LESSON OUTLINE



INTRODUCTION

Hello and welcome to this e-Learning course which is all about Running Effective Scholarship Committees.


In this course, we aim to help you better understand the purpose, responsibility, and actions required for running an effective scholarship committee. 


You are encouraged to review this course as often as needed. It will be beneficial for scholarship committee members to review this course at least once per year. Committee members may also find benefit in reviewing specific lessons from this course multiple times throughout the year, to assist them with fulfilling their responsibilities.



COURSE OUTLINE

This course is divided in to five lessons. If this is your first time taking this course, it is recommended that all lessons are completed in a single sitting.

 

At the end of each lesson, you will be required to take a short quiz to assess your learning. Please ensure that you listen attentively and complete the learning assessment at the end of each lesson.

 

The following key topics will be covered in this course:

  • Lesson one reviews the purpose of scholarship committees
  • Lesson two discusses the various members required to run a successful scholarship committee
  • Lesson three covers Needs-based scholarships
  • Lesson four discusses Merit-based scholarships
  • Lesson five covers additional guidelines for supporting committees in fulfilling their responsibilities.

 

With this overview in mind, lets continue lesson one, by reviewing the purpose of scholarships and the purpose of scholarship committees.



WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS?

The story and circumstances of each student and their family is different. Scholarship assistance is provided to students and their families for two major reasons:


1. Providing Financial Support

Meeting financial obligations for schooling, is still a major challenge in many of our communities. Scholarships are therefore provided as a support for families that might be experiencing financial hardship.


Secondly, scholarships exist to help:


2. Rewarding Excellence

Scholarships are provided as a reward for excellence in areas such as leadership, sports, the arts, community service, and academic performance.



WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE?

The fundamental purpose of a Scholarship Committee is to ensure that scholarships are awarded to students in a way that promotes fairness, transparency, and accountability.


1. Promoting Fairness

To ensure that all students have fair opportunities to receive scholarship funding, committees are required to:

  • Establish clear criteria for rewarding scholarships.
  • Communicate scholarship criteria clearly to the school community


Parents, students, and teachers alike should all be well informed about the different types of scholarship awards available, and the criteria for receiving them.


2. Accountability

To provide accountability for the allocation of scholarship funds, committees must produce accurate records that clearly define:

  • Who received the funds
  • How the funds were dispensed
  • When the funds were allocated


If scholarship criteria are clear, and there is a clear record of how funds have been allocated, scholarship committees can be confident that they are doing their job effectively.


That takes us to the end of the learning content for lesson one. Before you continue to lesson two, please take a moment to assess your learning by using the link provided in the next section of this page. 



LEARNING ASSESSMENT

Please take a moment to assess your understanding of this lesson by completing the quiz provided at the following link:

Learning Assessment: Scholarships in Pacific Church Schools



LESSON SUMMARY

In this lesson we:


•    Reviewed the outline of this course

•    Reviewed the purpose of scholarships

•    Defined the purpose of scholarship committees


In lesson two we will talk more about forming the scholarship committee and the various roles that are required to ensure that the committee is successful.