GUIDELINES FOR THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING
COMPANIES OF SOUTH DAKOTA NON-ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
As approved January 7, 2004

The American Council of Engineering Companies of South Dakota Scholarship is a non-endowed scholarship. Yearly scholarships will be awarded for use during the next academic year. It is anticipated that one (1) One Thousand Dollar ($1,000) award will be made yearly, but the award or number of awards may vary.

The recipient of each scholarship shall be selected by a scholarship committee comprised of selected members of the American Council of Engineering Companies of South Dakota utilizing these selection criteria:

1. Recipient shall be enrolled or enrolling in his/her junior, senior or fifth year of mechanical, civil or electrical engineering major.
2. Recipient shall be enrolled in a South Dakota institution of higher education.
3. Recipient shall have expressed an interest or desire to enter the field of Consulting Engineering upon graduation.
4. Recipient shall have demonstrated an above-average record of service to the community and the college.
5. Recipient shall make application for the award on a form to be provided by the American Council of Engineering Companies of South Dakota.

Recipient may receive the award more than one (1) year provided he/she continues to meet the stated criteria.

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM GUIDELINES

These ACEC Scholarship Program Guidelines explain how Member Organizations can participate in ACEC's national program in order to forward MO scholarship winners to ACEC for national award consideration.

ACEC/RMF Awards Scholarships among Finalists Submitted by MOs
ACEC/RMF, under the auspices of ACEC's Professional Development Committee, will award a "Scholar of the Year" and named scholarship awards. Funding for these awards as well as all expenses incurred will come exclusively from the endowment and from funds generously provided by firms for named scholarships. ACEC/RMF will rely solely on applications derived from the MOs which administer their own scholarship programs (or, if they do not issue scholarships themselves, are at least able to screen applicants) and submit a finalist to ACEC for award consideration. Under this arrangement, ACEC scholarships awarded to students from those MOs with local scholarship programs may total approximately $15,000/year.

Method of Evaluating Scholarship Applications

Scholarship applications are scored against five criteria. The criteria and their maximum scores are:

1. College grades (cumulative GPA), 28 points

2. Recommendation, 17 points

3. Essay, 25 points

4. Work experience, 20 points.

5. Extracurricular activities (college), 10 points

   1. Student organizations (3 pts.)

   2. Community activities (2 pts.)

   3. Athletics (2 pts.)

   4. Other (3 pts.)

Each applicant is scored according to the guidelines below. Scores are entered and totaled on a scoring sheet (see below).

Scoring Guidelines

When evaluating applications, it is important for the judges to make note of the year the student is entering in the engineering or land surveying program - junior, senior, or fifth. It is only fair that work experience and college activities be weighted so that sophomores entering their junior year are not penalized for lack of opportunity to become involved in activities which older students have had more time for.  An applicant can deserve all or a portion of the points available in each area. Judges' scores are averaged to develop one score for each criterion.

1. Cumulative grade point average (28 points maximum)

   1. Determine cumulative GPA using transcripts.

      § Some schools list GPA.

      § Others list only quarterly/semester GPAs. If so, add all quarterly/semester GPAs and divide by number of quarters/semesters.

      § If there are no GPAs, determine by assigning points for each course unit: A = 4 pts., B = 3 pts., C = 2 pts. (Example: An A in a 3-unit course = 12 grade points.) Divide total number of grade points by total number of units.

      § Some schools do not use 4-point scale, the basis for ACEC scoring. If so, first convert school GPA to 4-point maximum scale.

   2. Multiply cumulative GPA by 7.

      Cumulative GPA (on 4-pt scale) _________# x 7 = _________.

2. Recommendation (17 points maximum)

   1. Using the recommendation form, add the total number of points.
   2. Divide total number of points (A) by (B).
      For each blank space (unanswered questions) subtract 4 points from total possible points and use this possible total to divide student's total points.
      B = 44 - (4 x number of unanswered questions); B = 44 if all questions are answered.
   3. Multiply by 15.
   4. Add two points if the recommendation is from a consulting engineer or land surveyor.

   Equation:

   [ _________ / _________ ] x 15 = _________ + _________ = _________
        (A)         (B)                (C)         (D)
   

3. Essay (25 points maximum)

   1. Score six basic points for writing the essay.
   2. Score three points for neatness, good English and proper spelling.
   3. Score seven points if applicant indicates a knowledge of what a consulting engineer or land surveyor is and does. In other words, does the applicant know the definition of "consulting engineer or land surveyor."
   4. Score seven points for an unusual or unique idea or some unusual or "catchy" feature.
   5. Score two points if applicant indicates an understanding that consulting engineers or land surveyors work with people - clients, employees; are administrators; service clients; and use their talents, experience and knowledge to develop the bestengineering project possible.

4. Work experience (20 points maximum)

   1. Score a possible ten points for any employment during high school and college (high school - two; college: freshman - four, sophomore - two, other - two).
   2. Score three additional points if work experience was in any way involved with the building industry, industrial work, or general engineering-type practice, public agencies, etc.
   3. Score three additional points if employment was in the consulting engineering or land surveying field.
   4. Score four additional points for any part-time work, work study or practicum while attending for-credit classes. (Such students usually do not have time for extracurricular activities.)

5. Extracurricular activities (college)

   1. Student Organizations (3 points maximum)

      § Score two points for any organization membership.

      § Score one additional point for more than one organization membership.

      § If a student is an officer in an organization and a member of two or more groups, score three.

   2. Community Activities (2 points maximum)

      § Score one point for any community activity or community organization membership.

      § Score one additional point for more than one activity.

   3. Athletic (2 points maximum)

      § Score one point for any athletic activity (intramural or intercollegiate).

      § Score one additional point for more than one athletic activity.

   4. Other (3 points maximum)

      § Score one, two or three points for activities totaling more than the above numbers of any academic or athletic awards, any additional or multiple church activities, youth organization or any other type of activity that is felt deserving of additional points.

American Council of Engineering Companies of South Dakota/
American Council of Engineering Companies
Scholarship Program

To qualify, a student must be a U.S. citizen pursuing a Bachelor's degree in an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-approved engineering program or in an accredited land surveying program. Students must be entering their junior, senior or fifth year, in the fall to qualify.

Your interest and commitment to the business and management of the profession are important. You are encouraged to reflect that throughout the application.

Be as complete as possible while filling out this application. Each portion of the application has a specific point value. Judges will score each section separately. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scoring

• Cumulative Grade Point Average: 28 points
• Essay: 25 points
  • Essays must be typed or neatly printed. Points may be lost for poor grammar, incorrect spelling, illegibility, or lack of neatness. Proofread carefully.
• Work Experience: 20 points
  • List your most recent work experience first and include any jobs held during high school. Indicate the year in school during which you held a particular position. Indicate if your work experience was in the form of work study, coop, or practicum. Clearly identify the nature of the business of the listed employers; in particular, note consulting engineering or land surveying firms. Be complete and accurate. List additional experience on a separate sheet and attach if necessary. The more experience you list, the higher your potential score.
• Recommendation: 17 points
  • A recommendation is needed from an engineering professor, a consulting engineer, or a land surveyor. Use the enclosed form-a letter generally is not sufficient. Greater weight will be given for a recommendation from a consulting engineer or land surveyor. The evaluator must send the recommendation directly to the state Member Organization.
• College Activities: 10 points
  • Indicate all college activities including offices held in any organization. Be as complete as possible. If there are no activities, write "none." The more activities you list, the higher your potential score.

Download the Scholarship Application in Word Document format.

Download the Scholarship Application in PDF format.