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Kemper Scholars Program
Expectations and Roles
The Kemper Scholars Program is a partnership between the James S. Kemper
Foundation and the Kemper Scholars Program Institutions. Although the Foundation
provides funding and services, the college or university, the campus coordinators, and
the students must play a vital role in the success of the Kemper Scholars Program.
The Foundation will provide or fund the following:

Financial aid ($3,000-$10,000/year/scholar for three years—sophomore through
senior). Unless no suitable candidate is proposed, normally one new Scholar will
be selected at each college/university each year, and that student will be
supported through graduation assuming the student meets the requirements of
the program. The amount of the award (between $3,000 and $10,000) is based
on need as determined by the FAFSA form and on calculations by the scholar’s
institutional financial aid office. Excepting international students, scholars whose
parents have not filed a FAFSA must be treated as having no-need. Every Kemper
Scholar, regardless of need, receives a scholarship of at least $3,000/year.

Summer stipends ($2,000-$6,900/summer/scholar for two summers—following
sophomore and junior years). Current awards are $6,700-$6,900 for the first
summer (depending on distance from Chicago), up to $6,000 for the second
summer, depending on the student’s internship placement, payment by the
internship site and related costs. The second summer’s award is based on a
proposal and budget submitted by the scholar; the minimum award for the
post-junior summer (for students in fully paid internships) is $2,000.

Sophomore summer experience, including housing in Chicago, full-time work
placement with a non-profit organization arranged by Foundation staff, group
educational and entertainment activities, and a weekly group seminar and
personal meetings with Foundation staff.

Mentoring Kemper Scholars have periodic individual phone conferences or
personal meetings with Foundation staff. Staff members are available to consult
with scholars at the scholar’s request as well.

Annual conference for all Kemper Scholars, primarily composed of formal
presentations by Scholars on their summer experiences. Currently the
conference takes place in Chicago. In 2015 the conference will be held
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August 4-5. Students’ expenses for attendance, including those of newly selected
Kemper Scholars, are covered by the Foundation.

Modest annual administrative grants to colleges ($300/Scholar) to recognize and
partly compensate overhead expenses.

Campus visit each year by Foundation representative during the winter/spring
term to confer with campus officials, interview three finalist candidates, and
meet with current Kemper Scholars.
The college is asked to provide the following:

A Campus Coordinator (typically a faculty member or administrator) who serves
as the Foundation’s primary contact and also provides local campus oversight of
the program. If possible, the coordinator should attend the annual Kemper
Scholars Conference in Chicago. Continuity in the position is critical to building
the program on campus. The Coordinator is expected to be in contact with
Kemper Scholars during the year, follow-up with them as necessary on program
issues, and recruit and select new Kemper Scholars Program candidates.

Campus publicity and promotion of the program. The Foundation provides
application materials and asks that campuses find the most appropriate ways to
publicize the program to students. Experience has shown that individual
invitations by the coordinator or faculty members to strong students is the most
effective recruitment tool. The Foundation desires to build a diverse group of
students and asks the campus coordinators to keep this need in mind during
recruitment.

Screening of candidates (process to be determined by the college after
consultation with the Foundation). Typically this requires a small committee to
read and screen written applications, to interview candidates, and to select
three finalists for interviews with Foundation staff who make the final selection.
The Foundation intends current Kemper Scholars to be a significant part of the
selection process, especially interviewing candidates.

Review of the Scholars’ post-junior internship placements to assure that they are
tied to students’ academic and career goals.

Assistance to Scholars searching for appropriate summer projects following the
junior year, especially by helping students make contacts with appropriate
alumni, college friends, or campus vendors who might arrange internship
opportunities.
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
Using the standard federal forms (FAFSA) and guidelines, assessment of financial
need of each Scholar to determine level of aid by the Foundation must be
completed by financial aid officers on the campus.

Administration of the scholarship aid and summer stipends which are sent to the
campus to be passed on to the Kemper Scholars in a manner that fits the campus
financial processes.

Appropriate distribution of IRS-required earnings forms related to internship
stipends (Form 1099).
The Scholar is expected to do the following:

Maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average cumulatively and for each semester.
Term grades must be reported to the Foundation. Once a year the Foundation
must receive an official transcript of grades requested from the Registrar’s Office
by the Kemper Scholar. (Printouts of on-line grade reports do not qualify as
official transcripts.) The scholar may be given a probationary semester following
a performance below 3.0, but continuing unsatisfactory performance for a
subsequent term will result in dismissal from the program.

Maintain adequate academic progress and be a student in good standing at their
college or university. Students who stop-out of school for longer than a
semester, are placed on academic or social probation, withdraw, or are
dismissed will be removed from the program. In certain cases, like medical or
personal leaves, students may be reinstated if the absence is not more than a
semester. Students will receive no financial aid from the Foundation while on
leave from school. Students who do not make adequate progress toward
graduation will be put on probation and will be dropped from the program if the
situation is not corrected after one semester. Students dropped from the
program because of inappropriate behavior, unacceptable grades or lack of
progress toward the degree will not be readmitted. Students transferring to a
school which is not part of the Kemper Scholars Program may not remain in the
program. Should a Kemper Scholar transfer to a school which is part of the
Kemper Scholars Program, their retention in the program will be considered by
the Foundation in consultation with representatives of the new school.
Coordinators and officials on the home campus may determine that a Kemper
Scholar does not represent the school well and ask that the student be removed
from the Kemper Scholars Program.

Be energetically involved in and responsive to all activities of the Kemper
Scholars Program. The Kemper Scholars Program includes a number of activities
and assignments (readings, reports, presentations, requests for information,
attendance at events), many of which are centered on the summer work
program in Chicago. The Foundation tries hard to make only carefully considered
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demands that we think are not burdensome. While the Kemper Scholars
Program involves no grades or credits, we expect Kemper Scholars to complete
all assignments in a timely way to their highest ability. Kemper Scholars’
involvement with such assignments and their timely response to requests will be
evaluated in determining whether they will continue in the Kemper Scholars
Program. The first evaluation will occur after the Chicago summer work program.

Design and submit appropriately written academic, professional and personal
goals at least twice a year. These will be discussed with Foundation staff and
consulted in formation of summer internships and projects.

Participate in local community service activities during the academic year.
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Prepare a report on each summer’s internship experience, to be personally
presented at the annual Kemper Scholars Conference or in writing if attendance
is impossible.
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Perform satisfactorily in two full-time summer internships. Students dismissed
from an internship may be dropped from the Kemper Scholars Program.
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Keep post-sophomore and post-junior summer free. Kemper Scholars must not
create academic schedules or make commitments (e.g., student-faculty research
projects, study abroad schedules) which require them to use their postsophomore and post-junior year summers for other activities besides program
internships unless they can be completed after the ten-week internship period.
International study programs that end in mid-June effectively make an internship
impossible and will conflict with the Kemper Scholars Program. Kemper Scholars
may not take summer courses or make additional work commitments during the
period of the program internships.

Meet with Foundation staff (usually by telephone) at least twice each year.
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Work in a non-profit organization in Chicago during the sophomore summer. The
Foundation will identify reputable non-profit organizations that can provide
serious, project-oriented work in administration, finance, or other areas of
relevance to the Kemper Scholars Program.

Make arrangements for and write a formal proposal for the junior summer
internship which meets Foundation guidelines.

Update necessary forms and documents and complete tasks as requested by the
Foundation staff on a timely basis. Students who are chronically late in
responding to Foundation requests and require repeated reminders put a
significant and unnecessary burden on Foundation staff.
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
Complete the FAFSA form each academic year if the student wishes to be
considered for a scholarship stipend larger than the minimum $3,000. Awards
are based on calculations by each student’s campus financial aid office, but no
student whose family has not filed a FAFSA will be considered for more than the
minimum scholarship aid. Filing a FAFSA is not necessary for international
students or for consideration for summer internship stipends. Except setting
ranges, the Foundation does not determine scholarship awards and cannot
adjust calculations made by campus financial aid officers.

Be a positive representative of the Kemper Scholars Program in terms of
personal lifestyle and behavior. Scholars involved with illegal, inappropriate, or
illicit behavior may be removed from the program at the Foundation’s discretion.