It's a rare job in which intelligent people toil hard for more than 100 hours a week, live modestly, and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege to do it! Yet MSUCOM has more than 500 such workers. They're called osteopathic medical students.

Scholarships are critical for sudent support at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. Though loans are available through government and other sources, scholarships can alleviate the burden for osteopathic students and, in many cases, make the difference as to whether medical school is feasible at all. During 2001-2002, costs to single Michigan residents attending MSUCOM are budgeted at $38,530 a year ($17,448 of which is tuition), and nonresident students at $58,330 a year ($37,248 of which is tuition).

At present MSUCOM has established 27 scholarships and awards for our students, all which reflect varied purposes and priorities of their donors. Most offer annual awards in the $400 to $1,500 range, though a few are in the $5,000 to $10,000-a-year range.

"Scholarships offer donors an extraordinary opportunity to honor someone," noted Barbara Ball-McClure, MSUCOM's director of development. "They live on in the work of professional healers.

"If the scholarship is endowed, which requires $30,000 minimum in a single fund, it provides a perpetual legacy that can reflect the values and interests of the individuals," she said.

For more information about scholarships administered by MSUCOM, see http://www.com.msu.edu/student-life/scholarships/scholarshipinfo.html . To establish or contribute to a scholarship fund, contact the MSUCOM Office of Development, 517/355-8355; ballmccl@msu.edu.