McKay Grants Ten Stipends For Freshmen

Incoming freshmen will receive ten new awards in the field of engineering, Dean Wilbur J. Bender announced yesterday. This move marks the first time in College history that Yardlings will be eligible to win scholarships in a particular field of concentration.

Five of the ten grants are part of Harvard's National Scholarship program, which will provide all-expense awards up to $1,800 a year, depending on need. The other five are regular engineering scholarships and range up to $1,200. In the past the National Scholarships generally have favored students from the West.

The stipends are usually renewed each year, thus providing for a student's entire four years in college. For a few of the winners, awards will be extended to pay for graduate school expenses as well.

If a winner decides not to concentrate in applied science after entering college, his scholarship will continue regardless, provided his record continues to qualify him.

McKay Leaves Fund for Engineers

The awards are financed from the estate of New England inventor Gordon McKay '96. McKay bequeathed $15,000,000 to support Harvard engineering studies in 1903, but the University has just recently obtained the funds.

The McKay program intends to emphasize a well-rounded liberal arts background for all scholarship winners. "We feel strongly that an engineer needs more than technical knowledge," Dean Bender remarked.

McKay scholars are required to fulfill the same general education requirements as other students. Most of their engineering work will be done under the Department of Applied Sciences which currently has 110 undergraduates and a faculty of 50. This is an unusually favorable faculty-student ratio, Dean Bender pointed out.

Students planning to major in Applied Science who do not win McKay scholarships will still be considered for other freshman awards.

When the McKay scholarship program is fully under way, annual stipends will be awarded to 40 undergraduates at a total cost of $40,000. At present, Harvard grants a total of $200,000 in scholarships to 300 freshmen.