Scholarships

I first attended RMBL as a student in 1988 and financial aid was critical to bringing me to Gothic. Consequently, making certain students can afford to attend RMBL is an issue close to my heart. A summer in Gothic has been a transformative experience for generations of students, myself included. I can think of no greater gift than helping support a student to spend a summer in a beautiful location and learn alongside some of the top field scientists.

At the January meeting, the Board established a goal of increasing the amount of scholarship money we offer students. For 2010 we have 113 applicants for about 35 spots. In 2010 The National Science Foundation will provide financial support for at least 13 RMBL students through several of its programs. The remaining students who have need are funded by donations to RMBL and endowment funds. Because of the downturn in the economy we are offering substantially less financial aid in 2010 from our endowed funds relative to 2009. However, our strong 2009 fundraising is allowing us to maintain overall financial aid levels. Please keep in mind your donation will help us support those students in 2010.

While RMBL is fortunate enough to have numerous supporters who can make larger donations, not everybody has the same capacity. However, small donations do make a difference! This year people may notice that we are running a “Strength in Numbers” Scholarship Drive. To thank you for your donation and help us spread the word, you’ll receive a numbered button with your donation number on it. The proceeds will be used to provide a scholarship for students in 2010. We hope to have 500 donors to this scholarship drive! We encourage everybody to join in this effort to achieve the Board’s strategic goal of increasing the amount of financial aid we are offering.