BOTANY COURSE SCHOLARSHIP - SPRING SEMESTER 2024
NC0301 - Field Botany of San Diego County
Full tuition cost: $895
Each year, the San Diego Chapter determines a budget to accommodate a limited number of full-tuition scholarships for the non-credit course above through the San Diego State University (SDSU) Global Campus. The link above provides Section Details about the course.
Things to know about the class before application for course registration and the scholarship application:
Each year, the course runs in-person every Saturday (full 8hr day) on the last weekend of January through the first weekend of May.
Each class includes travel to various locations around San Diego County, some as far away as Anza Borrego Desert State Park. You will responsible for travelling to and from these locations. The scholarship does not cover these costs.
The scholarship, if granted, will reimburse the recipient after the Course Withdrawal deadline date on February 13, 2024. All applicants will have to pay the registration fees and full tuition for the class before qualifying for scholarship consideration.
Not all who apply for the scholarship may be selected as a recipient.
The course is considered non-credit so the units earned DO NOT contribute towards any current diploma or degree offered by the State University system. Completion of the course is considered continuing education credit and can be valuable for jobs & skills.
CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION
The scholarships are meant to support students of all ages and young professionals who are seeking to improve their knowledge of Botany, Environmental Sustainability, Ecology, Biology, and Professional Practice. Because the course requires a serious dedication of time and effort, the Board of the San Diego Chapter wishes to make taking the course achievable to those who may find the tuition costs an impediment or a difficult obstacle. Below are criteria which help to differentiate those that really need the tuition support and are dedicated to the CNPS mission statement and goals from all others.
Applicants must attest that they meet the following criteria:
Applicant does not have the option to have the class paid for by an agency, benefactor, or employer; [Include as a Statement in the Application Form - no other documentation required]
Are at or under the Medium household income line for San Diego for the previous year. [$81,750 for 2023 for 1 person] Households for college students is considered as an individual, not what is shared with room mates. Married couples are considered a household, if filing taxes jointly [$93,450 for 2 people]; [Include as a Statement in the Application Form - no other documentation required]
Provide a copy of the confirmed Registration in the course. Please redact any sensitive personal information except your name; [Documentation required]
Must provide a complete 2024 W-9 tax form to our Chapter Treasurer [treasurer@cnpssd.org] after acceptance of an awarded scholarship, for reporting the scholarship as income; [Documentation required]
The Applicant has not taken and completed the course within the past 10 years.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS & TIMELINE (Nov 1, 2023 - Feb 10, 2024)
NOVEMBER 2023 - Scholarship applications are accepted and logged for consideration anytime following the announcement and posting of the course on the SDSU Global Campus portal, usually mid semester of the fall session. (November 1, 2023)
DECEMBER / JANUARY 2024 - Registration and payment of the course tuition. Confirmation of registration is required. Act with purpose as this course can fill up quickly. Waitlist students may still be allowed to register and take the course in January, but frequent communications with instructors and the College Registrar are critical.
JANUARY 2024 - Final day for course registration is the first day of the course (January 20, 2024).
FEBRUARY 2024 - Scholarship Applications are accepted until the end of the first full week of February (February 10, 2024). Selections for the available scholarships will be made during a closed session portion of the monthly Chapter Board Meeting (February 14, 2024) Applicants will be informed of their selection or non acceptance by February 17, 2024. Selected recipients shall receive their full tuition reimbursement in the weeks following the Chapter Board Meeting, with the final criteria of continued enrollment confirmed by the course instructors. Please allow up to four weeks to process checks and payment (March 17, 2024), but expect to receive the scholarship award before the end of February.
PROCESS: Fill out the APPLICATION FORM below (clicking the box below opens up the application form) within the timeline period or by sending a request with your pertinent information to scholarships@cnpssd.org. Be sure to include in the Form and Statement boxes the following:
Contact information (Including a mailing address to which you can receive official documents and scholarship / reimbursement payments)
Attest that you can or will meet the Criteria for Consideration above. See bottom point for providing required documentation.
In the Statement section, include a paragraph about your interest in Botany and the course. How would you apply the new found knowledge to improve your life and the state of biodiversity in San Diego County?
How did you find out about the scholarship?
OPTIONAL: Are you a member of the California Native Plant Society? If not, are you interested in becoming an annual member? Are you familiar with our Mission?
OPTIONAL: Have you volunteered with CNPS before? If yes, how? Are you interested in contributing your new knowledge and skills to volunteer efforts following completion of the course? If yes, which Committee efforts (under OUR WORK) would you be most interested in?
NOTICE: ATTACHMENTS FOR REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION WILL BE REQUESTED VIA SECURE / ENCRYPTED EMAIL IN A FOLLOW UP RESPONSE. THIS APPLICATION FORM DOES NOT ALLOW ATTACHMENTS.