The Robert A. Catlin/David W. Long
Memorial Scholarship

Deadline: February 15, 2013, 5:00 p.m. EST

The Purpose

Named after committed planners and long-standing PBCD members, The Robert A. Catlin/David W. Long Memorial Scholarship is designed to foster an increased interest in the profession of urban planning among Black students. The goal of the scholarship is to encourage the pursuit and achievement of the growing number of Black graduate students entering the urban planning profession. The goal is to create a critical mass of Black planning professionals who support one another, and provide new perspectives on issues facing the communities that they serve.

Eligibility Criteria

The $1500 scholarship is available to:

• Black undergraduate students who are applying to, or who have been accepted and plan to enroll into, an urban planning program for graduate studies;
• Black graduate students, majoring in urban planning or a related field (geography, environmental studies, urban studies, urban policy etc.)

Students applying to graduate programs must show proof of acceptance and intent to enroll if awarded the scholarship. The applicant should be in good academic standing and active member of their communities. The scholarship will be awarded to the student to cover costs associated with the pursuit of their studies.  The scholarship is awarded to a student only one time during their tenure in a planning program.

The Winner will also receive a $500 travel stipend to travel to the 2013 American Planning Association National Planning Conference in Chicago to accept the award.

Application Process

The applicant should submit ONE application package that includes the following materials:

• Scholarship Application
• Personal Statement/ Essay Question
• Proof of enrollment in graduate program, list of graduate programs applied to, or acceptance to graduate program
• A letter of recommendation (must be sent directly to the review committee)

All materials must be received by Dr. Rodney Harrell, Vice Chair of Policy at rharrell@aarp.org by 5:00pm EST on Feburary 15. 

Application for students who satisfy all of the above criteria (rtf)

Examples of personal statements and letters of recommendation (pdf)

A review committee comprised of members of the division shall review applications and select a recipient. The anticipated notification date is March 15, 2013. The winner will also be honored at the Planning and the Black Community scholarship event that will take place during the American Planning Association National Planning Conference in Chicago April 13-17, 2013.

Contact

For more information, contact Dr. Rodney Harrell, Vice Chairperson of Policy at rharrell@aarp.org.