THE DALE & BETTY GEORGE SOLA SCHOLARSHIP

PURPOSE
The purpose of the Dale and Betty George Sola Scholarship Fund is to provide financial assistance for graduating high school seniors living in or attending school in the central areas of Duluth.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
A. Who May Apply
Students of Duluth Central High School, the Marshall School, and alternative schools (including Unity School, and the Harbor City International School) in the central areas of Duluth may apply. Preference will be given to graduates residing within the Central Hillside or Park Point areas. The Central Hillside geographic area is defined as 15th Avenue West to Chester Creek on the East to Skyline Parkway in Duluth. Park Point will include Lake Avenue, Minnesota Avenue and St. Louis Avenue on Park Point in Duluth. The award may be used for post-secondary education at a college or university.

B. Financial Need
Priority consideration will be given to students with financial need. 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 a grade point average of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher. Preference will be given to students who are not in the top ten percent of the graduating class.

D. Number, Value and Duration of Awards
Two or three scholarships of $2,000 will be awarded annually. Generally, the annual award is divided into two installments, half for fall, half for spring. Depending on the availability of funds, full-time summer school attendance may be awarded if sufficient credits are earned.

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

APPLICATION INFORMATION
Applicants should complete the DSACF Common Scholarship Application. Application forms will also be available from the Guidance Offices at the abovementioned schools. 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
A selection committee formed of members of the Sola family, in conjunction with the Community Foundation, will select individual scholarship recipients. Recipients must be approved by the DSACF Board of Trustees. This selection committee will base their decision on the applicant’s demonstrated leadership, hard-working behavior, financial need, good work ethic, involvement in community and/or school activities, and academic performance, in this order of priority.

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 their institution 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 scholarship is renewable for three additional years, provided satisfactory scholastic standing (GPA of 2.5 or greater) and progress toward the original educational goal is being maintained. 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.

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