The Trudy McAlister Foundation announced the recipients of the 2012 national AOM scholarship awards in April. Those who received the scholarships were: Susan Allgeyer, Florida College of Integrative Medicine; Zoe Culberston, New England School of Acupuncture; Byeong Jo, Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine; Pamela Verlander, Florida College of Integrative Medicine. Each student received a $2000 scholarship made directly to their school to cover tuition.
The Trudy McAlister Foundation and its scholarships are the only annual grants-in-aid offered by professional acupuncturists each year to the acupuncture education community. The foundation announced they received a total of 7 applications this year and selected four of the recipients. Normally the foundation receives an average of 30 applications for these types of scholarships, publicizing the process well in advance to numerous schools and colleges in the profession.
Each year the Foundation Board announces the scholarships in national publications and requests that the Council of Colleges for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine notify colleges about these scholarships.
The Trudy McAlister Foundation begins its application process for new scholarships every May, with a November 15th application deadline. This schedule was implemented to give students sufficient time to apply, and we encourage past recipients to re-apply.
Foundation officials said they hope to increase their joint efforts to encourage application from the colleges and to support more qualified and talented students in the future. The Foundation Board uses its best efforts to ensure that word of the application process reaches students directly to help to promote an interest in education in the field of acupuncture.
The nonprofit Foundation is granted 501(c)3 status, and all donations are tax deductible. Financial support for the scholarships from suppliers, manufacturers, individuals, colleges, vendors, and organizations can be made via the website or directly to the TM Foundation.
Information about the scholarships and the application form can be found at: www.TrudyMcAlisterFoundation.org.
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