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The 51Ʒ�� is one of just three regional institutions of higher education to partner with the Davis Maine Scholarship program to offer first-generation, college-bound students from Downeast Maine with full, four-year cost-of-attendance scholarships.

Working closely with partner high schools and colleges, the Davis Maine Scholarship program will provide students ongoing mentoring and guidance as they apply to college and transition through it. The program also includes parent workshops and support.

“As a first-generation college graduate myself, I know how critical it is to provide students with the right resources to help them succeed,” said 51Ʒ��President James Herbert when the scholarship program was announced. “Through the generosity of the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, we will not only provide financial access to higher education, we will provide support so that scholarship recipients can earn their degrees and move on to successful careers.”

In collaboration with and the partner colleges, the scholarship program was created to ensure that more first-generation college students from rural Washington County and eastern Hancock County have the opportunity to complete undergraduate degrees, untethered by financial burden.

Six students have been selected as inaugural recipients of the scholarships.

The program is the vision of Andrew Davis, director of the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, to give first-generation students from the Downeast region a clear path toward a bachelor’s degree from one of New England’s leading private liberal arts colleges. The scholarship is modeled after the highly successful Davis New Mexico Scholarship and the Davis United World College Scholars Program.

“Congratulations to our first Davis Maine Scholars,” Andrew Davis said in announcing the recipients. “Such talented, motivated students have earned this opportunity to shine. These first role models will serve as inspirations to and bridges for younger students to recognize the opportunities that come with a collegiate education and ultimately will strengthen the Downeast communities they call home.”