Cherokee Nation To Endow Scholarship at OSU

NewsOn6.com

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- The Cherokee Nation Foundation has become the first Native American Nation to endow a scholarship at Oklahoma State University.

The foundation and OSU announced Tuesday, a gift of $333,334 to Oklahoma State University to endow Cherokee Nation Foundation scholarships as part of Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University.

With a match from entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens, under the Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match, the gift will total $1 million.

"OSU is a national leader in Native American graduates, with a large contingent of Cherokee Nation students," said OSU President Burns Hargis. "This scholarship will provide life-changing support to generations of Cherokee Nation citizens who pursue their academic dreams at OSU. We applaud the Cherokee Nation Foundation for stepping forward in a momentous way to benefit its citizens and their educational pursuits at OSU."

The Cherokee Nation Foundation's mission is to provide higher educational assistance to Cherokee citizens and help to revitalize the Cherokee language.

"Education has always been a cornerstone of Cherokee values," said Kimberlie Gilliland, executive director of the Cherokee Nation Foundation. "The Cherokee Nation built the first institution of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi River, and was the first tribe to develop a written language."

The Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match was announced on Feb. 26, 2010.

2/26/2010 Related Story: Pickens Gives Another $100M To Oklahoma State