(GREENSBURG, INDIANA - August 27) The Decatur County Community Foundation has removed the controlled essay portion of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship process for this school year.
DCCF has administered an in-person proctored essay as part of the Lilly process for many years. However, due to Covid-19 contact tracing within the schools, the Community Foundation Board of Directors, in consultation with the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, school guidance counselors, other foundations running concurrent Lilly processes, and Lilly Endowment, feel that it is in the best interest of local students and schools to forgo the essay this year.
While our Board understands that the essay is an important step of the process, contract tracing would make it nearly impossible to create an equitable testing environment for all students, which would compromise the integrity of the process.
This year, 55 students applied for the Lilly Scholarship. Each of these students will be scored by an independent committee on the criteria of scholastic aptitude, work, school, and community involvement, and overall quality of their application. The top five scorers will move onto the finalist round, which will proceed as normal. Students will prepare a presentation to share with the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, and they will be asked several impromptu interview questions. The results and scores from each round will then be sent to the Lilly Endowment, who will make the final decision.
The recipient of the Lilly Scholarship will receive a full-tuition scholarship, as well as a book stipend, to attend the Indiana college of his/her choosing. The four finalists will receive $5,000 DCCF Community Scholarship
If you have questions concerning the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, please contact Scholarship Program Manager Jenny Schebler at 812.662.6364 or jenny@dccfound.org.