2008 NSPRA Foundation Scholarships

The NSPRA Foundation for the Advancement of Education offers two scholarships to NSPRA’s Annual Seminar each year to individuals new to the profession of school public relations. The scholarships cover seminar registration and provide a $250 stipend toward expenses. One of these scholarships is designated for a school public relations practitioner who is an ethnic minority.

Candidates must be nominated for these two scholarships by the president of their NSPRA chapter. Please contact your chapter president for nomination support.

To be eligible for nomination, candidates must:

• Have worked in school public relations less than three years;
• Have never attended an NSPRA Seminar;
• Be engaged in a full-time professional school public relations/communication position;
• Be a member in good standing of an NSPRA state chapter (NSPRA membership is not required for eligibility).

Deadline: February 1. Scholarship recipients will be announced in late March. Download the 2009 scholarship application here.

2008 NSPRA Scholarship Recipient

Mychal Ryan Frost, public information coordinator, Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement, Rock Hill, S.C.

2008 NSPRA Scholarship Recipient

Anthony Veliz, parent/community outreach coordinator, Woodburn (Ore.) School District

2008 Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Scholarship

Jason Gaston, coordinator, public relations, Hoover (Ala.) City Schools

2008 Dawn K. McDowell Memorial Scholarship

The Dawn K. McDowell Memorial Scholarship is administered by the NSPRA Foundation for the Advancement of Education and was made possible by the generous donations of her family and MinnSPRA to honor her memory and contributions to the Association and the school public relations profession. The scholarship covers the cost of a Seminar registration.

Candidates must be nominated by the president of their state NSPRA chapter. Please contact your chapter president for support.

To be eligible for nomination, the candidate:

• Has never attended an NSPRA Seminar
• Is engaged in a full-time professional school public relations position
• Is a chapter member in good standing (NSPRA membership is not required to qualify).

Deadline: February 2009. Scholarship recipient will be announced in late March.Download the 2009 application here.

2008 Dawn K. McDowell Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Libby Roof, communications coordinator, Lexington County School District One, Lexington, S.C.

Research Grants

The NSPRA Foundation for the Advancement of Education provides small
research grants to members who seek support for research in the area of
school communication. In addition, the NSPRA Foundation supports
scholarships for members to attend the NSPRA Seminar.

Research Grant

• $300 to support research that adds to the body of knowledge of school communications.
• Any NSPRA member or chapter of NSPRA is eligible to apply.

Grant proposals must contain:

• Rationale for why the study/project is needed;
• Objectives of the study/project;
• Description of the process;
• Timeline;
• Anticipated budget;
• Name(s) of researcher(s);
• Description of any additional funding obtained to support the study/project.

Deadline: October. Grants are awarded in November. Download the grant application here.