Public Employee Press

Deadlines near for AFSCME scholarships

There is still time for members’ children to apply for college scholarships through DC 37’s national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — but the Dec. 31 application deadline is approaching fast.

Thirteen scholarships of $2,000 each, renewable for up to four years, are offered through the AFSCME Family Scholarship Program. The application process requires an essay on “What AFSCME has meant to our family.”

The AFSCME scholarships are in addition to the scholarships offered by the DC 37 Education Committee and many DC 37 locals. For information on these, call the DC 37 Education Fund at 212-341-4999, go to www.dc 37.net or check with your local.

To be eligible for the AFSCME awards, the student must have a parent, legal guardian or financially responsible grandparent who is an AFSCME member. The student must be a graduating high school senior who has taken the SAT or ACT and is enrolled full-time in a degree program at an accredited four-year institution (or a two-year institution that will transfer credits to a four-year institution).

To get applications, write to the AFSCME Family Scholarship Program, Education Dept., 1625 L St., NW, Washington, DC 20036, e-mail education@afscme.org, or download them from www.afscme.org.

Additional scholarships are available to members or their children through the AFSCME Education Dept. They include:

• The Union Plus Scholarship ($500 - $4,000, deadline Jan. 31).
• The AFSCME / United Negro College Fund Union Scholars Program for college sophomores and juniors of color who want to work for social justice through the labor movement (stipend up to $4,000, field organizing experience and an academic scholarship of up to $5,000; deadline Feb. 26, 2007).
• The Nadra Floyd Memorial Scholarship Program for members or staff who want to increase leadership skills or get a degree at the National Labor College ($2,000 per year, deadline Oct. 1, 2007). There are also Union Plus scholarships for the NLC, which has a very short residency requirement at its campus in Silver Spring, MD. and offers online courses.