About 475 UNM students are receiving merit-based scholarships this year - but they could lose their funding if they don't write a thank-you note.
The UNM Presidential Scholarship pays for students' tuition and fees and offers financial help with housing and meals.
In order to maintain the scholarship, students must have a 2.5 GPA by the end of their first semester. They also must complete 30 credit hours over the academic year and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of the year.
Presidential Scholars must also write their donors a thank-you letter in the winter and spring.
Freshman Ben Lande received the Presidential Scholarship to study engineering.
"I just wrote my scholarship letter to my donor, and I haven't really had any contact from her," he said. "I'm not really sure if she'll send a letter back or not."
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Scholarship supervisor William Bloom said the scholarship is a great way for students to get through school without taking out loans or paying for school themselves.
"Incoming freshmen that are applying now for next fall can expect approximately $6,600 per year, $3,300 per semester," he said.
The scholarship is funded by donors who are selected by the development team at the Scholarship Office, Bloom said.
"The Development Office cultivates donors that are good fits and are capable of taking on a personal role, because there is a relationship between the donor and the student," he said.
Lande said having a personal relationship with donors can be difficult if they live far away but that recipients make the effort to keep in touch with their donors.
"My donor is from Texas, and it's in memory of her husband," he said. "He used to work for Exxon as a civil engineer and he died in 1996."
Bloom said the letters are an important way for students to let their donors know how they are doing in school.
"The donor will receive written notification and a thank-you letter that might include what the student has done this year, if they studied abroad, courses they took, something they might find interesting in the student's life," he said. "Others get involved with the donors personally."
Bloom said the Development Office chooses donors who show an interest in building a relationship with students.
"There is a lot of research time and care that goes into identifying and selecting the donors," he said. "They need to have the personality, the desire and the right fit to be a presidential donor; they have to want that personal relationship with the student."
Micah Gjeltema also received the scholarship and said it has helped him focus on school because he is not worrying about how to pay for it.
"It is a sizeable scholarship, and that's a lot less stress off both myself and my family," he said. "This scholarship has helped by allowing me to focus on school rather than having four jobs."
