THE RICHARD B. PEARSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

HISTORY
Richard B. Pearson Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2006 to preserve the memory of Richard B. Pearson, long time Superintendent of Schools in the Duluth area schools. Based on Richard’s dedication to education, this scholarship will provide financial assistance to students graduating from the Duluth Public Schools who are pursuing an elementary or secondary Education degree.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
A. Who May Apply
Graduating seniors of Duluth’s public high schools who intend to pursue a degree in elementary or secondary education may apply. The award may be used for post-secondary education at any accredited institution.

B. Financial Need
Priority consideration will be given to students with financial need. Applicants must be from a median or lower than median income family as defined by the US Bureau of the Census (www.demography.state.mn.us/census). Such need must be demonstrated through submission of a recently completed Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). See the financial need page for more information.

C. Academic Criteria

Applicants should have an high school grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher and a college grade point average of 2.5 during their years of college.

D. Number, Value and Duration of Award

E. Payment
The award is co-payable to the institution and the recipient.

APPLICATION INFORMATION
Applicants should complete the DSACF Common Scholarship Application. The complete application must be received to the DSACF by January 15th. That day our office will be open for hand delivery until 5:00pm. Electronic submissions and postmarks must be stamped before midnight. Late applications will not be considered.

DETERMINATION OF AWARDS
The Scholarship Committee of the Community Foundation will select individual scholarship recipients. They will base their decision on the applicant’s financial need, community and school involvement/service and academic record (including grade point average and standardized school aptitude exam).

AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT
Names of recipients will be announced as early as possible. Each applicant will receive an individual communication with the results of the committee’s decision regarding his/her application.

APPLICANT/RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• The majority of communication between applicants/recipients and the scholarship administrators will take place via email. Applicants/Recipients are required to have and regularly check their email and notify the Community Foundation of any changes to their contact information.
• All recipients of Community Foundation administered scholarships are expected to acknowledge acceptance of the award promptly. In most cases, this acknowledgement will take two forms, completion of an Acceptance Form provided by the Community Foundation and secondly, a thank you letter/card to the founder of the scholarship fund. The Community Foundation will provide names and addresses as needed. If unable to accept the scholarship, the committee should be given that information and a reason in a prompt manor.
• A recipient must complete enough credits to be recognized as a full-time student in each semester an award is made. Likewise, a satisfactory grade point average (2.5) must be maintained.
• If the student receives funds from the college due to non-completion of a term or not attending full time, these funds are to be returned to the scholarship committee. If the college requirements are not met, but there is no refund, the scholarship grant will be forfeited for the next term.
• Recipients understand that the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation may use scholars’ names, photographs and any portion of application essays for use in scholarship publicity, such as broadcast media, websites, newspaper, radio, etc.
• The DSACF Scholarship Committee hopes that recipients recognize and appreciate the contributions their award has made to their futures. It further anticipates that, in the years to come, recipients find some way to give back to the community that provided them with these opportunities.

RENEWAL
The award will be for the four year period, provided the student continues to meet the recipient responsibilities and eligibility mentioned above. During the late spring, each recipient will receive a renewal application which must be completed and returned - along with a certified transcript reflecting the most recent academic year - to the scholarship committee. Renewals will not be considered until both documents are received. All scholarship awards will cease when the recipient attains an undergraduate degree.