says. "We also hope to involve current faculty members who have competed for these awards in the past."

The office will be located in the Center for Undergraduate Education (in the former business school), to which the Honors Office will soon be moved.

Goodstein says Zinn brings exceptional experience to his new position, having made many important contributions to undergraduate education during his 13 years at the University.

Zinn advises more than 80 pre-veterinary students each year in the animal science department, and played a key role in almost doubling the number of majors in the past five years. He received the University-wide Advisor of the Year award in 2001 and the 2002 Excellence in Teaching Award in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

He teaches Freshman Year Experience courses designed for animal science majors, and received the FYE Outstanding Teacher Award in 2002.

Zinn says he plans to encourage faculty to become active in identifying students as potential scholarship winners, and in mentoring them during the application process.

An accomplished researcher, Zinn has published more than 50 articles in journals and has received more than $1.3 million in grant funding during his career. In 2002, he was awarded the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Excellence in Research Award. He will continue to teach and conduct research while serving as director of the Office of National Scholarships on a part-time basis.

Zinn says he is looking forward to the office's opening on January 6.

"It's an extension of the advising I've done in animal science," he says. "And now I get to do it on a campus-wide basis and with a different group of students."