NORTHWEST FOOD PROCESSORS

EDUCATION & RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Endowment Fund for

Scholarships & Education

In 1989, the Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA) established the NWFPA Scholarship Fund to celebrate its 75th anniversary. The Fund is managed by the Northwest Food Processors Education and Research Institute (ERI). The intent of the Scholarship Program is toattract and encourage outstanding students in the Northwest with a strong interest and potential to pursue a career in a discipline associated with the northwest food processing industry.

Since its inception, the Scholarship Fund has provided 77 scholarships to promising students pursuing food processing-related disciplines. The scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year will continue to target students from the land grant universities in Idaho, Oregon and Washington who will become leaders in the food manufacturing industry. Three scholarships will be awarded, one at each institution.

Eligibility Criteria:

  1. Students mustbe pursuing an academic discipline and career plan that supports food processing operations as represented by the membership of Northwest Food Processors Association and demonstrate participation in activities supporting this academic and career focus. A current listing of NWFPA processor members is included with the application packet.

Accepted Academic disciplines: College of Agricultural Sciences; Food Science and Technology;Nutrition & Dietary Science; Production Operations Management; Crops and Crop Production;Engineering concentrations; Horticulture; Agriculture and Resource Economics; Business Management; Environmental Science; and Soil Science.

Exceptions to this listing may be made by petition with the application, indicating how the student’s discipline is being pursued to prepare for a career in the food processing industry.

2.Students must be residents of Idaho, Oregon, or Washingtonand enrolled in a Land Grant University in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (University of Idaho; Oregon State University; and Washington State University).

4.Students must haveat least junior standing and demonstrate clear evidence of successful academic qualities:

Quarter System90 quarter hours or above

Semester System64 semester hours or above

Graduate students in related fields are eligible.

5. Students must be enrolled for a full academic year for 2015-2016; for quarter systems, full-time enrollment for two consecutive quarters will be accepted as a full academic year.

6.To be considered, students must complete the NWFPA Scholarship application in full. Attachments may also be submitted. Incomplete forms will not be considered for award.

7.Selected recipients must attend the NW Food Manufacturing and Packaging Exposition in Portland, OR from January 10-12, 2016. Travel expenses will be supported by the Scholarship Fund in addition to the scholarship award.

Award:

The scholarship award shall be $5,000 for each student selected. Student recipients will receive their scholarship award in two equal payments, upon evidence of continued enrollment: July 31, 2015 and December 31, 2015.Awards will be mailed to the financial aid office of the respective school.

Selection Process:

Selection will involve two steps or levels of evaluation. Screening and nominating of applicants will be the responsibility of the individual institutions. The second step will be the responsibility of the Northwest Food Processor’s Education & Research Institute’s (ERI’s) Board of Directors and its task force, as designated.

Step One: Each institution is encouraged to nominate up to three (3) individuals. It is not necessary for these individuals to be studying in the same field. Institutions should NOT rank their nominees.

Step Two: The College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU will forward the nominees to the designated contact for ERI to coordinate final selection of recipients from each of the three land grant universities through consideration by Board-designated process.

Both steps of the screening process shall be guided by the following prioritized criteria for nomination and final selection:

Demonstrated direction and commitment to a career in food manufacturing / 40%
Leadership and involvement in related curricular and extra-curricular activities and programs / 15%
Internship and work experience in food manufacturing or related fields / 15%
Grade Point Average / 15%
Financial need / 15%

Dates and Deadlines for Selection:

Prior to March22- Distribute eligibility and selection criteria and applications

May 6 at noon (PDT) – Scholarship application deadline for students

For additional information, contact:

Academic Program CoordinatorPhone: (541) 737-6486 or 1-800-823-2357

100 Wiegand Hall.Fax: (541) 737-1877

Corvallis, OR 97331Email: