Pillars for Excellence Scholarship Competition
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 A group of the brightest high school seniors came to Culver-Stockton College Saturday, February 9, to compete for the 24th annual Pillars for Excellence Scholarship Competition. These full-tuition merit scholarships are offered to top quality academic students. Each competing student also completed an essay and an interview during Saturday’s event.
 President William L. Fox welcomed the students to campus, noting that a Culver-Stockton education is both common and rare. He said that although many courses across colleges are about similar subjects that the academic calendar and curriculum being introduced at C-SC next fall will offer students higher expectations, greater opportunities to explore their option, and more hands-on experience than most other campuses. The incoming Fall 2008 class will be the inaugural class for C-SC’s new curriculum, EXP@CSC, which revolves around a 12/3 split in each 15-week semester. During the first 12-week long term, students take several courses in the more traditional style. In each 3-week short term, students immerse themselves in just one course or an experiential opportunity such as travel abroad, an internship, or other in-depth opportunity. "You can expect to be stretched beyond anything you’ve known so far," Fox said. He also told the Pillars candidates that C-SC offers an opportunity to build lifelong relationships with other students, faculty, and alumni that will help them throughout their lives. "You can expect to make a network of connections that are tightly wired, beginning Day 1," he added.
 Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College R. Joseph Dieker echoed the excitement around the new curriculum, noting, "Culver-Stockton is a great place to explore what your life might be about, to find that which excites you. Our job is to help you realize that excitement." He said the new programs will provide special attention to students who don’t know yet what they want to do. "You don’t have to know yet how you want to spend the rest of your life; in fact, you probably won’t be doing the same thing for your whole life. We are here for each one of you to help you figure it out."
Vice President for Enrollment Management and College Marketing Melik Peter Khoury also welcomed students, telling them that Pillars Day is  much more than a competition for scholarships. "You are already winners," Khoury said. "This is the beginning of an experience that will change your lives. Look around you, these students are not your competitors, they are your partners, they are your graduating class in four years."
Pillars candidates also heard about the Culver-Stockton honors program from Steven Long, assistant professor of English and director of the honors scholars program, as well as current honors students Molly Glawe, senior, and Nicole Gravedoni, junior.
 While students wrote essays and were interviewed, their parents met with a panel of faculty and staff as well as a panel of parents of previous Pillars recipients. In addition to asking questions about the new curriculum and financial aid, they asked questions about first-year adjustment to college life, campus safety, athletics, tutoring, and ensuring student success. The day ended with lunch, campus tours, individual auditions, and athletics workouts.
Pillars for Excellence Scholarships can be renewed annually at the value of the student's freshman year if the student maintains a 3.2 GPA at Culver-Stockton. Students competed through essay writing and an interview session with faculty, staff, and current C-SC students who are Pillars winners. Pillars Scholarship winners will be announced in March.
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