GIA Scholarships Now Available for 2010

CARLSBAD, Calif. – June 15, 2009 – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) announced today that it has 76 scholarships available for the 2010 calendar year. The total amount of these scholarships is slightly more than $196,000, which includes funds from private donors and GIA’s endowment fund.

On-campus scholarships for gemology and jewelry arts courses are offered at GIA locations in the U.S., and gemology and jewelry design scholarships are available at the Thailand, India and London campuses. Distance Education awards are also being offered.

“The current economic climate makes it crucial for financial support to be available for deserving, qualified students,” said Bev Berthoty, GIA Institute Relations manager. “It’s heartening to see the industry continue its generosity in supporting those seeking a gemological education.”

As an example, hundreds of annual donors have supported the Richard T. Liddicoat Scholarship Fund, created by the GIA Alumni Association in 2003 to honor Liddicoat, the Institute’s longtime president and chairman. The Fund furthers Liddicoat’s personal mission of providing gemological education to worthy and gifted students by awarding two full scholarships each year in the GIA Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma program.

New scholarships for 2010 include the Rio Grande Scholarship, which will help fund one On-campus Graduate Jeweler (G.J.) program at the Carlsbad, California campus. Alan Bell, the donor of the Rio Grande Scholarship, explained why he started this fund. “This scholarship is in honor of my late father who loved nothing better than sharing his knowledge about jewelry with others,” said Bell. “My family has enormous respect for the integrity of GIA’s educational programs. We want this monetary support to help foster another gem enthusiast, like my father.”

The application period for these scholarships begins today and runs through Oct. 30. Applications can be obtained online at www.gia.edu/scholarships. All GIA scholarships, along with their respective application requirements, are listed.