1. There is hereby established the “Jim Sears Leadership Scholarship Program”. Any moneys appropriated by the general assembly for this program shall be used to provide scholarships for Missouri citizens to attend Truman State University pursuant to the provisions of this section.

2. The definitions of terms set forth in section 173.205 shall be applicable to such terms as used in this section.

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 174.770

  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020

3. The board of governors of Truman State University shall be the administrative agency for the implementation of the program established by this section, and shall:

(1) Promulgate reasonable rules for the exercise of its functions related to the purposes of this section;

(2) Prescribe the form, time and method of awarding academic scholarships, and shall supervise the processing thereof; and

(3) Select qualified recipients to receive the scholarships.

4. Subject to appropriations, a student shall be eligible for the scholarship, if such student is in compliance with the eligibility requirements set forth in section 173.215 excluding the requirement of financial need.

5. Initial scholarships shall be offered in the academic year immediately following graduation from high school to Missouri high school seniors who have shown a strong record of leadership or community service while in high school. The scholarships shall be distributed as evenly as possible throughout the state. During the freshman year of college, scholarship recipients are required to maintain status as a full-time student.

6. The scholarships are renewable for up to six additional semesters if the recipient remains in compliance with the applicable provisions of section 173.215, the recipient makes satisfactory academic degree progress as a full-time student, and upon the provision of funds by Truman State University.