Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/834414
W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 7, 2017 The PSAI's Dedication to Higher Education A long history and a stellar program Over the last 14 years, the PSAI Scholarship Program has made a difference in the education of more than 100 college students, with PSAI scholar ships totaling to $ 307,500 . This is no easy feat and would not be possible without generous donations, the work of those on our PSAI Scholarship Commission, and our partnership with Scholarship America. Adjustments and improvements have been made to the pr ogram throughout the years, however the one thing that has remained intact is the PSAI's dedication to advancement through education. A brief history In 1997, it was announced in the January/February edition of the PSAI newsletter (then titled PSAI In Act ion ) that the Board of Directors would begin awarding two $500 scholarships per year. One of these would be awarded to an incoming college freshman, while the other would be awarded to a current undergraduate student. At the time, the criteria required tha t the recipient be either a PSAI Member company employee or the child of an employee who met certain GPA and SAT/ACT minimums. Those interested were asked to fill out the short application and submit an essay on the importance and value of portable sanitat ion. While this reflects the current Scholarship Program's guidelines, the largest difference was that this individual had to be majoring in Business, Environmental Studies, Waste Treatment, or a related field that directly demonstrated an interest in port able sanitation. From 1997 to 2003, the PSAI Image and Education Committee selected the recipients of these $500 awards. In 2004, the PSAI decided to change course and take on the lofty task of awarding up to eight scholarships per year with a minimum val ue of $2,500 – 20x the amount awarded in previous years! To do this, the PSAI had to change the way in which they offered their scholarships. With this new and exciting challenge, the current PSAI Scholarship Program was created. How it works While the PS AI has since changed its goal from eight $2,500 scholarships to five $5,000 awards, the process has remained roughly the same. Scholarship America, the nation's largest private sector scholarship and educational support organization, partnered with PSAI in 2004 to manage the scholarship award process, and still assists with the program today. This partnership has eliminated bias in the selection process, as the PSAI does not come in contact with the applications or scholarship fund donations whatsoever . Whi le the PSAI Scholarship Commission confirms the criteria and specifics of the awards, Scholarship America receives all of the application materials and monetary fund contributions at their office. From there, they screen and review all applications, checki ng that all eligibility requirements are met. As a neutral party, they objectively choose recipients based off of the PSAI Scholarship Commission's criteria. Because a third party selects our recipients and receives all contributions, no donat ion to the program has any e ffect on the award recipients. We can proudly state that all five students selected each year earn their award based solely off of their academic achievements and their incredibly thoughtful essays. PAGE 5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6