Selection Committee Training

1. Selection Committee Training Oregon Student Access Commission Scholarship & Access Programs

2. Welcome! The Oregon Student Access Commission (OSAC) welcomes your participation in the scholarship selection process.Private scholarships are key to providing the financial assistance that makes post secondary education and training a reality for thousands of Oregon students. The OSAC Internal Selection Committee consists of volunteers with backgrounds in education, financial aid, or scholarship related professions, who meet in rotating groups of three, to select scholarship awardees. Each scholarship presents its own unique criteria.

3. Private scholarships are important for enhancing access to higher education • Scholarships are critical to bridging the gap for students faced with the reality of college loans. The average student debt upon graduation is approximately $20,000. • Scholarships offer students educational choices, and can mean the difference between attending a two- or four-year college, or pursuing a degree or certification program. • Scholarships can award personal or academic achievements, and help students with varying academic backgrounds, income levels, or areas of personal interest. • Scholarships assist students from diverse backgrounds, such as former foster youth, single parents, and dislocated workers.

4. . Role of the Selection Committee • To ensure that the donor’s philanthropic and charitable wishes are carried out. • To evaluate the application materials in a fair and consistent manner. • To assess the character, motivation and potential of the applicants

5. OSAC Selection Committee Policy • Committees (Internal or outside OSAC) should consist of three to five members who pursue the donor’s intent for the award, as outlined in the Fund Guidelines. • Members should avoid conflict of interest: refrain from the decision-making process when a personal or business relationship could give the appearance of having undue influence. • Members must protect the applicant’s privacy by maintaining the confidentiality of private information contained in the applications.

6. OSAC Privacy Policy Protecting the privacy of a student’s personal information is required by state and federal regulations. • Selection committee members will not discuss student financial or personal information outside of a committee meeting. • All paper and/or electronic application materials should be kept in a secure location or secure computer during selection, and destroyed, deleted, shredded or returned to OSAC after selection is completed.

7. Reviewing Applications: • OSAC requires that at least two committee members review the same applications. Members may use the following guidelines: • Members read all applications, rank the top three to five applicants and deliberate until a recipient(s) is chosen. • For a large number of applications, divide them into sets for each member to read and rank the top two or three students. Then exchange sets between members to again read and rank the top two or three students. Finally, members deliberate the top choices until a recipient(s) • is chosen.

8. Evaluating Applications • Selection Committee tools for evaluation • Fund Guidelines: the official agreement for administration of the scholarship. Sections 3 and 4 reflect the donor’s intent for the award with prioritized criteria. • Eligibility List: viable scholarship applicants listed by quantifiable elements such as year in school, residency, GPA, financial need, etc. • Glossary: contains the definitions for terms used on the Eligibility List and throughout the selection process. • Score Sheet: available to help the committee evaluate student qualities such as community service, diversity, challenges/obstacles, goals, commitment , special essays, etc. (non-quantifiable elements).

9. Use of Required Application Materials An OSAC Score Sheet can aid in the evaluation of student qualities. Transcript(s): Applicant’s academic curriculum. Committee members verify reported GPA and course rigor, if necessary. Activities Chart: A school, community and work history that documents student qualities, special interests, and whether they meet the donor’s intent, as outlined in Fund Guidelines. Four Personal Statements: The statements, based on required topics, are reviewed for content, creativity and organization. Special Essays: These extra essays are required for specific scholarships only. Evaluate the response to the donor’s topic, question, or request for information.

10. The Big Picture Be impartial, objective, and fair. The integrity of the selection committee is at stake, and award decisions affect recipients, non-recipients, families, colleges, and communities. Look for applicants who use their required documents to paint a picture of their capabilities and potential, as a whole. The student whose career goal is in nursing, should demonstrate good grades in science and math courses, and have volunteer or work experience in the health occupations field. Their application should reflect overall maturity and quality of work. As always, special thanks to our volunteers, for everything you do for Oregon students.