Field News
Important Updates for Scholarship Seekers During the last five years, your Texas Water Utilities Association has awarded over $600,000 in scholarships to 302 applicants through the VM Ehlers foundation. The TWUA member donations and the VM Ehlers Endowment’s investments have increased the average amount of the scholarships from $1,000 in 2017 to $2,300 in 2021. The program has also made several improvements to the system, primarily how our endowment funds are managed and invested. Thanks to your efforts and generosity, the endowment has grown from $600,000 to more than $800,000. The Endowment Representatives are always seeking methods to improve and increase the scholarship awards and application process. The foundation is happy to announce further enhancements to assist our members and their dependents. In January 2023, two significant improvements will be made to benefit the applicants directly. First, the deadline for submitting applications for the 2023 24 academic year is being moved forward from July 1, 2023, to January 15, 2023. This is being done to allow processing of applications, awarding of scholarships, and, most importantly, the earlier mailing of checks so students will have them in hand before they begin the fall semester. Instead of sending the checks in late September, checks will be sent in late June. The application submission deadline will remain January 15 from 2023 forward. With this new submission deadline, it is even more important for the applicants to get their information in on time. This will be even more important to those who are in high school. Best advice: don’t wait until after the Christmas/New Year’s holidays to apply for a “State of Texas Academic Achievement Record.” Instead, it is recommended you request your records before December as early in the fall as possible. We have spoken with counselors and administrators at several school districts, and they indicate it is possible to get your records before the January 15 deadline, but they stressed that requests must be made early. Check with your high school counselor for advice on your specific situation.
and awarded points for the number of years the applicant or sponsor of the applicant has been a member of TWUA, their major course of study, the applicant’s plans after completing their degree, household income, academic record, and extracurricular activities. After January 2023, extra (bonus) points will be given to member applicants and applicants sponsored by members who are actively participating in TWUA events. Applicants will be awarded two points for each district meeting the member attended during the previous five years, and 15 points will be added for each year a member has served as an officer in a district, regional, or state organization. Currently, the average score on an application is 35 points, so a member who is active in the Association can easily double their or their applicant’s score. Scores above 60 points will receive additional funding based on available money. To receive these bonus points, applicants must attach a copy of their member’s TCEQ training record of meetings or have their district, regional, or state secretary provide a letter attesting attendance or verifying service as an officer during the last five years. The Endowment Representatives and Board are confident that these changes will improve the scholarship application process and the applicants’ experience. If you need additional information, feel free to contact any board members for assistance. They can be reached at:
Jim Siddall........................... 1jsiddall1@att.net Norma Clark....................... n.clark@twua.org Russell Hamilton................. r.hamilton@twua.org George Hamilton................. gglispin@fordmeterbox.com Lynn Short........................... lshort@lspssolutions.com Justin Hamilton
The second improvement is the foundation’s method of evaluating the applications. Each application is currently assessed 8 Texas Water Utilities Journal | www.twua.org
April 2022
