Scholarship Information

The award will be $20,000 for four years or $5,000 per year ($2,500 per semester). The scholar must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 at MSU to remain eligible for the continuation of funding. This award can be forfeited if the scholar changes to a non-technical major, falls below the 3.0 GPA or enrolls for less than 12 hours per semester at MSU.

Scholarship Selection

To be considered for the Swalm Scholarship, a student must be admitted to MSU. The application for admission can be found on the web at www.admissions.msstate.edu. A resume for scholarships must also be completed online at www.admissions.msstate.edu. Lastly, an application for the Swalm Scholarship must be completed (this application can be found in your high school counselor’s office or on the Office of Admissions and Scholarships website). The priority date for scholarships, including the Swalm Scholarship Program is February 1.

Recipients will be determined by a review committee comprised of Brookhaven residents and a representative from Mississippi State University. Twenty (20) scholarships will be awarded to Brookhaven High graduates and five (5) will be awarded to Brookhaven Academy graduates.

Please return application to:

Office of Admissions and Scholarships

P.O. Box 6334

Mississippi State, MS 39762

The Benefactor Behind the Scholarship Program

Dave C. Swalm believed in giving back to his community and challenging others to invest in the futures of students in their own communities.

Through a $5 million commitment to his alma mater, the 1955 Mississippi State University chemical engineering graduate hoped to set an example for others while providing significant assistance for students from his hometown who are beginning their higher education. He established a scholarship fund for Brookhaven students choosing to major in a technical field at Mississippi State.

After having worked his way through MSU, he was hired by Dow Chemical following graduation. He subsequently held positions at Texas Butadiene and the Steuber Co. before investing his entire savings of $6,000 to found his own company in 1968. He sold Texas Olefins, the largest privately owned petrochemicals raw materials producer in the United States, for $500 million in 1996. His earlier contributions to Mississippi State are used to support scholarships, faculty development programs and laboratory equipment. A generous commitment from him made possible the 100,000-square-foot chemical engineering building in the school of chemical engineering that now bears his name. Mr. Swalm has made contributions to Mississippi State totaling more than $20 million. Through the Swalm Foundation he created in 1979, Swalm also has provided more than $30 million to support programs for early childhood education, victims of child abuse and survivors of domestic violence, among others.

Degree Programs that qualify for the Swalm Scholarship

Primary

Agricultural Engineering Technology and Business Major
Building Construction Science
Architecture Major ( pre-Arch is ok)
Physics Major
Industrial Technology Major
Chemical Engineering Major (pre-English is ok)
Aerospace Engineering Major
Biological Engineering Major
Civil Engineering Major
Computer Science Major
Computer Engineering Major
Industrial Engineering Major
Mechanical Engineering Major
Forest Products Concentration

Secondary

Medical Technology Major
Chemistry Major
Geographic Information Systems Concentration
Business Information Systems Major
Information Technology Services Major