I am very pleased to share a few highlights from this past year and inform you of exciting plans on the horizon as we approach our 10th anniversary this summer.
The past year has been one of growth and progress. In 2011 NSHSS inducted new members representing over 23,000 high schools in 180 countries, totaling over 700,000 members since our beginnings in 2002.
In 2011, we awarded academic scholarships and educational program scholarships and will increase the scholarships in 2012. We also awarded full and partial fee waivers to scholars in need. We are continually expanding the scholarship program, and I am excited about a new academic competition announced our annual Carter Center Holiday member event in December. Our new partner, the Alzheimer's Association, is providing scholarship awards for members to participate in the upcoming "Longest Day" volunteer activity on June 20. I was also extremely pleased to announce at The Carter Center our new study abroad scholarships for college members in honor of fellow Advisory Board Member Professor Di Yurbury—the Di Yerbury International Scholar Awards.
Some other new and recent partnerships that provide wonderful benefits for our members include Aflac, which is sponsoring events, scholarships, and membership fee waivers, and the CIA, which is also sponsoring events and workshops.
We continue to hold member events that recognize not only the scholars, but the educators that play such an important role in their success. In 2011, NSHSS launched the first annual Claes Nobel Educator of the Year Award, which went to James. B. Carmicle of Hollywood High School, in Los Angeles. I was privileged to present the award of $5,000 to Mr. Carmicle at The Carter Center.
The families of our members and our honored educators support students in their quests to reach and exceed their goals. This past year we celebrated achievement through events at several universities, including Harvard University and Tulane University. Over 1,200 students and families attended our annual Scholar's Day even in Washington, D.C., which included a college fair. At our annual holiday recognition program at The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, as NSHSS Chair, I delivered the keynote to our students, along with presenting scholarships. Representatives from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the State Department also spoke at the event about their scholarship opportunities and met students and their families. NSHSS hosted a college fair following the program with more than 20 domestic and international universities exhibiting, as well as a college admission panel for the students. In addition, the Governor of Georgia issued a proclamation declaring the date of the event as NSHSS Day in the State of Georgia welcoming members from 22 states and 7 countries.
Our students were also invited to participate in the World Diversity & Leadership Summit in New York, and our members gathered in New York again in June for a special NSHSS Foundation ceremony at NASDAQ, where I was invited to ring the opening bell. I will again be inviting you and other students to join me in ringing the NASDAQ closing bell this summer on July 9.
Our annual holiday event at The Carter Presidential Center will be held this year on Saturday, December 1, 2012, and our annual Scholar's Day will be held next year at Georgetown University on August 3. This summer marks our 10th anniversary, and we will be holding special events in Washington, D.C. around the Scholar's Day celebration. Please visit the events page for a list of upcoming events and I invite you to attend any as a distinguished guest or speaker. Our members would love to hear from you and would benefit from your unique wisdom and perspective.
NSHSS also published the results of our annual survey of members' career aspirations in the Journal of Corporate Recruiting. Each year, we present these findings at diversity conferences with student panelists, including the World Diversity Leadership Summit and the Linkage Diversity Summit in Atlanta, where a panel of NSHSS college students represents their generation and the Society to corporate recruiters. We have just finished our 2012 survey and will present the results in April.
We continue to expand our boundaries, adding to our ever-growing list of university collaborators around the world, including Spelman College and the University of Toronto. We continue to make new friends in education and business through attending and exhibiting at conferences. NSHSS exhibited at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) with over 4,000 high school guidance counselors. We also participated in international educational conferences—the European Association for International Education; the International Association of University Presidents the NAFSA Association of International Educators; and the European Council of International Schools.
I am also proud that one of our scholarship recipients, Sarah Cronk, also was voted by young people across the nation as the youngest person to receive the VH1 "Do Something Award" for her volunteer efforts to encourage young students with disabilities, receiving a $100,000 grant to continue her projects. She spoke to our members at our Scholar's Day event this past summer in Washington, D.C. and is a true inspiration. Our young scholars give me great hope for the future.
In Service to Earth and Humanity,
Claes Nobel
Chairman, NSHSS