Our Vision:
A student’s social and economic background will NOT inhibit their access to and success in higher education.
2023-2024 NTSAF Governing Board
About The Governing Board
The Norman Topping Student Aid Fund (NTSAF) is the only student initiated, student funded, primarily student administered scholarship in the nation. The Topping Fund is administered by a Governing Board composed of ten general student representatives, one each from USG and GSG, one current Topping Scholar, one current Topping Fellow, two USC alumni, one faculty member, and representatives from the offices of Admission and Financial Aid. The Governing Board selects the scholars every year and oversee the long-term policies and procedures of the NTSAF.
Governing Board selection takes place in the fall of each academic year. The number of appointments is dependent upon the number of open representative seats. Terms of appointments range based on representative status. Board members attend the annual Fall Governing Board Retreat, usually held in late September or early October, and monthly Governing Board meetings throughout the year. Board members should ideally also be available during the summer months for scholarship application reading, interviewing and scholar selection.
Students interested in serving on the Governing Board in should contact the NTSAF office. Benefits of being a student representative include:
- Service to the university and local community
- Interaction with incredible applicants and current Topping Scholars.
- Recruitment and outreach experience
- Networking with student leaders, faculty and staff
Message From the Chair
Dear Topping Family,
Welcome back! After a restful summer, it feels reenergizing to be back on campus and see our new and returning students in the Topping lounge. Our commitment to support and stand with our Topping students remains just as strong as more than 50 years ago when the Fund was established to address several inequities across higher education. The university has made tremendous progress and strides toward this mission, and as financial and racial disparities exacerbated by the pandemic still burden our fellows and scholars, the scholarship and community provided by NTSAF is even more imperative now than in the 1970s.
This academic year, the Governing Board and the NTSAF staff will come together with fierce determination and resolve to make our Topping Scholars, Fellows, as well as our alumni feel represented in the broader Trojan community. We are eager to support you in this post-pandemic academic environment and committed to cultivating connection as well as fostering belonging within the Topping family. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything the Fund can assist with!
With Gratitude,
Antonio Okeke
2023-2024 Governing Board Chair
