The Scholarship Program has been an important part of the Cullowhee Conference since the conference began in 1984. Annual contributions to the Scholarship Program come from the proceeds of the conference, nursery men and women who sell plants during the conference, and from the donations of honoraria from the speakers and field trip leaders at the conference. The French Broad River Garden Club Foundation [Asheville], The Botanical Gardens at Asheville, and the North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia Native Plant Societies sponsor a total of 13 scholarships every year for inviduals from these states. Contributions to the Cullowhee Scholarship Program and Scholarship Sponsorships are welcome at any time and greatly appreciated. If you or your organization would like to make a contribution or sponsor a scholarship please contact Miegan Gordon at the address/number below.

The Cullowhee Conference is honored to be alligned with our scholarship hosts in expanding our knowledge of native plants and their ecology, native plant landscaping, environmental sustainability, and the conservation and wise use of all of our natural respources. The Cullowhee Conference is committed to the ongoing expansion of the Scholarship Program and to the active involement of the scholarship winners in the conference.

Approximately 20 scholarships to the Cullowhee Conference are annually awarded to students, interns at botanical gardens, nature centers and/or parks, and to beginning professionals in a native plant-related field. Also, this year for the first time, the Scholarship Program is open to applicants with careers in environmental and science education. Any individual in these categories who can demonstrate an interest in native plants and their use in the landscape -- through horticulture, botany, ecology, landscape architecture/design, education, or a related field -- is encouraged to apply for a scholarship.

Scholarship Prospectus

Three (3) categories of scholarships are available:
NR – Not Restricted. Open to students and student interns.
BP – Beginning Professional. Open to applicants that have less than five years professional experience in a native plant-related field.
ED – Educator. Open to beginning and established teachers of science and environmental studies.

And two (2) types of scholarships are available:
Field Trip Scholarship – Recipients must arrive at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC between 6 and 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, 2010. Field trips begin early on Wednesday morning and last all day.

Non-Field Trip Scholarship – Recipients arrive Wednesday evening, July 28, or Thursday morning July 29, 2010. The conference officially begins on Thursday morning, July 29, at 9:30 a.m.

Applicants may apply for either a Field trip or a Non-field trip Scholarship. Both types of scholarships cover all conference expenses: registration fee, a semi-private room and all meals during the conference. Field trip scholarships cover the additional fee for the field trip, lodging on July 27-28 and meals on July 28. Please note that the evening meal on Tuesday, July 27 is on your own.

To apply for a scholarship, write a letter and include the following applicable information:

• Your name, address, telephone number and email address where you can be reached until May 31, 2010.
  
• If you are a student or student intern, please tell us the school you attend and describe the degree program or internship in which you are enrolled/employed. Please include your expected date of graduation or completion of internship, your overall grade point average, and your cumulative grade point average in your degree program at the completion of the most recent academic term.
  
• If you are a beginning professional, please describe what you do, how you became involved in your work, and how you envision it evolving.
  
• If you are an educator, please describe your teaching responsibilities as they relate to the natural sciences and/or environmental education. Please describe the grade level and the regular and ocassional classes and programs that you instruct and/or assist with. Please describe your career background and goals and how your interests may have evolved.
  
• The category and type of scholarship for which you are applying.
  
• A statement explaining financial need.
  
• A statement explaining your specific interest, background/experience, and current involvement with native plants. Please tell us how you imagine attendance at the Cullowhee Conference would be of value to you. See also Very Important Note below.
  
• A Letter of Recommendation. For students, please submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in your degree program. Interns and beginning professionals are asked to provide a letter of recommendation from an advisor, employer, mentor, professional colleague, or client. Educators are asked for a letter from their supervisor or principal.

Very Important Note to all scholarship applicants: Scholarships will be awarded based on merit and need.
Please note that scholarship winners will be selected primarily on the strength of their letter of application and their faculty or professional recommendation. When writing your letter of application, please be specific about your interests, experience, and goals. Please take time to “toot your own horn” and urge those you ask for letters of recommendation to toot for you. Regardless of whether your research, experience, or interests have taken you to granite outcrops or urban forests, coastal bogs or stormwater damaged streams, we want to know all about it. Before submitting your application, all applicants are strongly advised to review their application letters to ensure that all of the information that we have requested has been included. Applications that are received without the information requested are incomplete and will be considered only after complete applications have been judged and awarded.

Mail or email scholarship applications to:
Miegan Gordon
Cullowhee Scholarship Committee
35 Cullowhee Street
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
Email: rcgordon@bellsouth.net

The deadline for scholarship applications is midnight, Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Applications received after this time will be considered only after punctual and complete applications have been judged and awarded. Applications without the information requested are incomplete and will be considered late. Scholarship awards will be made by email on Monday, May 31, 2010. Thank you for applying for a scholarship to the Cullowhee Conference. We look forward to meeting you.

For additional information or if you have any questions, email Miegan Gordon at rcgordon@bellsouth.net or call 828-254-5733, leaving a message if necessary with your phone number and a time window for a return call. I will respond promptly.