Donald W. Zacharias, former Mississippi State University president, will soon assume overall leadership of the university’s two of scholarship programs-the Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholars Program and the Presidential Endowed Scholarship Program that was introduced last year. Zacharias will take over the responsibilities of John F. Marszalek as the mentor for the Ottilie Schilligs Scholars Program. Marszalek, who has led the program for over six years, is retiring later this year after almost 30 years of teaching and research at MSU.
“Dr. Marszalek, the recent director, has done a superb job with the program,” Zacharias said. “He has been able to bring in a number of talented speakers to speak and interact with the Schilling scholars, and it’s going to be very difficult to improve upon what he has done.”
Zacharias however, is not new to the Schillig Scholarship Program. During his presidency, he was instrumental in beginning the program and guiding it through its first few years here at State. Since then, he has served several terms as the chairman of the university’s Competitive Scholarship Selection Committee.
“I’ve always been interested in the program, ever since its beginning,” Zacharias said. “I had the opportunity to direct the program for the first couple of years after it started, and now that I’m back on faculty, I have time to resume that position, but, at the heart of it is the fact that I just enjoy working with the students.”
According to Zacharias, one of his goals regarding these programs is to continue in Marszalek’s footsteps by lining up key speakers to interact with the scholarship recipients.
“In preparation for next year, I’ve already spoken to several people and invited them to come to the university to speak with the students,” Zacharias said.
Amy Whitten, a member of the state college board, recently spoke at the university as part of the Morris W.H. “Bill” Collins lecture series. Whitten has agreed to speak again this fall.
“By then we’ll have a new group of students-five new Schilling Scholars and two new Presidential Scholars-as well as the older scholars who have had experience here.
“We’ll be looking and watching for other distinguished individuals in the area to come in as well, to share their insights and interact with the group.”
This is only one of the many goals that Zacharias has for these programs’ futures.
“The key is to remember that I am acting as the conductor of the orchestra, but that there are many others providing the support and talent that make these programs work,” Zacharias said.
“These people range from the faculty instructing the students to my assistant, Sheila Coleman, who is always on hand to talk to the students, answer their questions and interact with them on a day-to-day basis,” Zacharias said.
“It’s a team effort, and it includes the input of the students as to what they want to accomplish over the upcoming year,” he added.
The Ottilie Schillig Scholarship Program awards students based upon their academic and leadership abilities and experience.
The selection committee looks at many applicants and bases its selection on personal interviews to narrow the selection down to the final five recipients they feel have demonstrated outstanding personal goals, achievements and style.
The Presidential Endowed Scholarship Program was instigated last year at Mississippi State University. Although it also looks at the academic and leadership experiences of its applicants, its primary emphasis is on students who demonstrate academic achievement with the potential for even greater achievement. Recipients are assigned a faculty mentor, who interact with them over the course of their studies.
“Although each group is comprised of highly talented, gifted individuals with very promising futures, the focus for each is different. The Schillig Scholars Program is based on group work, while the Presidential Endowed Scholars Program is more individually based,” Zacharias said. “The two groups, however, do come together for special programs and events hosted.