Presidential Campus Enrichment Grant

The Presidential Campus Enrichment Grant (PCEG) was established to enhance multicultural experiences at Virginia Tech.  Its goal is to attract students with diverse backgrounds and knowledge to the Virginia Tech Community and provide opportunities for these students to contribute to the community.

Selection Process

A completed FAFSA form, filed before the March 11 deadline, is required for consideration. 

Recipients are selected according to the following:

• Commitment to Educational Diversity
• Extracurricular Activities
• Academic Achievement
• Financial Status
• Family educational background

Information requested on the application:

• Virginia Tech ID or Social Security Number if you are not accepted as a student
• Name (First, MI, Last)
• Your parents’ highest level of education
• A Personal Statement briefly discussing:
  • Your personal values and beliefs about multiculturalism and diversity.
  • Your personal values and beliefs about learning about viewpoints that are different from yours and what your reaction has been to those viewpoints.
  • Your experiences interacting with individuals whose backgrounds are different than yours.
  • Your personal involvement in diversity activities.  Have you held a leadership role in any of these activities?
  • How you plan to contribute to diversity at Virginia Tech and ways that you can assist in making this a more welcoming community.

Educational diversity is a state of mind or philosophical approach characterized by openness to the inclusion of people and ideas from dissimilar backgrounds.  These differences could include geographic origin, language, socioeconomic status, natural origin, gender, ethnicity, disability, age, family educational background, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, and political philosophy.  The statements should include an explanation of how relevant activities have influenced you personally, how they can be of value to you at Virginia Tech and beyond, and how you can make a positive contribution to the enrichment of the campus community.

General Requirements of Recipients

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid manages applications and chooses recipients for the Presidential Campus Enrichment Grant.  Students who are selected will be required to participate in programs coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs in order to continue.  This is to allow participating students to expand their activities on campus and in the surrounding community.  Below is a list of the requirements recipients from last year were required to meet.

1. Maintain a 2.5 or better overall GPA
2. Complete the Diversity Requirement
   • Participants must earn 12 merits during the course of the academic year.
     • 3 Merits:  Become an active member of a student organization that has diverse membership and/or focus on diversity and multicultural issues (merit will only be awarded if you join a group in which the majority of members are from a different racial/ethnical group than you). 
     • 2 Merits: Attend forums/workshops/seminars focused on diversity and multicultural issues (2 merits will be awarded for each one attended).
     • 1 Merit: Attend lectures/presentations focused on diversity and multicultural issues (1 merit will be awarded for each one attended).
     • 3 Merits:  Be an active participant in a planning committee/group focused on diversity and multicultural issues.
     • 3 Merits:  Take a class for credit that focuses on diversity and multicultural issues.
3. Complete the Journal Requirement
   • Each Presidential Campus Enrichment Grant recipient must keep a journal for the course of the academic year.
   • Entries are to include reflection on activities and experiences listed in the Diversity Requirement.
   • Entries should be made on a biweekly basis and should include:
     • A summary of the event
     • How this event relates to diversity/multiculturalism, and how it has affected you personally.
     • Journal entries can also include experiences not directly related to an organized activity.  For example, if you get together with some friends and religion is discussed, you can use this as a journal entry as long as you can reflect on the discussion and what you personally gained from it.
     • At the end of each semester, journals must be sent to Alicia Cohen acohen@vt.edu as an email attachment