Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/991334
W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 6, 2018 The PSAI's Dedication to Higher Education A long history and a stellar program Over the last 15 years, the PSAI Scholarship Program has made a difference in the education of more than 100 college students, with PSAI scholarships totaling to $310,000. 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 program throughout t he 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 Action ) 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 that the recipien t 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 sanitation. While thi s 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 portable sanitatio n. 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 value 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 PSAI has since c hanged 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 manag e 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. While the PSAI Sc holarship 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 an d review all applications, checking that all el igibility 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 donation to the program has an y effect 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. Where the money comes from Each year since the progra m's founding, the PSAI has asked for tax - deductible contributions from its Members in order to fund the awards. Thanks to the generous donations of our Membership, we are able to raise $25,000 per year for these scholarships, meaning the PSAI does not put Membership dues toward this program . P AGE 11 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12