From the Director:
Duke University awards five Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarships to first-year students of African heritage who demonstrate outstanding leadership ability, scholastic achievement, and evidence of serious commitment to a life of service to others. The award covers full tuition and mandatory fees as well as room and board. Scholars are also eligible for stipends to be used for summer projects. The scholarship covers each scholar's four years of undergraduate study (eight semesters). Recipients can expect that any demonstrated financial need beyond scholarship funds will be covered by grants instead of loans.
In addition to the financial award, matriculating scholars become members of the Reginaldo Howard Scholars Organization. This organization includes a Faculty Advisor/Program Director, an Advisory Council consisting of members of the faculty and administration, and student officers. Among the group's activities are regular lunches with faculty and administrators, discussion sessions led by Advisory Council members, periodic interaction with guests of the University, presentations led by individual scholars, and community service activities. Reginaldo Howard scholars are being paired with Duke professors who have chosen to mentor our students. If you are interested in mentoring, please visit this online guide.
The Reginaldo Howard (RH) scholars, faculty director, and advisory council members have affirmed three broad areas of concentration and emphasis:
(1) Interaction with faculty and administrators
Activities under this rubric have included:
- A formal dinner to bring African-American faculty, administrators, and RH scholars together in order to get to know one another better and to better understand the special circumstances in which African-American students, faculty, and administrators at Duke find themselves
- Informal dessert sessions led by members of the RH advisory council to acquaint the scholars with some of their personal, professional, and research interests
- Periodic lunches with individual members of the faculty and administration with whom groups of scholars are interested in becoming more acquainted.
(2) Campus Leadership/Community Service
The Reginaldo Howard Action Committee (RHAC) will represent the Reggie Howard scholars in organizing programs that continue to promote the group's excellence in scholarship and leadership. The Action Committee is elected by and from the RH scholars every year and consists of one scholar from each class, plus one other scholar.
Scholars also have resolved to speak out more vigorously on a broad range of campus issues (including, but not limited to, minority concerns) primarily through letters to the editor of The Chronicle.
(3) Interaction within the RH Scholars group
Great emphasis is placed on personal and academic support within the cadre of scholars. This takes the form of study groups as well as various informal mentoring relationships among the scholars themselves. With the active support and encouragement of the faculty director, scholars frequently come together to attend various cultural events (on campus and at such off-campus venues as the Hayti Heritage Center and the Carolina Theatre) as well as occasional on-campus lectures of particular interest. The faculty director and members of the Advisory Council from time to time arrange for scholars to have access to guests who come tho the university for symposia and other events not normally open to undergraduates. Additionally, scholars who are engaged in special research projects or independent study are provided a forum to share their progress and findings with the group as a whole in a wonderfully supportive environment.
"The Reggies are an extraordinary group of young scholars, artists, researchers, and community leaders. I think they're amazing. I hope my children will mature into Reggies one day. That would make life really sweet. I've got my fingers crossed."
--Dr. Maurice Wallace
Director of the Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship Program