The Mondart Fellowship is a scholarship program targeting to entering Freshman majoring in undergraduate curricula in the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. Funding for the program comes from the Louisiana Rural Rehabilitation Corporation (LRRC). The scholarship program is administered by the LRRC board.

Award Levels

$1,000 per academic year (not including summer terms or intercessions) distributed in equal amounts for the Fall and Spring semesters.

Renewability

Scholarships may be renewed annually for three additional academic years (four total). Current students receiving a Mondart Fellowship do not have to re-apply in future years.

Loss of Scholarship

A scholarship recipient will have their scholarships discontinued if the student transfers outside a curriculum within the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University, resigns from the university, or fails to maintain a minimum 2.50 overall GPA that is required to retain the scholarship.

Eligibility Requirements:

1. Louisiana Resident
2. Evidence of Financial Need
3. Majoring in College of Agriculture undergraduate curricula. A full listing of the current undergraduate majors can be found at the LSU College of Agriculture.
4. Applicant must reside in rural locations of Louisiana or be a member of a farm family of Louisiana.

Application Requirements:

1. Application Website (online portal) or Mondart application form (paper applications only). If you mail your application, make sure it is postmarked at least 10 days in advance of the deadline in order for it to arrive by the deadline.
2. Cover Letter
3. All Parents‘/Legal Guardians’ IRS 1040 Tax Forms most recent filed (Either 2023 or 2022 Tax Year)
4. High School Transcript
5. Resume (Listing all activities and work experience)
6. Two Letters of Recommendation. One each coming from
   1. High School Principal, AND
   2. Agri-Science Teacher OR Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher OR Parish Home Economist OR 4-H Agent OR Farm Services Agency (FSA) Representative

Submission of Applications

Applications are to be submitted through the online website (as pdf attached files). Alternatively, applications can be mailed to

J. Matthew Fannin, LRRC Secretary
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness
Louisiana State University
101 Martin D. Woodin Hall
110 LSU Union Square
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

Deadline: April 30, 2024

Questions

Contact: Dr. Michael Deliberto, LRRC Secretary, at 225.578.7267 or mdeliberto@agcenter.lsu.edu.

Note: This scholarship program is separate from the Louisiana State University College of Agriculture incoming freshman scholarship program or other scholarships provided by LSU. Your eligibility for this program is not impacted by your participating and receiving a scholarship from the LSU College of Agriculture. However, you must complete the separate Mondart Fellowship scholarship application and meet its requirements to be considered for a Mondart Fellowship.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I plan on mailing in my application. Am I allowed to have my application “postmarked” by April 30, 2024, and be considered to have met the deadline? No. Due to the need to review the scholarship applications in a timely manner, all applications must be received by April 30, 2024, on the LSU campus. We suggest for applications being submitted through the postal service to submit at least seven to ten business days ahead of the deadline.
2. I don’t know my Farm Services Agency (FSA) Representative. How do I find my FSA Officer so they can write me a letter of recommendation? Click on this map to find the contact information of your parish’s FSA officer. Note the office representing your parish may not be physically located in the parish you reside. It is not recommended you obtain a reference letter from FSA unless you personally know an FSA representative from your parish and you can visit with them live in person or online to request such a letter.
3. Other than my principal, I don’t know any of the individuals requested for letters of recommendation. How can they write me a letter of recommendation? Due to the historical nature of the program, we ask students that have not participated in these classes or programs to contact a representative from your school or parish and have them write a letter on your behalf. In particular, if you do not know them, visiting with them in person to make such a request is recommended. If they do not know you, we recommend you provide them a copy of the scholarship form as well as a copy of your resume and transcript so that they have some background about you for writing a letter. While not all schools have Agri-Science or Consumer Science programs, all parishes have 4-H programs. Click on this map to select your parish and identify the appropriate 4-H agent. It is expected that many individuals from these organizations may not be willing to write you a letter if they've not interacted with you as a part of their teaching or advising role. If you are unable to obtain a letter of reference from any of these individuals because they choose not to write a letter, please contact Dr. Michael Deliberto (mdeliberto@agcenter.lsu.edu) and he can provide you directions on how to address this situation.
4. I am home schooled. Can I apply? Yes, students that have been home schooled can apply if they meet the eligibility requirements listed. Home school students are still required to submit the same letters of recommendation. For home school students needing additional information on eligible equivalents to some of the letter of recommendation categories, contact Dr. Deliberto.
   
5. I am unsure if I live in a rural area. How do I know if I’m eligible? Please see this map. All the areas on the map in white are considered rural for purposes of the application. In fact, other than Orleans Parish, all other 63 parishes in the state have rural locations. If you are still unsure based on the map if you live in a rural area, we suggest you go ahead and submit an application or contact Dr. Deliberto.

Other questions will be added through the open application period. Please come back to this site if you have additional questions. As always, you can contact, Dr. Deliberto, LRRC Secretary, if you have further questions.