The Cook Family Foundation has a role in four scholarships to the University of Michigan. From these, Shiawassee area students are offered a scholarship of at least $3,000 to those who are admitted to the U-M Ann Arbor. Once matriculated into an incoming cohort, Cook Scholars receive ongoing support throughout their undergraduate career, including early momentum and engagement opportunities within the cohort as well as campus-wide. As student progress toward degree completion, they move forward in volunteer work and leadership efforts that build soft skills and benefit their home communities.
Student Life is launching this program with the incoming fall student cohort, meeting the group at their awards ceremony this spring, with summer online and in-person programming beginning in June 2025. Look for newsletters in your umich.edu inbox with information for both students and families. Also, follow the newly organized Shiawassee Scholars student organization on Instagram (@shiawasseescholarsum).
Campus Email: [email protected]
Links for Early Connections on Campus
- Cook Scholars on Canvas. Meet the group through intros, discussion boards, and weekly updates over the summer, as you prepare for your undergraduate career at Michigan. Participation is incentivized through an earned-points system and redeemable for Cook Scholars swag. (Opens June 1, 2025. The incoming cohort will receive an invitation; check your umich.edu inbox.)
- Office of New Student Programs. Supports new Wolverines and their families as they navigate the start of their Michigan experience. See page for information regarding Orientation, Welcome Events, the University Mentorship Program, Transfer Connections, and Veterans & Military Services.
- Resource Navigators. Offers peer-to-peer wayfinding that helps you pinpoint the spaces, places, and people at Michigan. All Cook Scholars will meet this student team through monthly newsletters (beginning June 1st) and summer appointments.
- Student Life. Individually Cook Scholars represent the 19 schools and colleges at Michigan (Ann Arbor), but all are part of Student Life and the broader campus community. Here, you can find your own place on campus, connect with other students, get involved in student organizations, find leadership, internship, and employment opportunities, and choose the right housing, dining, and living options that work best for you.
- Michigan App. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play (free). The tool offers in-app messages and reminders related to academic life, personalized class schedule information, search based on places (campus buildings) and people (faculty, staff and students), location-based content including bus stops, parking locations and dining halls, and featured university events.
- MFamily. Enables the support network of new Wolverines by providing information and resources. Sign up for monthly webinars, the Coffee Chat series, MFamily Portal, and the MFamily Association.
- Parent & Family Weekend. Welcoming parents, families, and supporters, this Michigan experience is held annually. Registration is through the MFamily Portal.
The Cook Family Foundation
About: The Cook Family Foundation, a multi-generational family foundation based in Owosso, Michigan, collaborates with organizations to support education, the environment, the arts, and community stewardship. They work to be a catalyst for positive community change to promote a more equitable society.
Eligibility: Any graduating high school senior with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher from any of the ten high schools serving all or part of Shiawassee County will receive at a minimum one $3,000 scholarship from among the four scholarships connected to the foundation’s work if they enroll at U-M in Ann Arbor, Flint or Dearborn. These schools include Byron, Chesaning, Corunna, Durand, Laingsburg, Morrice, New Lothrop, Ovid-Elsie, Owosso, and Perry. Applications are welcome from any Shiawassee County resident who has graduated from any high school or home-schooling. You must complete an application and be accepted to the University of Michigan as an undergraduate student to be eligible for a scholarship from the Cook Family Foundation. Scholarships are available to applicants attending any of the schools and colleges at U-M Ann Arbor (link to Admissions)--including Literature Science and the Arts (LS&A), Engineering, Information, Ross School of Business, Ford School of Public Policy, Nursing, Kinesiology, Pharmacy, Public Health, Dental Hygiene, Marsal Family School of Education, Music, Theatre & Dance, Taubman Architecture & Urban Planning, and Stamps School of Art & Design--as well as U-M Dearborn or U-M Flint.
For application information, please see the Cook Family Foundation's website: https://www.cookfamilyfoundation.org/.
