IAA FOUNDATION 2012 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
OBJECTIVE
To provide college scholarships to Illinois Farm Bureau members, spouses, or their children
who major in agriculture, agribusiness, or an ag-related course of study. These scholarships are
awarded on the basis of exceptional scholastic ability, leadership and/or financial need. The program's major purpose is to help assure a well-qualified and professional agricultural workforce in Illinois. In addition, 12 scholarships will be awarded to children of patrons and employees of Prairie Farms Dairy.
New this year, 10 scholarships will be awarded to junior-level college students majoring in a
crop science discipline or crop production at selected Illinois universities, and who are pursuing
graduate school and a career in soybean research.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
Applicants may have been the recipient of a previous IAA Foundation scholarship. All
applicants must meet the following general criteria to be considered for an IAA Foundation Scholarship.
Scholarships named for specific individual(s) have additional criteria.
1. Must be a high school graduate
2. Must be an Illinois Farm Bureau member, spouse of member, or
member's child (except for Prairie Farms and Illinois Soybean Association scholarships)
3. Must be accepted for enrollment or be enrolled at an accredited college,
university, community college or trade school majoring in agriculture, agribusiness or a
closely related field (except for Ratermann and Prairie Farms scholarships)
4. Must exhibit potential for successful completion of course of study
5. Must be a resident of Illinois (except for Prairie Farms Scholarships)
6. May not be a spouse, child, brother, sister, grandchild, son-in-law, or daughterin-
Law of an IAA Foundation trustee or employee
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE – Only one application form needed for #1 - #7
Applicants may apply for more than one, but can only receive one of the following scholarships.
In addition to the above guidelines, specific requirements for each scholarship are listed below.
1. IAA Foundation General Scholarship (A total of six scholarships awarded) – Three $3,000 general scholarships, another two $1,000 scholarships in the name of Fletcher A. Gourley and Leonard Southwell (one each), and a $1,100 scholarship in the name of Robert F. Rouse will be awarded. Major must be in agriculture, agribusiness, or an ag-related field. One of the General Scholarships may be given to a qualified student majoring in foreign agricultural trade, international food policy, or training for a career as an agricultural trade attaché at any accredited post-secondary institution in or outside of Illinois.
2. Dorothy and Wilhelmine Ratermann Memorial Scholarship (Twenty $1,000 scholarships awarded) – Open to any major, recipients must be a son or daughter of an IIllinois Farm Bureau member, and a resident of an Illinois county south of, and including, Calhoun, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Christian, Shelby, Cumberland, and Clark.
3. Robert F. Rouse Scholarship (Three $1,100 scholarships awarded) – Open to all Illinois residents, however preference will be given to the son or daughter of a Lake County resident who is a U.S. citizen and attends an accredited post-secondary institution in the state of Illinois. Major must be in agriculture or agriculture related fields, or nursing.
4. William J. Kuhfuss Memorial Scholarship (One $1,000 scholarship awarded) - Awarded to a U.S. citizen attending an accredited post-secondary institution in the State of Illinois. Preference will be given to students from an agricultural background or working toward an occupation in or related to the field of agriculture.
5. Greg Carney Scholarship (One $1,500 scholarship awarded) - For a University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) student who is actively involved in production agriculture in a family farming operation and is a current or former active member of 4-H. Student must be enrolled as an agriculture major.
6. Dale E. Butz Scholarship (One $1,000 scholarship awarded) - For a post-secondary
student with a background in production agriculture who is majoring in agriculture, agribusiness, or agriculture related field.
7. Heartland NAMA Steven A Hammerschmidt Memorial Scholarship (Two $1,000
scholarships awarded) –For junior or senior level college student majoring in agriculture or agribusiness, who is interested in a career in agriculture marketing, sales or communications. Must be a U.S. citizen. One scholarship will be awarded to an Illinois State University student and one scholarship will be awarded to a University of Illinois student. Applicants must also submit an essay of no more than 250 words on Why I Want a Career in Agriculture.
8. Illinois Soybean Association Crop Science Scholarships (Ten $4,000 scholarships
awarded) – For students (60+ hours) beginning their junior level or transfer students enrolled at one of the approved universities (ISU, SIU, WIU, U of I) as a junior whose major is crop production or a crop science discipline (breeding, biotechnology, plant pathology, weed management, crop management) with an emphasis on soybeans. Awardees will be encouraged to find on-campus employment in soybean research and follow a career path that leads to graduate school and a career in soybean research. Note: Illinois Farm Bureau membership is not required. This scholarship requires a separate Illinois Soybean Association application form.
9. Fletcher A. Gourley, Leonard Southwell and Roger Capps Memorial Scholarships
(Twelve $2,000 scholarships awarded) - Six $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to children of current Prairie Farms Dairy patrons, and six similar scholarships will be awarded to sons and daughters of current Prairie Farms Dairy employees. Students may major in any field of study. A minimum of three years as a patron or employee is required. To be eligible, the parent must have been an employee or patron on or before February 1, 2009. Note: Illinois Farm Bureau membership is not required. This scholarship requires a separate Prairie Farms Dairy application form.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
In addition to eligibility guidelines, the following will be considered in selecting recipients:
1. Scholarship (30%)
-Academic performance and honors
- ACT score or SAT score
2. Activities and Leadership (30%)
3. Financial need and evidence of self-help (How the student is contributing financially to his/her education) (10%)
4. Strength of Personal Statement (20%)
5. Strength of References (10%)
6. Exceptional Circumstances (up to +10%)
7. Demonstrated interest in agriculture and agribusiness – reflected in higher scoring of activities and leadership, personal statement, and references (excludes Ratermann and Prairie Farms scholarships)
TERMS
All scholarship funds will be sent to the university, college, community college or trade school prior to the beginning of the academic year. These funds will be applied toward the student's tuition and/or room and board by the institution. Scholarship recipients are not restricted from pursuing and accepting other forms of financial aid, assistantship, or tuition waiver.
APPLICATIONS
Applications, guidelines, and an activities template are available as Word or Adobe Acrobat
(PDF) documents on the IAA Foundation website, www.iaafoundation.org, along with a full listing of eligibility requirements and a FAQ section. For additional information please contact charmsgarman@ilfb.org, or call the IAA Foundation office at 309.557.2230.
The application period will be from December 1, 2011 to February 1, 2012. Completed applications must be mailed and postmarked on or before February 1, 2012. Supporting
materials may be sent separately but must be postmarked by the deadline.
