New scholarship program offered in district

Lawrence Technological University will offer $80,000 scholarships
 to 50 Wayne-Westland students as part of a new program.

Students in Wayne-Westland schools will have the opportunity to apply for an $80,000 scholarship at Lawrence Technological University (LTU) among several other benefits offered as part of a new partnership between the district and the university.

The partnership, called the Blue Devil Wayne-Westland Scholars Program, includes the opportunity to earn a college degree in science, technology, engineering, arts, or math (STEAM). The Blue Devil Wayne-Westland Scholars program will provide scholarships to 50 Wayne-Westland students from John Glenn and Wayne Memorial High School and the William D. Ford Career-Technical Center. Each scholarship is worth $80,000.

“This new partnership accomplishes several of our goals as a school district. We want to create more STEAM scholars to fill the huge talent gap in those disciplines. This gap is especially severe in Southeast Michigan,” said Dr. John Dignan, superintendent, Wayne-Westland Community Schools.

In addition to the Blue Devil Wayne-Westland Scholars program, LTU will also design middle school summer camps in the STEAM disciplines that will provide educational and career exploration for students in the middle schools. College staff will also host students in its “Extreme Science Saturdays” program and establish a focused STEAM exploration day for Wayne-Westland middle schools.

Campus tours of Lawrence Technological University will be available to Wayne-Westland students and the university staff will also provide workshops for Wayne-Westland teachers in teaching techniques known as Active Collaborative Learning and Project-Based Learning.

“The programs and degrees Lawrence Tech offers in the STEAM disciplines lead to exciting, well-paying careers that can help solve some of society's biggest problems, from sustainability to better health care,” LTU president Virinder Moudgil said. “Higher education improves people's lives in profound ways, and we're happy to partner with the Wayne-Westland Community Schools to offer more opportunities for their students.”

Lawrence Technological University is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. The Brookings Institution ranks Lawrence Tech fifth nationwide for boosting graduates' earning power. The 107-acre campus is located in Southfield. For more information, visit https://www.ltu.edu/ .