The NIRSA Foundation and Region II Leadership are excited to announce the establishment of a new NIRSA Foundation endowment: the Region II Excellence Endowment. Scholarships to the Region II Conference will be awarded from the endowment starting in 2019.
“I am thankful we are in a position to create a new endowment that will provide continued support for Region II students to attend our regional conference,” says David Parker, CRSS, 2016–2018 NIRSA Region II Representative.
The creation of this endowment was well-vetted by Region II Leadership and was supported by the Region II Membership at the Region II Member Network Connection Meeting during the 2018 NIRSA Annual Conference in Denver. The Region II Excellence Endowment was established through funds from the NIRSA Region II Contingency Fund thanks to a combination of efforts by Region II members, Region II Leadership, and the Region II Finance and Sponsorship Committee.
“Through the direction of the regional leadership and great committee work, the region is going to be better suited in serving our members financially,” says Craig Decker, RCRSP, NIRSA Region II Representative. “Actualizing a process where we can use the contingency fund in a sustainable fashion for future generations is, in my opinion, the definition of great financial management.”
This endowment is separate from the existing Fletcher/Leonida/Region II Endowment, which awards annual scholarships to the NIRSA Annual Conference. Fundraising activities, such as auctions, at the Region II Conference will continue to help maintain the region’s related endowments.
Current Region II Student Excellence grants to the NIRSA Annual Conference will no longer be awarded beginning with the 2019 NIRSA Annual Conference. The new Region II Excellence Endowment will begin awarding scholarships to Region II student members beginning in 2019. Scholarship applications will be administered through the NIRSA Foundation, but a committee comprising Region II members will administer scholarship selection. Applicants must be a current student member of Region II; if professional scholarships are offered in the future, applicants would need to hold professional membership in Region II.
The NIRSA Foundation Board approved this endowment at its April 2018 meeting and is enthusiastic about the opportunity to deliver NIRSA Foundation scholarships at a regional level and looks forward to meeting the evolving needs of the NIRSA membership.
“The Region II Finance and Sponsorship Committee worked incredibly hard this past year to determine the best use of the Region II Contingency Fund,” says Caroline Dotts, member of the NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors. “I think this regional endowment is a great reflection of that hard work and one that will impact students in Region II for many years to come.”
- For more information about the Region II Excellence Endowment, please contact Caroline Dotts. For information about the Region II Conference, please contact Craig Decker. For information about NIRSA Foundation scholarships, please contact NIRSA Foundation Coordinator Kelley Hungerford.
Kelley Hungerford is currently the Assistant Director of Expo & Corporate Relations at NIRSA.
