Ohio State receives $6.5 million from the Stamps Scholars Program

On Thursday, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees approved renaming the Eminence Fellows Program within Ohio State’s Honors and Scholars Center to the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program. This program will more than double in size over five years with a $6.5 million gift from Stamps Scholars Program benefactor, E. Roe Stamps.

This is the 10th anniversary year of a partnership between the Stamps family and Ohio State. E. Roe Stamps and his late wife Penny founded the Stamps Scholars Program in 2006 to partner with top higher education institutions and offer scholarships to select undergraduates.

“Ohio State is one of our key partners,” said Stamps. “We have been particularly impressed, seeing how well the university fulfills the promise of educating these remarkable men and women, and decided to expand our support. Stamps Scholars improve their campuses, not only while they are there, but after they are into their careers, demonstrating what they are really made of.”

The Stamps Scholars Program and Ohio State equally split the cost of scholarships and enrichment grants for recipients. Enrichment grants can be used to pursue research, leadership training, study abroad experiences and more. All recipients have access to the Stamps Scholars network of students and programming across the country, including a biennial invitation to the Stamps Scholars National Convention.

“Our faculty and staff have the opportunity to work with a very special group of students in the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program. Together we cultivate their talent, curiosity and creativity so they can become engaged leaders who effect positive change within their professions and communities locally, nationally and globally,” said Ola Ahlqvist, associate vice provost and executive director of the university’s Honors and Scholars Center.

To be part of the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program, students must demonstrate commitment to academics, service, community engagement and leadership. Participants live and work in a close-knit, inclusive community, pursuing a rigorous honors curriculum.

“We are proud and grateful that the Stamps family continues to recognize Ohio State’s dedication to excellence and to our students’ success,” said Melissa Gilliam, executive vice president and provost. “Generously increasing the amount of meaningful support for students, especially our most dedicated Buckeyes, will empower them with unmatched opportunities to do more and dream bigger.”

Stamps said that the focus of the foundation’s partnerships is to ensure universities honor the confidence high-achieving students are placing in them.

“Our Stamps Scholars then become each other’s support team, ensuring they are collectively able to achieve their goals,” he added. “And helping them reach their objectives is what we are trying to do. I hope to be around to help Ohio State and our other partner schools educate at least 10,000 incredibly talented young men and women.”

Rising third-year Ohio State student Lindsey Allen has experienced this support firsthand. She is pursuing degrees in computer and information science and security and intelligence.

“Being a Stamps Scholar has exposed me to a community unlike any other, one that encourages me to explore opportunities, be bravely ambitious and find new ways to serve my community,” Allen said. “For the past two years, I’ve been a part of Vocalize, a student-led nonprofit dedicated to improving care for patients with limited English proficiency. We connect free clinics to volunteer translators, and I lead our web development team and provide day-to-day technical support. Breaking down barriers and advancing equity is at the heart of everything Vocalize does and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”