Program Guidelines
The mission of the American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF) is to increase and retain the number of young professionals entering the public transportation field as a career in order to sustain growth and improvement throughout the industry. The following APTF Transit Hall of Fame Scholarship Awards Program provides scholarships to deserving students - the future leaders of the public transportation industry.
- SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: All member organizations of the American Public TransportationAssociation (APTA) are given the opportunity to nominate and sponsor upper class or graduate level college students to receive awarded annually
APTF Transit Hall of Fame Scholarships to assist with tuition costs or other educational expenses. Awards are for the academic year beginning in the 2006 fall semester. APTA member organizations must provide some type of an internship or supplemental education program for nominees. The internship or supplemental educational program can be provided at the sponsoring APTA member's organization or an assignee APTA member organization that agrees to serve that role.
- AWARDS: Each spring, subject to the availability of funding, the APTF will award a minimum of seven (7) new scholarships of at least $2500 each for the following academic school year (fall semester) to individuals in public transportation industry-related fields of study. The new scholarships given each year include five APTF named-scholarships:
- The Jack R. Gilstrap Scholarship - awarded to the applicant receiving the highest overall score
- The Parsons Brinckerhoff - Jim Lammie Scholarship - awarded to an applicant dedicated to a public transportation engineering career
- The Louis T. Klauder Scholarship - awarded to an applicant dedicated to a career in the rail transit industry as an electrical or mechanical engineer
- The Dan M. Reichard, Jr. Scholarship - awarded to an applicant dedicated to a career in the business administration/management area of the transit industry
- The Dr. George M. Smerk Scholarship - awarded to an applicant dedicated
to a career in public transit management
A minimum of two additional scholarships are awarded to applicants planning a career in public transportation either with a transit agency or a transit business member organization. In addition, the Foundation will award $500 for the Donald C. Hyde Memorial Essay, which represents the best response to the required essay component of the program.
Based on availability of funds, the awards may be renewable for each year of the academic program provided the recipients continue to: (1) maintain good standing in the approved fields of study, (2) be an active employee or a participant in an internship program or supplemental educational program sponsored by an APTA member organization or APTA member assignee, and (3) provide a written coordinator/mentor review from the sponsoring or assigned APTA member organization. If, for any reason, a student fails to maintain good academic standing, the course of study is interrupted, employment is severed, or the award winner is unable to obtain an acceptable public transportation internship or supplemental educational program from the sponsoring agency, the renewable award will be terminated. (Previous scholarship winners do not need to complete the attached application form. They will be contacted by the APTF Staff Advisor to determine their eligibility and interest in continued funding.)
Award winners also will receive a complimentary subscription to APTA's weekly
newspaper, Passenger Transport, and a complimentary registration for major APTA
meetings during their tenure in the program.
- ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be enrolled in a fully accredited institution,
have and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA (B) in course work that is relevant to
the industry or required of a degree program, and either be employed by or demonstrate
a strong interest in entering the public transportation industry. College sophomores
(30 hours or more satisfactorily completed), juniors, seniors, or those seeking
advanced degrees may apply for scholarships.
- NOMINATIONS and APPLICATIONS: Any APTA member organization may nominate
and sponsor candidates for the scholarship program. A completed application
must be submitted and shall include the following:
- Relationship of nominee to nominating organization;
- Description of the internship activity or supplemental educational program of the nominee by the sponsoring APTA member organization or the APTA member organization to which the student will be assigned for their internship or supplemental educational program;
- Essay on "In what segment of the public transportation industry will you make a career and why?" (1,000 words maximum);
- Three letters of recommendation as described in the Application Form;
- A copy of completed Free Application for Student Aid Form (FAFSA);
- Official school transcripts;
- Verification of enrollment for the 2006 fall semester; and
- Copy of the fee schedule from the college/university for the academic year.
INTERNSHIP OR SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: This component is
complementary to the scholarship program and should provide substantive training
and professional development opportunities to individuals pursuing careers
in public transportation through this program. The following guidelines are
recommended to ensure that participants are given good exposure to the experiences
that will prepare him/her for a public transportation career:
- Designation by the APTA member organization of a coordinator/mentor to be responsible for the guidance and mentoring of the participant's program, including periodic review of the participant's progress;
- Assignment of duties and activities in the internship/supplemental educational program offering career and professional growth opportunities; and
- Provision of the broadest possible exposure to all aspects of the public transportation industry.
SELECTION: The APTF Board of Directors will rate and select scholarship recipients and the essay winner. The selection criteria includes demonstrated interest in the public transportation industry as a career, academic achievement, essay content and quality, need for financial assistance, and involvement in extracurricular citizenship and leadership activities. Selection will be made without regard to disability, race, color, religion, sex or ethnic origin. It is the intent of this program to provide equal opportunity and consideration to all qualified individuals.
TIMETABLE: Scholarships are for the academic year beginning in the fall of 2006. All nominations must be received at APTA by June 16, 2006. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered by the APTF Board of Directors. The APTF Board of Directors will select the recipients in July, and nominees will be appropriately notified of awards. Scholarship award winners will be presented at the 2006 APTA Annual Meeting, October 8-11, in San Jose, CA.
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