NCoGS

The 2009 Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Governor's Schools will be held October 22-24 in Burlington, Vermont. The meeting will be jointly hosted by the New York State Summer School for the Arts and the Governor's Institutes of Vermont. The theme of this year's Annual Meeting is simply Challenges. Governor's Schools around the country face difficult challenges at the same time they challenge their students to excel. Join us as we review innovative ways to challenge our students and examine methods to identify and respond to the challenges that face our programs, our states and our nation.

Pennsylvania's Governor's Schools of Excellence may go the way of the South Carolina Governor's School at the College of Charleston and the New Jersey Governor's School of the Arts if Pennsylvania Governor Rendell receives legislative support for his proposed 2009-2010 budget. Several news sources have reported that the governor's proposed budget eliminates all eight Governor's Schools of Excellence.

"A history of NCoGS could be written in a few pages, but the true history of our Governor's Schools movement is the history that abides in each and every Governor's School in this country."

With these words, Lil Press and the National Conference of Governor's Schools embark on a project to compile a history of the Governor's School Movement: the development and evolution of governor's schools from their birth in North Carolina in 1963 to the present day. Lil, a founding member and board member emerita of the National Conference of Governor's Schools, is heading this effort.

Several college scholarships are available to alumni of governor's schools. Eligibility for programs differs from school to school, and colleges and universities may change or update eligibility requirements without notice. Some scholarships are open to alumni from any governor's school program, which others are available to alumni from a specific program or specific programs. Review the scholarships to determine eligibility.

The first and most significant benefit of membership in the National Conference of Governor's Schools is belonging to a group of like-minded individuals who are involved in the same project as you. Governor's schools are relatively uncommon across the nation, so the understanding and appreciation of fellow governor's school laborers and devotees is welcoming and refreshing.