College of Science - Geology - Margaret C. Van Buskirk Memorial Scholarship Endowment

The purpose of the award is to honor Margaret Van Buskirk’s, hard work and personal commitment to her undergraduate studies in Geology at Cal Poly Pomona. Margaret graduated with a BS degree in Anthropology/Geography in 1981 and a BA in Earth Science in 1987. She later returned to teach Mineralogy and other lower division courses. The successful candidate must be recognized within the Geology Department as having achieved much through the application of geologic knowledge, including leadership, teaching, and/or mentorship roles.

The Scholarship will be awarded at the Cal Poly Pomona Geological Sciences Department Student Award Ceremony. The Scholarship award consists of two parts: 1.) a monetary award of $1,000 given to the student at the beginning of the upcoming Fall semester and 2.) placement of the recipient’s name on a plaque displayed in the Geological Sciences Department Office.

Criteria
• Open to continuing Juniors or seniors
• Open to sophomores who plan to have 60 semester units completed at the conclusion of spring.
• Must be a BS Geology major (The student must have been a major in the Geology Department for at least one year prior to being considered.) (It is desirable not required that the successful candidate continue as a Geology major for at least one more year after receiving the award.)
• Student must have a GPA of 2.0 or above
• Must be in Good Academic Standing at the University
• It is required that the successful candidate have sufficient course-related obligations to be in residence during upcoming Fall Semester.
• Complete the following supplemental requirements:

1. Submit a current transcript (official transcripts not required).
2. A personal statement that must address the manner in which you conform to Margaret Van Buskirk’s standards and ideals of an undergraduate Geoscience major. Specifically, please address such positive traits as dedication to the Geology profession; success through application of a strong work ethic; commitment to lifelong learning; and exceptional effort in all areas of the undergraduate Geology experience. This effort may be evaluated on the basis of leadership, teaching, and/or mentorship roles, cooperative efforts with other students, academic performance, aid to faculty in teaching and/or research, and/or community service.

Eligible candidates may be considered for the Scholarship in one of the following ways:

A. Candidates may self-nominate.
B. Candidates may be nominated by a peer or a faculty member.

No matter how nominated, each candidate must submit a current transcript and a personal statement via the Bronco Scholarship Portal.

A Scholarship Committee composed of Geology faculty members and individuals who knew Ms. Buskirk will carefully evaluate the merits of each candidate. The written statements will be discussed along with consideration of current academic transcripts.

Although the goal is to give this scholarship every year, the overriding intention is to recognize an individual whose commitment and level of effort is truly outstanding. To this end, there is no stipulated requirement that the award be given every year.

To begin the application process, please complete your general application first, then proceed to search this scholarship in the “Opportunities >> Ours” tab and click on APPLY.