Encouraged folks to apply for a scholarship next year through NACAA you need to have $40 in by June 30 of year prior to the year applying for a Scholarship. Applications must be in by June 1 of the year you are applying. To find the Criteria for this Scholarship, go to page 19 of awards book or go to http://www.nacaa.com/prof_imp.htm and click on Scholarship Application Form.
Please donate items towards Scholarship Auction at National.
This year North Central District sent a check in this (as indicated in treasurers report) for $525 in individual's names. One Application was sent in this year to National from NC.
NC has most surely benefited and received a bulk of these professional improvement scholarships. We need to continually increase our contributions as well as the number of applications for next year.
Current Issue- The NC scholarship contribution records do not agree with the National records. This has been a issue for some time and is being addressed. Years ago a couple of contributions were made from North Carolina to the NACAA Scholarship fund but not given in any ones name, and we do not have the names that the check was written for. The intent was contributions were to be placed under that list of names for which it was intended but that was not sent in to National with the check so it was simply dealt with as a contribution from North Carolina. For Betsy Greene (National Chair) to make changes, there must be documented records to justify the change. This is due to this scholarship money being subject to audit.
Now, these records include almost everyone that has ever contributed and has not been properly updated in the past on the National level. This list requires constant up-dating since at this point in time Life Members, Retired, Unknown, non active, active NCACAA members and those that may have quit or left extension. This is a massive list and after spending a lot of time going through these list I asked the Board that from this point on, if someone leaves Extension, and then returns that they will be back at a zero balance as far as scholarship contribution status due to the complexity of the record keeping and my focus is to try to remove those who have passed away or who have left Extension. This request will be forwarded on to National and ask that Retired, Life and Deceased Agents be grouped under North Carolina Contributions to cut list down even further. Since only NACAA members are eligible, why keep the records of the other contributors.
We must move on with this and if we don't have the documentation, then individual is at a zero balance. This may sound cold, but it has been going on for YEARS and it is time to get things on the table and move forward. Since Betsy has to justify changes and is open for Audit, these steps should be taken.
Board consensus is to go with these suggested changes. Efforts are being made to get the Scholarship Contributions list corrected and in agreement with the National Scholarship Contributions list.
Submitted by Ben Chase
Last updated: 8/25/2005
Please send comments and suggestions to John Dorner.