TPWA1

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Scholarship Fund was established by the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association. The Scholarship Fund was created to provide scholarships for the higher education and for the professional development of members of the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association, their spouses, children, and grandchildren.
It is the goal of the Chapter is to award one $1,000 Higher Education Scholarship. In addition, it is the goal of the Chapter to award one $1,000 Professional Development Scholarship. Scholarship awards are contingent upon funding availability.

ELIGIBILITY

To apply for a higher education or professional development scholarship from the Chapter, you must:

• Be an active member, spouse, child, or grandchild of an active member of the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association 12 or more months prior to the date of the application.
• For the higher education scholarship, be enrolled as a full-time student (12+hours) in an undergraduate or higher degree program.
 Or be an active member enrolled as a part-time student (3+hours) in an undergraduate or higher degree program
 Or be high school students, in their senior year, meeting other requirements.

SELECTION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP

A specific course of study is required to apply. Eligible degree areas for application include: Civil Engineering, Public Administration, Chemistry, Microbiology, Business Management, Business Finance, and other public service or public sector career fields as determined by the Chapter’s Executive Board.

Applicants must complete the application form, accompanied by a letter of no more than 2 pages that address the following topics:

• Why the funding is desired
• Course of study, career field you are working toward
• How does your education relates to Public Works
• Community involvement / service
• Current academic achievements

Forms are available from the Scholarship Committee Members and on the Internet at www.TPWA.org Applicants will be selected on the basis of academic achievement, course of study, career goals, community service, financial need, and an interview session (if determined necessary). The weighting of selection criteria follows.

 Completeness of the application 10%
 Public works career field 30%
 Academic achievement 20%
 Community service 15%
 Financial need 25%

SELECTION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP:

Scholarship will be available for an active member to attend a training course that is directly related to the person’s current job or areas of responsibilities. There will be only one scholarship per person per year.

An active member is someone who carries an active membership, attends a minimum of 4 monthly meetings per year and serves on a committee at the Chapter level. Maximum amount of scholarship is one thousand dollars ($1,000). At least half of the scholarship amount has to go towards tuition/ registration; the rest can be used to pay for accommodations. All applicants must fill out and submit the attached application form.

Applicants must complete the Professional Development Scholarship application form, accompanied by a letter of no more than 2 pages that address the following topics:
• Why the funding is desired
• How will the desired course or professional training course help in their current position
• Current involvement with TPWA
• Community and/ or professional involvement

Applicant must also send a letter of recommendation for attending the desired professional development activity by the applicant’s direct supervisor.

Forms are available from the Scholarship Committee Members and on the Internet at www.TPWA.org Applicants will be selected on the basis of course of study, career goals, community service, and level of involvement with TPWA.

ADMINISTRATION

Applications for the higher education scholarship must be postmarked on or before June 1st to allow time for review and presentation of the award prior to the Fall College semester. The scholarship committee will present the Scholarship recipient and award the first installment of the scholarship in August.
Scholarship will be paid in one installment. Payment will be contingent upon proof of registration, subject to the eligibility requirements above. Satisfactory completion shall be further defined as receiving, as a minimum, a passing grade in each course completed. Students falling below these minimum requirements will not receive future scholarships.

Applications for the professional development scholarship can be submitted any time to the APWA Texas Chapter. All applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the scholarship committee. The committee will make recommendation to the APWA - Texas Board who, in turn, will approve and award the scholarships.

All recipients are to submit a proof of attendance or completion of training to the APWA. The Texas Chapter reserves the right to request a refund from recipient if he or she fails to attend.

To request additional information or return the completed application, contact

American Public Works Association
P.O. Box 1834
Grapevine, Texas 76099
Phone: 817/410-4065
Fax: 817/421-0126
ATTN: Scholarship Committee

EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION