Worn by many high school and college students, apparel from American Eagle Outfitters offers casual clothing targeted toward a young demographic. With more than 900 stores across the United States and Canada, American Eagle and its sister stores, Aerie and 77kids strive to provide affordable and trendy clothing. Along with dressing America’s youth, American Eagle also offers a college scholarship in conjunction with the Big East Conference.
Background
During the summer of 2010, American Eagle announced it would be partnering with the Big East Conference to be the sponsor of the Big East Conference Championships for three years. As sponsor, American Eagle is named the official apparel of the Big East and receives promotion through print, radio and TV ads associated with the tournament. In return, American Eagle created the Big East Scholar of the Year Scholarship Program to award scholarships to outstanding Big East athletes.
Function
The main function of the Scholar of the Year Scholarship Program is to provide scholarship money to deserving student athletes in the Big East Conference. As part of American Eagle’s program of corporate responsibility, the company finds ways to give back to the community, and the Scholar of the Year program helps to accomplish that goal. Additionally, the program also brings national recognition to the student athletes, their schools and the Big East Conference.
Features
The American Eagle Big East Scholar of the Year Program awards 37 scholarships each year. Scholarships are awarded to one male and one female at each of the 16 Big East member schools, as well as a male and female Basketball Scholar-Athlete of Year and a male Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Each scholarship awards $2,000 that must be used for graduate or professional level studies. Winners are chosen by the Big East’s Academic Affairs Committee.
Process
Students must be competing in a Division I college varsity sport at a Big East Conference school to be eligible for the Scholar of the Year award. Other eligibility requirements include a minimum 3.0 grade point average, outstanding performance in their sport and senior standing for the general Scholar of the Year award and junior standing for the Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Students interested in the scholarship can find more information through their school’s financial aid or athletic departments. Winners are announced each spring and featured on the Big East Conference website, as well as on that student-athlete’s school website.
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Writer Bio
Lindsey Thompson began her writing career in 2001. Her work has been published in the Cincinnati Art Museum's "Member Magazine" and "The Ohio Journalist." You'll also find her work on websites like Airbnb, Chron.com, and USAToday.com. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.