PUTNEY — Landmark College, in partnership with the HollyRod Foundation, will offer a new, full-tuition scholarship for a student diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder beginning in the fall 2018 semester.
The Landmark College-HollyRod Foundation Scholarship will be available to a first-year or transfer student with ASD who has been accepted to Landmark College; who has demonstrated financial need; and who will be pursuing a bachelor's or associate degree at Landmark College beginning in fall 2018.
The award, which will cover tuition through graduation at the College, has an annual value of $54,600. This is the first partnership between the College and the HollyRod Foundation.
Landmark College, one of only two institutions of higher education in the country dedicated to teaching students who learn differently, offers a unique educational model and program engineered exclusively for neurodiverse college students, including college-ready students with ASD. It has been providing students with the skills and strategies they need to achieve their goals since its founding in 1985.
The HollyRod Foundation was founded by actor and activist Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, to support families affected by ASD or Parkinson's disease.
In addition to public-awareness campaigns and philanthropic efforts, the foundation has established RJ's Place, which provides educational and other resources for children diagnosed with ASD and their families. Landmark College honored Robinson Peete with the College's LD Luminary Award in April 2016, recognizing her efforts to raise awareness of ASD.
Qualified applicants are invited to apply for the Landmark College-HollyRod Foundation Scholarship by March 15, 2018. In order to be eligible, the student must meet the following criteria:
• Accepted and admitted as a full-time student to Landmark College before March 15, 2018.
• Possess demonstrated need as determined by the Free Application to Federal Student Aid.
• Have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder as determined by a qualified physician or psychologist.