BlackRock Hallac Scholarship

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is honored that BlackRock, the nation’s largest public asset management firm, has chosen the Institute as one of two national research universities to lead a BlackRock funded scholarship program for bright, innovative and entrepreneurial students who come from economically disadvantaged circumstances. The BlackRock program, a legacy to the late Charles S. Hallac, is a transformative opportunity for exceptional Georgia Tech students of reduced means who are studying in the STEM disciplines. Through BlackRock’s generosity in memory of Mr. Hallac, the corporation will ensure that financial need does not stand in the way of recipients earning a superb education.

BlackRock will provide an annual expendable gift to fund two cost of attendance scholarships each year for undergraduate students with significant, demonstrated financial need who have successfully completed their first year of study with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The full cost of undergraduate attendance is defined as tuition, mandatory student fees, books and supplies, housing allowance, meal plan allowance, and personal educational costs, as published on the Georgia Tech Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid web site, plus a computer as necessary. Scholarships may be renewed for two additional years (total of six semesters) as long as recipients continue to earn a 3.0 GPA or higher and have demonstrated financial need. Both out-of-state students and Georgia residents may qualify. It is BlackRock’s intent that no work study or other work component be required. First preference is for students studying in the College of Engineering and the College of Computing. A second preference is for women and underrepresented minority candidates in those Colleges.

In addition to the scholarship criteria and preferences noted above, it is BlackRock’s intent that recipients possess characteristics including innovative thinking, maturity, and intellectual passion. They should be self-motivated individuals who do not follow blindly. They should be risk takers with an insatiable desire to solve big problems.

In addition to the scholarship award, BlackRock will support each recipient in identifying and securing a paid internship between his or her second and third year of study. Between the third and fourth year, BlackRock will offer each recipient a paid internship within the corporation.

To identify qualified candidates, OSFA intends to utilize its network of Institute relationships including faculty and undergraduate advisors in the offices of the Dean of the College of Engineering, the Chairs in the various Schools in the College of Engineering, the Dean of the College of Computing, and the Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students, as well as faculty advisors of certain student organizations.

OSFA will research potential recipients in the fall of the students’ freshman year. Nominations will be sought based on the criteria and from the faculty and staff noted above. Fall grades will be reviewed and candidate interviews conducted internally during January and February of the spring term. Student interest in developing an understanding of the financial services industry will be assessed. During March and April, Georgia Tech will present BlackRock with a portfolio of prospective recipients, not less than three and no more than four, with whom company representatives may wish to speak either by long-distance interview or on-campus interview. Georgia Tech will take feedback from those corporate interviews into consideration with the understanding that Georgia Tech will make the final recipient selections. Spring semester grades will be reviewed before the successful recipients are notified on or before June 1.