The Educational Foundation provides support to members in their endeavors to further their education and certification.
If you want to apply for an event scholarship for the 2011/2012 season, you can start the application now, but you will need to wait until the event schedule is available to send in the application. Work on your applications over the summer and get them mailed to the office by the September 30, 2011 deadline.
Each season, the PSIA-E Education Foundation makes monetary scholarships available to members who wish to further their education or certification status within PSIA-E, PSIA and AASI. The training that members receive as a result of the scholarship program increases their productivity and value as a member and as an instructor in their particular snowsports school. Scholarships are awarded based upon financial need, personal/professional goals, snowsports school experience, and ability and means to share the benefits of the scholarship with other staff members and snowsports area guests.
In an effort to expand the reach of our scholarship program, at the fall 2009 Board meeting a new policy was passed opening up scholarships to any member in good standing (previously you needed to be a member in good standing for at least three years). You still need to meet the requirements of the specific fund for which you apply. All scholarship applications are reviewed and awarded by the Scholarship Review Committee, which is made up of PSIA-E Board of Director members. Following are the different types of scholarships available:
Membership Scholarship
The Membership Scholarship is open to members of all disciplines and certification status. This scholarship can be used for all PSIA-E, PSIA, and AASI educational and certification events. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors and members via donations of items and dollars for our “super raffles” each season, this fund now has a balance of more than $23,000. One-third of that balance (approximately $7,500) is available for scholarships this coming season. This fund has increased available scholarships more than four-fold from just $1,600 in 2003 and can now support up to 50 scholarships each season (based on an average of $150 each).
Terry Fund Scholarship
The Terry Fund Scholarship is designated for members of all disciplines with at least a Level I certification status who desire to further their education in the area of snowsports instruction for children. This includes all PSIA-E, PSIA, and AASI educational events that specialize in children snowsports issues. Approximately $750 is available for awarding from this fund in 2011-12.
James Randall Leader Memorial Scholarship
The James Leader Memorial Scholarship is open to members of all disciplines and certification status who desire to further their education in snowsports instruction. Applicants must be a member of PSIA – Eastern, with first priority given to employees of the Killington Snowsport School. Second priority will be given to members from Region 2 (Vermont), and the remainder available to all members of PSIA – Eastern. The James Leader Memorial Scholarship has a separate application form and different criteria from other scholarships (e.g. member at least one year, requires a letter from your snowsports school). $1,000 is available for awarding each season. To obtain a copy of the criteria and an application form, please click here.
To apply for the Leader Scholarship, click here.
CE Burbridge Memorial Scholarship
The CE Burbridge Memorial Scholarship is open to members of all disciplines and certification status who desire to further their education in adaptive snowsports instruction. This includes all PSIA-E, PSIA, and AASI educational events that specialize in adaptive snowsport issues. The fund supports both the subsidy of Adaptive consulting programs and $500 in individual scholarships each season.
Board of Examiners/Dev Team/DCL Scholarships
This scholarship is open to any member of the Board of Examiners, Development Team or the Divisional Clinic Leader squad. This scholarship is designed to help individuals in these groups to expand their knowledge and skills beyond regular training sessions, or to gain expertise in another discipline/specialty. This scholarship allows members of these groups to serve and educate PSIA-E members more effectively. Approximately $2,700 is available for awarding this season.
Announcing the William Hetrick Editorial Scholarship
The William Hetrick Editorial Scholarship was created by the PSIA-E Education Foundation Board of Directors in June of 2011 to provide a long-term legacy for Bill Hetrick and recognize his passion for both snowsports and writing about snowsports and the mountain experience. It will be an annual program that awards five (5) scholarships in the amount of $200 in education “dollars” that recipients may use to register for PSIA-AASI education events. The scholarships will be awarded to contributors to the SnowPro and judged by an editorial review group that will read and evaluate submissions made to the Your Turn and Guest Editorial sections of the SnowPro each season. It is the hope of the Board that this scholarship encourages members to contribute articles and editorial pieces to the SnowPro via the Your Turn and Guest Editorial sections and to reward them with professional development funding to continue their professional and personal growth. 2011-12 will be the first submission and review season with scholarship awards beginning in 2012-13. All Your Turn and Guest Editorial submissions in 2011-12 will automatically be entered into consideration for the following season.
How to apply for the other Education Foundation scholarships:
- Click here to print a copy of the PSIA-E/AASI Scholarship Application.
PLEASE NOTE: Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.x or higher is required.
- Complete the entire application and mail or fax it to the PSIA-E/AASI office, postmarked no later than Friday, September 30, 2011. If you fax your application, please call to confirm receipt. The PSIA-E/AASI fax number is (518) 452-6099.
- The Scholarship Committee will review, discuss and make determinations on applications at the October Board of Directors meeting. Applicants will be notified of the committee's decision in November, by e-mail and mail.
- You must register (by the event deadline) for the event by completing and submitting an event application. You should apply well before the event deadline, and include full payment if you have not been informed of a scholarship award. If you have received written notice of your scholarship, please indicate that on your event application. Anyone paying for an event and then awarded a scholarship will receive a refund in the amount of the scholarship following attendance at the event.
- Applicants who are awarded a scholarship are encouraged to write an article relative to their event experience or to relate how information gained from the event is being used, for possible publication in the Snow Pro newsletter, and submit it, by e-mail if possible, to Michael Mendrick at the PSIA-E/AASI office at mmendrick(at)psia-e.org. Articles should be submitted within a month of the scholarship event if possible. A limited number of scholarship articles will be selected for publication.
Scholarship awards may be for partial or full event fee of an event. Please be aware that the number of applications always exceeds the available funding, so not all applicants can be awarded a scholarship. Thank you for your interest in continuing your snowsports education, and good luck!
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