HALLOWELL – Four Maine college students – two each from Maine’s community colleges and the University of Maine System – will study in Ireland next year as the 2004 George J. Mitchell Peace Scholars.

The students, who were selected for their academic and leadership abilities and their commitment to community service, will be honored at a luncheon ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 19, at the Maple Hill Conference Center.

The scholars are: Rebecca Libby of Skowhegan, a first-year student in Kennebec Valley Community College’s liberal studies program; Kent Corey of Washburn, a May 2003 graduate of Northern Maine Community College’s business administration program; Thomas Merrill of Livermore, a sophomore majoring in computer science and geography at the University of Maine at Farmington; and Sally Merritt of Auburn, a junior majoring in economics at the University of Southern Maine.

Libby and Merritt will travel to Ireland this fall, while Corey and Merrill will go abroad next spring. The students will study at University College Cork or Cork Institute of Technology.

Joining the students and their families at the luncheon will be John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Community College System, and Joseph Westphal, chancellor of the University of Maine System.

The George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship was created in 1998 as a tribute to Sen. Mitchell for his work in helping to facilitate a peace accord for Ireland and Northern Ireland, and his lifelong devotion and commitment to public service. The scholarship provides for the exchange of students between public community colleges and universities of Maine and Ireland.

As a recipient, each student will receive free tuition, room and board and pay no academic fees at the institution in Ireland. They will also receive a $1,000 travel stipend and a framed certificate naming them George J. Mitchell Peace Scholars.