At its 20th Annual Scholarship Dinner in July 2016, the Foundation announced nearly 300 scholarship awards. Scholarship funds totaling $595,501 will help ensure that deserving young men and women have the resources necessary to pursue their academic goals.
“It is a great honor to be selected as an award recipient. The scholarship from Permian Basin Area Foundation served as a keystone to build my confidence and led me to deeper study in geophysics.” – Qifan Liu, Scholarship Recipient
Over $500,000 in scholarships are expected to be awarded at this year's Scholarship Dinner to be held on the evening of July 20th at Midland Horseshoe Arena (Education Building).
Applicants for the 2017-2018 school year have been using the Foundation's new online system through AcademicWorks. Nearly 700 students applied for over 80 available scholarship opportunities by the March 31st deadline. With rare exception, the transition from paper to the electronic version has been very smooth. Even volunteers who have been involved for years with the review process are delighted by how fast and simple the process is.
"Frankly, I was somewhat hesitant to get started," said Spencer Sipko, longtime scholarship reviewer, "but once I logged into the system, it was so easy!"
The Foundation will be fine-tuning the software for additional features and increased efficiency for next year's scholarship season. One of the probable features to be added is the ability to upload transcripts directly online (as opposed to mailing them in by USPS or email). This will likely increase the number of completed applications.
To learn more about scholarships, visit www.pbaf.org or call Sherri Heiting, Scholarships Administrator at 432.617.3213.