Fellowship grants will increase by 40 percent for students in the Cornell Tradition, an alumni-endowed program that rewards Cornell undergraduates for academic achievement and community service.

The hike in the fellowship awards -- from $2,500 to $3,500 a year for each student -- will go into effect in the 1998-99 academic year. The increase, the first in more than a decade, reflects a commitment from Cornell alumni and friends to increase the endowment of aid supporting students in three programs of the Cornell Commitment: 600 Tradition fellows, 250 National Scholars and 50 Presidential Research Scholars. The maximum Cornell Tradition award over four years will rise to $14,000 -- reducing the loan indebtedness students may incur while earning a Cornell degree.

"I am very excited about the increases that we are announcing," said Donald Saleh, Cornell dean of admissions and financial aid. "Cornell's commitment to service, leadership and scholarship are well-known. These programs provide vehicles for us to attract students who excel in these areas."

When translated into loan payments, at 8.5 percent interest, the additional $4,000 over four years is equal to $50 a month for 10 years. The entire $14,000 in loan payments, at 8.5 percent interest, is equal to $174 a month for 10 years.

The Cornell Tradition was established in 1982 with an anonymous gift of $7 million. It awards 600 fellowships each year to students who demonstrate significant work experience, campus and/or community service involvement and academic achievement. Since the program began, Tradition fellowships have replaced more than $16 million in student loans. Awards are credited directly to students' bursar accounts.

In addition to helping students decrease their loan debt, the Cornell Tradition provides fellows with service internship opportunities through its Public Service Internship program.

"I think the most important experience I've had in my four years at Cornell came this summer during an unpaid internship," said Tradition fellow Archana Prakash, a senior in the Cornell College of Human Ecology. "I was able to work for ACORN, a community organizing group in Brooklyn, and learn about the problems of inner cities first hand. It was so much better than learning about it in classes. It was an incredible experience and would not have been possible if wasn't for Tradition. Without their sponsorship, I would have had to work this summer to earn money instead of taking this job."

Tradition fellowships carry academic and service requirements that students consistently surpass. Fellows are required to complete 200 hours of paid work during their freshman years and 250 hours during each of their upperclass years; in 1996-97, the average number of work hours fellows completed was 312. They also are required to perform 75 hours of campus or community service during each of their academic years; in 1996-97, the average number of service hours students contributed was 172. Finally, Tradition fellows are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.3; but they averaged 3.1 during the 1996-97 academic year.

Some of the hundreds of agencies in which Tradition Fellows completed service in 1996-97 included: Habitat for Humanity, AIDS Work of Tompkins County, the Child Sexual Abuse Project, Astoria Breast Cancer Detection Center, the Epilepsy Foundation of America, Mountaindale Fire Department First Aid Squad and the St. Francis Home for the Aged.

"When I became a fellow my freshman year, I had no idea how much it would affect my life," said Tradition alumnus Javier Romero, a 1996 graduate of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. "In addition to receiving the fellowship's financial support, I was introduced to invaluable resources that widened my perspective of what a college should be. Even my aspirations to do research on Cuban art became a life-changing reality when I traveled to Havana."

The Cornell Tradition Alumni Association also provides fellows with the opportunity to participate in the Cornell Tradition after they graduate. Tradition alumni provide the next generation of fellows with job opportunities, contribute to the financial support of the Cornell Tradition and return to campus to meet with current fellows and staff members.

"The grants are supported almost entirely by gifts and endowment," Saleh said. "Our alumni understand the importance of enrolling the next generation of leaders, and their support for the fellowships reflects their personal commitment to these values, to our students and to the university."

Tradition donor Robert T. Nelson, Cass of 1951, a retired DuPont executive, calls the Cornell Tradition "one of the best vehicles we have ever encountered to invest in the future of our society. The Tradition students we've met have all been outstanding. They've coupled academic talent, dedication and commitment with a strong desire to make a significant contribution outside the classroom and after graduation."