In response to the Daily Collegian Editorial dated March 14, 2006:

The Daily Collegian editorial board makes the dubious assertion that a 40%
increase in the academic excellence scholarship provided to all incoming
Schreyer Scholars will not improve the quality of applicants to the Schreyer
Honors College.  However, in the last ten years, colleges and universities
across the country from Washington University in St. Louis to Vanderbilt to
USC have used merit aid to dramatically increase the average SAT and high
school GPA of their student bodies.  While the Daily Collegian editorial
board might not think $4000 over four years is a lot of money, it is still
a significant amount.  And if that extra $4000 makes a prospective scholar
take a closer look at everything that a Penn State honors education has to
offer, or to take a walk down College Avenue on warm spring day, more then
a few will decide to matriculate at Penn State.

Moreover, it seems counterintuitive to suggest that increasing the requirements
placed on a Schreyer Scholar will convince a higher quality of student to
enroll in the Honors College.  In my experience, honors students value the
freedom they have to pursue their own interests and chafe under additional
constraints.

Ultimately, the money Penn State spends on merit aid for Schreyer Scholars
raises the profile of the university by attracting the kind of students
who win international fellowships like the Rhodes and Marshall; this higher
academic profile benefits all Penn State students.