Diversity
One of the objectives of IMLS and the Building Leaders Scholarship program is to increase the number of ethic and culturally diverse individuals representing the school library media profession. According to the ALA, whites represented 88 to 92 percent of all graduates of ALA-accredited master’s programs from 1991 to 1998. However, the current K-12 student population in America is far more diverse.
Male
The library and teaching professions are overwhelmingly white, female. These scholarships also aim to increase the number of male school library media specialists working with K-12 students.
Under-served Geographic Communities
Ideally, scholarship recipients will be currently employed teachers working in an under-served school community. "Under-served," for the purposes of this grant, means poor, small, very rural, or an inner-city environment. Schools may be public, parochial, or private schools. For applicants not currently working in a school, information relative to the geographic community in which the candidate lives will be required. An objective of the scholarship program is to target areas of socio-economic need with limited library or educational services.
Proximity to a Library Science University
A higher ranking was given to applicants who showed that they live a non-commutable distance (over 50 miles one way) from a degree-granting library science graduate school. The online Mansfield School Library & Information Technologies program was developed to provide certified teachers with an accessible alternative for earning a Master’s degree and school library media specialist certification, particularly for those located at a distance from an existing library education university.
Principal Partnership
Ideally, the successful Building Leaders applicant recruited his or her school building principal to participate in an online course LSC 6600 School Library Advocacy for Administrators. This improved the candidate’s chances of being awarded a scholarship. The five-week course is offered in July and sometimes in spring or fall, and is completed online by the principal or administrator. The scholarship student does not participate in this course. For a detailed description of the course, go to:
At this time we are no longer accepting applications for the Building Leaders scholarship program since all funds have been dispersed. However, applicants from the state of Washington may still apply through our partner school, Antioch University Seattle. Contact Dr. Christie Kaaland for details.
Scholarship Application Criteria
Scholarship recipients are certified teachers who are enrolled in the School Library & Information Technologies graduate program as degree-seeking and certification-seeking students (Admissions Code 331). All candidates were judged on the degree to which they met the following criteria and the quality and content of a one to two-page essay. Candidates did not have to meet every criterion.
Conditions of the Building Leaders+ Scholarships
Students who accept a Leader50 or Leader75 Scholarship are responsible for the following to ensure that their scholarship is automatically renewed each semester (including summers) until the end of the Building Leaders program.
Scholastic Responsibilities
Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA each semester in each course
Take at least one course each semester, including summers (unless a “break” is pre-approved by the scholarship director)
Must take LSC 5500 (Introductory Seminar) as the first course.
Fiscal Responsibilities
Pay your portion of your tuition including the Education and Technology fees each semester prior to registering for the next semester
If a scholarship student drops a class, it must be pre-approved by the Scholarship Director. If a class is dropped after the official University drop date, the student will be charged whatever fees and tuition that Student Accounts assigns and no scholarship funds will be applied.
If a scholarship student fails to complete a class resulting in a failure, the student is liable for the full tuition amount for the course. No scholarship funds will be applied.
Details about Mansfield University graduate school policies and fees can be found at:
