2023 - 2024
Scholarship Application For the University of Liberia Communication Students Only
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LIBERIAN JOURNALISTS
The Scholarship
The J.P. Hicks Family Mass Communication Scholarship was established in 2010 to provide support for students at the University of Liberia who are interested in mass communications, either in print, broadcast or online publications.
Scholarship awards are based on a combination of academic achievement, exceptional talent within the discipline and a commitment to enhance the quality of journalism in Liberia. The scholarship award covers college fees, housing, and books for a period of up to four semesters at the University of Liberia. It also provides for online, one-on-one mentorship with professional journalists as well an allowance for Internet usage. The scholarship also includes a laptop computer for each recipient. Students entering their junior and senior years at the university are eligible to apply for the award.
Requirements for the 2023-2024 Scholarship
✔ Demonstrated interest in mass communication
✔ Demonstrated academic achievement
✔ Submission of a résumé with a cover letter
✔ Submission of a 500-word essay detailing the applicant’s qualifications as well as plans to further the development of media in Liberia.
✔ Submit a completed application package with all supporting documents
About Jonathan P. Hicks
The scholarship was created by the family of Jonathan P. Hicks, a longtime journalist and writer. During his career, Mr. Hicks was a financial and political reporter with The New York Times, a columnist for the New York Amsterdam News, a senior correspondent for BET News and a senior fellow at the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. He was the co-editor of the book, From Disaster to Diversity: What’s Next for New York City’s Economy? He also was a script writer for Back Channels: The Price of Peace, a documentary about the Camp David Peace Accords.
His family lived in Monrovia while his father, John Henry Hicks, a former journalist and former United States diplomat, served at the American Embassy in Liberia. John Hicks, who was the first African-American reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, supervised the operation of the United States Information Service’s library in downtown Monrovia and hosted a weekly public affairs program on ELBC Radio in Monrovia. It was during that time that Jonathan Hicks formed a connection with Liberia and its people that would last throughout his life.
In the fall of 2009, Jonathan Hicks traveled to Liberia on a grant from the Ford Foundation to write articles and conduct broadcasts about the redevelopment of the country as well as to lay the groundwork for a training program for professional and aspiring journalists there. While in Liberia, he was a guest lecturer in the Mass Communications Department at the University of Liberia. After meeting so many talented and committed students who had few resources, he determined that there was a need to support those students, who would become the country’s next generation of journalists, through scholarships and mentoring opportunities.
Applications for The J.P. Hicks Family Mass Communication Scholarship must be received by August 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewed by the Scholarship Advisory Board and recipients will be notified by email by September 15, 2023.
Application Instructions
You may scan and email your completed application and official transcript with a letter of recommendation from an advisor/leader of Liberia University or affiliated organization in which you are actively involved to JPHicksScholarship@gmail.com. Applications must be received by August 1, 2023 for consideration.
Type or print a complete answer to each item, writing N/A (Not Applicable) where appropriate. All information will be kept confidential.
Criteria
Successful candidates must be full-time sophomores, juniors or seniors enrolled at the University of Liberia with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA