Chapter 4.24
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Revised 7/18
Sections:
4.24.020 Purpose. Revised 7/18
4.24.035 Scholarship contribution fund. Revised 7/18
4.24.040 Scholarship committee. Revised 7/18
4.24.060 Eligibility. Revised 7/18
4.24.010 Establishment.
There is established a city scholarship program. (Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 84-16 §3(part))
4.24.020 Purpose. Revised 7/18
It is the purpose of the scholarship program to provide financial assistance to Utqiaġvik residents who may not be able to complete their higher education without such assistance. By providing such assistance, the city will be promoting the general welfare by helping its residents to attain education and skills which will benefit the entire community. (Ord. 02-2017 §2(part); Ord. 92-04 §4(part): Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 84-16 §3(part))
4.24.030 Fund.
The city shall, if budgetary considerations allow, appropriate a sum of money during each fiscal year to fund the scholarship program. The amount appropriated shall be allocated in three increments. The first increment shall fund students during the first scholarship period. This first period shall include students who will be attending the fall academic period. The second increment shall fund students during the second scholarship period, which shall include students attending school for the winter quarter or spring semester. The third increment shall fund students during the third scholarship period, which shall include students attending school for the spring quarter or the summer session. (Ord. 92-04 §4(part): Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 84-16 §3(part))
4.24.035 Scholarship contribution fund. Revised 7/18
The city shall maintain a separate account to receive contributions from individuals, organizations and corporations for scholarships to Utqiaġvik residents. Contributions received by the city for scholarships will be deposited in this fund. The scholarship committee shall award scholarships from this fund under the provisions of this chapter without the requirement of an appropriation by the city council. (Ord. 02-2017 §2(part); Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 86-15 §1)
4.24.040 Scholarship committee. Revised 7/18
A. The scholarship program shall be the responsibility of a scholarship committee consisting of five members and an alternate member. Members shall be appointed by the city council from a list of applicants who have submitted letters of interest to serve on the committee. One member of the committee may be an employee of the city of Utqiaġvik nominated or appointed by the city mayor.
B. Members shall be appointed by the city council for a term of three years. Membership terms for committee members shall be staggered so that approximately one-third of the seats become available for appointment/reappointment each year. An alternate shall be appointed for a term of three years.
C. Three members shall be required for a quorum. The alternate member shall be counted in determining whether a quorum is present, but the alternate member shall not vote unless at least one regular member is absent. In all matters of parliamentary procedure not covered by this chapter or the city ordinances, Robert’s Rules of Order as revised, or such other rules as the committee may designate in its written policies and procedures, shall be applicable and shall govern.
D. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the city council at the next regularly scheduled city council meeting after the vacancy is declared; provided, that this allows at least two weeks for the solicitation of letters of interest from the community. A vacancy may be declared by either the committee or the city council. A position on the committee shall be deemed vacant under the following conditions:
1. The member submits a letter of resignation;
2. The member no longer resides in Utqiaġvik;
3. The member has missed two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the scholarship committee;
4. For good cause as determined by the city council.
E. The scholarship committee shall meet on a regular basis to assess the applications for scholarship funds and to make recommendations to the mayor for scholarship awards. The committee shall meet at least three times a year to assess applications for the three scholarship periods.
F. The city council may provide one of its members to sit on the scholarship committee as an ex officio member.
G. The mayor shall designate a city employee to handle the administrative work of the committee. (Ord. 02-2017 §2(part); Ord. 03-2012 §4(part); Ord. 02-2011 §2; Ord. 92-04 §4(part): Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 86-15 §2: Ord. 84-16 §3(part))
4.24.050 Procedures.
A. The scholarship committee shall develop its own written policies concerning application procedures, conduct of meetings, selection of officers, regularity of meetings, eligibility guidelines and allowable education expenses. These written policies shall be submitted to the city council for approval. Any changes to the policies shall be submitted to the city council for approval at the next regularly scheduled city council meeting after the committee adopts the changes.
B. Prior to the beginning of each scholarship period, the scholarship committee shall submit to the city council a report on the status of the scholarship program which shall contain the following information:
1. A list of all residents awarded scholarship assistance for the new scholarship period, the amount of each award, a copy of the student’s application, including a summary of the required financial information and their most recent grade point average from the present institution if the resident is a continuing student or from their previous school if this will be the student’s first term at the present institution;
2. A report on the academic status of each student that was granted a scholarship during the previous period, including:
a. Whether they have graduated, will continue during the next term, or whether they withdrew during the scholarship period;
b. If the student withdrew, a brief report on the reason for the withdrawal and the student’s eligibility for future scholarships;
3. A description of any extraordinary scholarship assistance granted during the previous period and an explanation thereof;
4. The amount of money allocated for that period remaining.
C. If the city council approves of the report of the scholarship committee, it shall authorize the expenditure of the funds for the next period. Any unused portion of a period’s funds may be applied towards the next period’s program unless the program will not be funded during the next period, in which case the remaining funds shall be applied towards the city general fund.
D. Awards. The affirmative vote of three scholarship committee members at a duly convened meeting shall be sufficient to authorize the mayor to issue a check to the scholarship applicant in the amount of the scholarship award payable to both the applicant and the institution of higher education.
1. The mayor shall have the power to exercise a veto of any decision of the committee, in which case the committee has the right to appeal to the city council.
2. Any applicant who is aggrieved by a decision of the scholarship committee shall have the right to appeal that decision to the city council, if a written request for city council appeal is received by the mayor within thirty days of the date of the notification of the decision.
3. The city council has the right to overrule any decision of the scholarship committee or any veto entered by the mayor. (Ord. 02-2011 §3; Ord. 92-04 §4(part); Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 84-16 §3(part))
4.24.060 Eligibility. Revised 7/18
A. Any Utqiaġvik resident as defined in Section 2.36.020 who the scholarship committee finds a strong evidence the likelihood of returning to the community after his or her higher education and benefiting the community with the education and skill he or she attained shall be eligible for a scholarship award.
B. Scholarship awards may be used for any course of post-secondary education, either college level or vocational technical training, that leads to a certificate, an associate’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree, as long as the student meets the grade point average of 2.0 on a scale of 4.0 or a “C” average at the college or school, except that the scholarship committee may provide, under its written policies, a grace period whereby a student who falls below the scholastic requirements may be continued on scholarship for one further academic period to improve his or her performance. If the student is allowed to continue on scholarship for a further academic period and still does not meet the required grade point average, the student shall be ineligible for any further scholarships from the city until the student has demonstrated that he or she can successfully complete an academic period with the required grade point average.
C. In assessing the eligible applicants the scholarship committee shall base its decision on the financial need of the applicant after taking into consideration all financial resources available to the student and all other scholarship or loan funds for which the student may be eligible.
D. Any student who does not complete the academic period for which a scholarship is granted must successfully complete another academic period before he or she may be eligible to receive another scholarship from the city, except for situations of hardship as provided for in the committee’s guidelines. Only applications that have been received by the deadline established for the academic period by the scholarship committee and are complete by the deadline may be considered by the scholarship committee. A student may petition the scholarship committee for a waiver of the requirements of this subsection and the committee may, upon a finding of good cause, waive the requirements for one academic period. (Ord. 02-2017 §2(part); Ord. 03-2012 §4(part); Ord. 92-04 §4(part); Ord. 88-7 §3(part): Ord. 84-16 §3(part))