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MACEDONIAN
BUSINESSMAN TO FUND CUTLER SCHOLARSHIPS AT OHIO UNIVERSITY
Contact:
Jack Ellis, ellis@ohio.edu
or (740)
593-4271
ATHENS,
Ohio -- Ohio University's Manasseh
Cutler Scholars Program
has attracted a benefactor from an unexpected part of the
world -- the Republic of Macedonia.
Risto
Gusterov of Macedonia will contribute nearly $500,000 to an
endowed scholarship program, providing two students from
Macedonia with full scholarships for four years of study at
Ohio University. The Risto Gusterov-Manasseh Cutler Scholars
Awards are the first to be awarded to international
students.
"The
continuing role of the United States for peace in my part of
the world along with education of our youth are key to the
future of the Republic of Macedonia," said Gusterov. "As we
continue to move to a free-enterprise society, our young
people will play a vital role in the years to come.
Educating them in the world's strongest economy is the best
way to prepare them for their very important future role. I
strongly believe in the idea behind the Cutler program."
Based on
the Rhodes Scholars Program of Oxford University, the Cutler
Scholars Program emphasizes the development of leadership
potential and the reinforcement of civic responsibility for
undergraduates.
The
scholarships are renewable for four years and provide full
tuition, room and board, and a stipend for structured summer
internships and study abroad.
"I am
pleased, and of course, grateful, to Risto Gusterov for
providing Cutler Scholarship opportunities to students from
Macedonia," Ohio University President
Robert Glidden said. "The Cutler Scholars Program is
designed to provide 'transformational leaders' for a global
society, and it is especially gratifying that our first
international Cutler Scholars will come from Macedonia, a
region that represents the very beginnings of Western
civilization."
U.S. Sen.
George Voinovich, R-Ohio, is an Ohio University alumnus of
Serbian and Slovenian heritage, giving him ancestral ties to
that region of Europe.
During the
news conference, Voinovich said he was very concerned with
the devastation of the countries in the former Yugoslavia
following war there. Educating people in the region may one
day lead to peaceful resolutions of disputes, he
said.
"We don't
pay enough attention to what universities do to contribute
to world peace," he added.
Macedonian
Ambassador Ljubica Z. Acevska spoke at the news conference.
"The United States has Bill Gates and in Macedonia we have
our Gusterov," he said. "One of the best ways to help people
is through education and where better to get it than in the
United States," Acevska added.
Gusterov,
an entrepreneur and businessman, decided to endow the
scholarships following talks with Lou Vlasho, a 1959
graduate of Ohio University's College
of Business
and former president of the Institute of Management
Accountants. Vlasho has been working with Macedonian
businesses during the last decade.
"Risto was
very impressed with the comprehensive nature of the Cutler
Scholars Program," said Jack Ellis, vice president emeritus
for development
and associate director of the Cutler Scholars Program.
Named for
Manasseh Cutler, one of the founders of Ohio University, the
scholarship program began in 1996 with a pilot group of six
scholars. There are 21 Cutler Scholars on the Athens campus
this academic year.
The first
Gusterov-Cutler Scholar will begin classes at Ohio
University fall quarter 2000. The second will begin 2002.
Eleven high schools in Macedonia will nominate candidates
for the award which will be chosen by a committee in
Macedonia.
"To be
considered as a Cutler Scholar, one should be a serious
academic student who demonstrates physical vigor and moral
strength of character that is translated into scholastic
pursuits and ultimately into community involvement," said
Charles J. Ping, Ohio University president emeritus and
executive director of the Manasseh Cutler Scholars Program.
Founded in
1804, Ohio University is in Athens, Ohio, about 75 miles
southeast of Columbus and is the state's oldest university.
About 19,200 undergraduate and graduate students are
enrolled on the Athens campus with a total of 28,407
students enrolled on the main campus and five regional
campuses.
Will
Konneker of Ladue, Mo., is chairman of the Cutler Scholars
Board of Governors. For more information on the Cutler
Scholars Program, contact Jack Ellis at (740) 593-4271 or
e-mail him at ellis@ohio.edu.
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Note:
Macedonian businessman Risto Gusterov, Ohio Sen. George
Voinovich, and Ohio University President Robert Glidden made
this announcement at a news conference held Tuesday, Sept.
28, at 2 p.m. in the National Press Club's Lisagor
Room.
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