Economic Development Division Travel Scholarship

2013 Scholarship Winner

This year's Scholarship winner is Parrish Bergquist from the University Of Michigan. Bergquist's paper "The Fiscal Bluff: Debt and Sustainability in Jefferson County Alabama," considers that community's 2011 bankruptcy. Exploring how municipal debt affects economic development, the paper uncovers important related impacts on environmental and social equity concerns that emerged from that community's crisis. Bergquist will receive a $1,000 travel scholarship and a one year membership in the Economic Development Division. This paper will also be printed in a future edition of the Economic Development Division Newsletter.

The Scholarship Jury would also like to recognize Kelly Moosbrugger and Alison Wicks from Portland State University. Their submission, "Implementing the Portland Metro Export Initiative Through Regional Clusters: How Effective Is It?" applies traditional economic impact analysis through an industry cluster lens to a topic that is increasingly a matter of concern across the nation.

About the Scholarship

The submission deadline has passed

Applications are invited from Master's level students enrolled in PAB-accredited planning departments across the U.S. as well as individuals who have graduated from those programs in the past year. The $1,000 travel scholarship will be awarded on the basis of a letter of recommendation from a faculty member and an original student paper or work. The original student submission should be 2,000 to 2,500 words and speak to practitioners about a substantive topic related to economic development and planning in the U.S.

John Provo
Director, Office of Economic Development
Virginia Tech
jprovo@vt.edu.

Previous Winners

Previous award winners