IAF Scholarships and Award Tutorial

Imagine America Scholarship and Award ProgramsTutorial

About the Imagine America Foundation
Since inception, the Foundation has provided more than $50 MILLION in financial assistance to STUDENTS attending
career colleges across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Established in 1982, the Imagine America Foundation is a not-for profit organization dedicated to serving the career education community by providing scholarships and awards, conducting sector research, offering faculty training, honoring achievement in career education, and promoting the benefits of career colleges to the general public.

Foundation Overview
Scholarships
Research
The Foundation currently sponsors three scholarship and award programs, including:
Imagine America for graduating high school seniors
Promise Scholarship Program
Military Award Program (MAP) for active duty, reservist or honorably discharged U.S. military veterans
LDRSHIP Award
Adult Skills Education Program (ASEP) for adult learners
Adult Excellence Award
Educational research has been an integral component of the Foundation’s activities .
Fact Book: A Profile of Career Colleges and Universities (Annual)
Graduating At-Risk Students: A Cross-Sector Analysis (2009-10)
Filling America’s Skilled Worker Shortage: the Role of Career Colleges (2008)

Agenda
Overview of Imagine America Scholarship and Award Programs and additional benefits
Financial Planning Made Simple (FPMS)
Imagine America
Promise Scholarship Program
MAP
LDRSHIP Award
ASEP
Adult Excellence Award
Neighborhood News
Program Search Feature
Promotional Materials
Through the Imagine America Promise Program and LDRSHIP Award an additional 1 MILLION in cash grants have been awarded to career education students.

Financial Planning Made Simple (FPMS)
The Foundation has released a new interactive tool, "Financial Planning Made Simple," for career college students. This online-based tool was created to help career college students protect their future by making responsible borrowing decisions. It consists of an 18-minute animated video tutorial with the student's choice of two avatars to walk them through the budgeting, borrowing and repayment process.
Included is a downloadable Student Financial Planning Tool, which gives students the opportunity to calculate their own budgets. It allows users to visually see exactly where their money is being spent in hopes of helping students to decrease overspending and increase their savings.

High School Scholarship Program
Graduating high school seniors who meet the recommended guidelines are eligible to receive a $1,000 tuition discount that can be used at you career college.
Recommended Guidelines:
Applying between Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2011 (2012 high school graduates can apply January 1, 2012)
Enrolling in a participating career college
Recommended GPA of 2.5 or above
Able to demonstrate financial need if required
Demonstrated community service in senior year

High School Application Process - Student

Application Process - FPMS
Students will have several opportunities to complete the Financial Planning Made Simple (FPMS) Video Tutorial.
After the student has completed the application a link to FPMS will be on the confirmation page.
When a student checks their application status a link to FPMS will appear.
Students who have not completed the FPMS will get reminder emails every two weeks.
Or student can go to www.imagine-america.org/fpms
Both the student and college will receive confirmation emails once FPMS has been completed.

High School Counselor Application Process

Application Process – Career College

Application Management
Log in with username and password to the application management page. Your username and password will be listed in emails requesting review of applications. We recommend you bookmark this page for future use.
Once you log in, you will see a list of pending student applications. If the student has not completed FPMS it will be noted as Needs FPMS.
You can approve or disapprove student application one-by-one or all at the same time:
To approve or disapprove one-by-one, use the pull down menu to the left (the column is titled Approval Status), select approve or disapprove for each student.
When finished scroll down to the bottom and click on Update All Changes.
Once the application is process it will be removed from the application management page and you will receive a confirmation email.
To approve or disapprove all applications at once, click on either Set All To Approve or Set All To Disapprove.
When finished scroll down to the bottom and click on Update All Changes.
Once the application is process it will be removed from the application management page and you will receive a confirmation email.

Program Search Feature
Participating college can add or update programs of study for their college.
Colleges can log in to the application management page, click and "Update College Profile.”
Colleges can update the address for the school at the top of the page.
To add programs, click on “Add Programs,” then search for your schools programs by alphabet or scrolling down.
Select the programs of study your college offers and click on “Add Programs.”
Colleges can also remove programs from this page.

High School Application Process - Final
Colleges will receive a confirmation email for each student they approve. Some colleges use this as verification of the award.
Students will receive an email with instructions on how to download and print their electronic certificate and bring to the college as verification of their award.

Imagine America Promise Scholarship Program
Each student who has received an Imagine America high school scholarship is eligible to receive a cash grant of $500 from the Imagine America Foundation. The Foundation begins collecting nominations for Promise in December with a February deadline. At that time applications will be available on www.imagine-america.org.
Prospective recipients must meet the following scholarship criteria:
Student must be nominated by his/her career college – each career college campus may nominate up to 5 applicants per campus
Student must have been an Imagine America (high school) scholarship recipient
Student must have completed at least one term in his/her course of study
Student's graduation date must be after April 30th, (subject to change)
Student must have a college cumulative 3.5 or higher GPA
Student must currently have a 95 percent or higher attendance record
Student must obtain a written recommendation from a faculty/administrator representative of his/her career college
A copy of the student's transcripts must be sent with the nomination form

Military Award Program (MAP)
“As a result of receiving the scholarship, I was able to stay in school, while indirectly saving Christmas for my family. This was the first scholarship I have ever received and was deeply honored to be chosen.”
-Noble Salerno, Imagine America MAP recipient, Grantham University
Imagine America's Military Award Program (MAP) is a national aid program that was established in 2004 by the Imagine America Foundation. This $1,000 career education award is available to any qualified active duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired veteran of a United States military service branch for attendance at a participating career college.

MAP Application Process - Student

Imagine America LDRSHIP Award
The LDRSHIP Award offers up to $2,500 in cash grants toward college tuition to active duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired U.S. military veterans attending a participating Imagine America institution. The Foundation begins collecting nominations for the LDRSHIP Award in January with a March deadline. At that time applications will be available on www.imagine-america.org.
Criteria:
Must be nominated by career college – each career college campus may nominate 5 applicants per campus
Must be an active duty, reservist, honorably discharged or retired U.S. military veteran attending a participating Imagine America institution
Must be currently enrolled in his/her course of study with a graduation date after May 30th(subject to change)
Must have a cumulative 3.5 or higher GPA
Must currently have a 95 percent or higher attendance record
Must obtain a written recommendation from a faculty/administrator representative of his/her career college
Must include a copy of his/her current college transcript with application
If applicable, must include a copy of his/her DD214/DD215

Adult Skill Education Program (ASEP)
This $1,000 award was established to assist adult, non-traditional learners in their quest for higher education.
Prospective enrolling Imagine America ASEP students who are applicants must meet the following guidelines:
Be enrolling in a participating college
Meet eligibility requirements of the college
Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Be at least 19 years of age and have a high school diploma, GED or pass an Ability to Benefit test
Not be a previous recipient of any other Imagine America Foundation scholarships/awards
Complete the NCCT Educational Success Potential Assessment
“With today’s economy, more adults are finding they need to get a higher education, however, there is not much help financially, which is why I was extremely excited to receive the Imagine America ASEP award.”
-Carolyn Crump, Imagine America ASEP recipient, Medical Careers Institute

ASEP Application Process - Student

Imagine America Adult Excellence Award
Each student who has received an Imagine America high school scholarship is eligible to receive a cash grant of $500-$1,000 from the Imagine America Foundation. The Foundation begins collecting nominations for Promise in July with a October deadline. At that time applications will be available on www.imagine-america.org.
Prospective recipients must meet the following scholarship criteria:
Student must be nominated by his/her career college – each career college campus may nominate up to 5 applicants per campus
Student must have been an Adult Skills Education Program scholarship recipient
Student must have completed at least one term in his/her course of study
Student's graduation date must be after December 31st (subject to change)
Student must have a college cumulative 3.5 or higher GPA
Student must currently have a 95 percent or higher attendance record
Student must obtain a written recommendation from a faculty/administrator representative of his/her career college
A copy of the student's transcripts must be sent with the nomination form

Neighborhood News
Our Neighborhood News program allows us to publicize all Imagine America scholarship and award recipients! This program allows us to send press releases to Imagine America recipients local media outlets announcing the student’s scholarship and career college enrollment. Students or colleges can download the card to be filled in at www.imagine-america.org/studentguide
The card can be faxed to 866.455.2063 or mailed to:
Imagine America Foundation1101 Connecticut Ave., NWSuite 901

Promotional Materials Available
To help promote the Imagine America scholarship and award programs to your students, we have created promotional materials such as one-page flyers, how-to-apply posters and web banners. Web banners are available to be placed on your school's web site to let students know that your school participates in our Imagine America scholarship and award programs.
Imagine America Web Banner
Scholarship and Award Flyers
How-to-Apply Posters
Informational Slide for Power Point Presentations
Guidance Counselor List
Scholarship Program Descriptions
User Guide

Imagine America Foundation Contacts
Andrea Spisak, Dir. of Strategic Development
Phone: 314.378.2958
E-mail: andreas@imagine-america.org
Cheri Rudd, Client Services Rep.
Phone: 314.304.1179
E-mail: cherir@imagine-america.org
Torian Brown, Dir. Of Operations
Phone: 202.336.6719
Email: torianb@imagine-america.org

IAF Scholarships and Award Tutorial

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