April 8, 2009
North Carolina Central University junior men's tennis student-athlete Stephen Allsop is one of only 278 college students across the nation who has been awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship for the 2009-10 academic year.
Founded in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the scholarship program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
"This is indeed a true honor for Stephen and for the University," said Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, NCCU Director of Athletics. "This is a great example of the types of top quality student-athletes we have at NCCU. We continue to encourage all of our student-athletes to excel academically so that these types of opportunities become available to further enrich their lives professionally."
Allsop, who is majoring in biology, plans to attend medical school after graduating from NCCU.
"Stephen has an outstanding academic record," said Regina R. Alston, Director of the Office of National and International Fellowships at NCCU. "He has completed a number of research projects through coursework at NCCU and as a participant in various summer programs at other universities, including Harvard University. NCCU is extremely proud to have one of its students win such a nationally competitive award."
The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of nearly 1,100 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The one and two year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications that often garner the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 73 Rhodes Scholarships, 102 Marshall Awards (7 of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2009), and numerous other distinguished fellowships.
