USM alumni launch tuition raffle

PORTLAND - The USM Alumni Association has come up with a way to provide one USM student with $6,000 for academic expenses while building up a scholarship fund for other students.

USM alumni are selling $10 tickets for the association’s first-ever tuition raffle. The winning ticket will provide a $6,000 payment to a student’s account for use in covering tuition, fees and other educational expenses. The $6,000 is the equivalent of the cost of 24 credit hours at the in-state tuition rate for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Net proceeds over and above the $6,000 will benefit the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, which awards up to six, $1,500 scholarships each spring.

“The raffle is an easy and convenient way to help a USM student with a significant chunk of his or her expenses for one year and to help other students through the annual Alumni Scholarship Fund,” said A.J. Chalifour, a 2008 USM alumnus who is chairing the effort. “It’s especially timely given the costs of earning a degree combined with the economic conditions.”

A member of the public can purchase one or more tickets in the name of a student. Students also are eligible to buy tickets in their own name. Those who want to contribute to the scholarship fund without naming a student recipient can participate by purchasing a blank ticket. Ticket sales will conclude on December 20. The winner will be announced on January 18, 2011.

More information, including the complete list of eligibility requirements, is available at http://www.alumniusm.org or by contacting Melissa Dudley, manager of alumni communications, at 780-4110, mdudley@usm.maine.edu.