TELESOFT PARTNERS - MSU COMPUTER SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP

AWARD

A merit-based scholarship which will be awarded to a full-time student who becomes a Computer Science junior or senior in the fall of the award year. The scholarship is for $6000 per year, distributed over two semesters. Determination of academic standing will be based on the student’s status in the Computer Science curriculum, not on total credits.

ELIGIBILITY

The donor’s conditions are that the scholarship will be awarded to “a worthy full-time undergraduate computer science major who has or will have attained at least junior status at the time the scholarship is disbursed and who exhibits an entrepreneurial flair. Recipients do not have to be eligible to work in the United States, and can be international students from any country of origin. Recipients may be offered internship opportunities by the donor, if they are eligible to work in the United States or in other geographies, on a case-by-case basis. Recipients will have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The donor’s intention is that the scholarship will be renewable for a second year if the student continues to meet all eligibility requirements, except that full-time enrollment is not a requirement for renewal only for the last semester before graduation.”

ENTREPRENEURIAL FLAIR

The donor’s primary criterion for awarding this scholarship is that the recipient must exhibit an entrepreneurial flair. His goal is that recipients of this award will, later in life, not just work for a company but that they will help to create new companies which will employ others, as the donor has done. The donor will attempt to set up summer internships at one of his startup companies for TeleSoft scholarship awardees.

APPLICATION

To demonstrate eligibility applicants must submit a letter to the department addressing the following:

• previous and current entrepreneurial efforts (e.g. plans for a new company, working as an independent programmer, starting a company, etc.) and
• career goals.

In addition the applicant must submit a letter of reference from a computer professional that specifically addresses the issue of entrepreneurship.

BACKGROUND

The TeleSoft Scholarships have been established by Arjun Gupta, Founder and General Manager of TeleSoft Partners, a venture capital company focused on high-tech startups. He has established the scholarship in honor of Denbigh Starkey, his advisor at Washington State University. Mr. Gupta’s vita can be found at http://www.telesoftvc.com/team_network/investment_team/.

Updated: 2008-12-12