FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION’S COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Vince Geronimo

Floodplain Management Association’s College Scholarship Program

offers opportunities to offset the high cost of a college education and associate with professionals at our annual conference.

Floodplain Management Association is now accepting undergraduate college student applications for two $10,000 scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year. Applications are due by May 31, 2023.

The FMA Board established the College Scholarship Program in 2022 to provide financial support and professional development opportunities to undergraduate students. FMA is proud to debut the…

FMA College Scholarship

Students entering their junior or senior year and pursuing a STEM focused course of study, including engineering, planning, or biological, earth and social sciences at an accredited public or private college or university in California, Nevada, or Hawaii.

James R. Schaaf Civil Engineering Scholarship

Undergraduate civil engineering students whose primary focus is water resources. Students must be enrolled in an accredited public or private college or university in California.

The FMA Board unanimously approved the $10,000 award for the FMA College Scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year. Funding is from our reserves. We could not have funded this Scholarship without our members and corporate sponsors who supported our virtual conferences during the height of COVID. The FMA Board also commissioned our new College Scholarship Committee to manage the Program. The Committee plans to host fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to fund the Program for future scholarships.

James R. Schaaf Civil Engineering Scholarship

The James R. Schaaf Civil Engineering Scholarship was founded through a $10,000 contribution from the owners of Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers to honor James Schaaf. The scholarship aims to support undergraduate civil engineering students enrolled in an accredited public or private college or university in California, whose primary focus is water resources with inspiration to help communities reduce their flood risk with equitable and multi-beneficial solutions.

James (Jim) Schaaf was one of FMA’s founders and a mentor for young civil engineers and water resources professionals. He was a working professional who served as an adjunct professor teaching water resources engineering courses at Stanford, Santa Clara University and San Jose State. The FMA Board and Scholarship Committee is proud to host this annual scholarship to honor Jim’s legacy and his positive impact on our Association, our field, and our lives.

Each scholarship fund will pay the recipient’s college or university directly for any tuition costs which exceed any existing financial aid or scholarships. Funds remaining after tuition payment may be used for other educational expenses, room and board in a college dormitory, or an equivalent stipend if living off campus. Other minimum eligibility criteria include:

• be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident

• graduated from high school

• participating in a 4-year undergraduate degree program

• have a cumulative Minimum Grade Point Average of 2.5

Applicants must submit complete applications by the May 31, 2023, deadline. FMA has partnered with Bold. org to host the Scholarship Applications, at no cost to our Association. Bold.org provides outreach to students interested in applying for scholarships and supports our efforts to ensure applicants meet the eligibility requirements. Visit Bold.org for more information about their services. For more information about our College Scholarship Program visit our FMA website.

FMA encourages those interested in a career field related to reducing the risk and impacts of floods on people and communities to apply. Addressing floods and flood risk includes the fields of floodplain management, watershed management and coastal management, and incorporates climate change, the environment, social justice, and urban and land management issues. Professionals working in the field include people in the public and private sectors and who are scientists, engineers, planners, and researchers.

The Scholarship Recipients will be invited to attend our 2023 FMA Annual Conference and receive Professional Development through the Association’s membership. Registration and travel costs to attend the annual conference will be offered to the Scholarship Recipients.

We need your assistance with candidate selection, professional development for the awardees, and fundraising for future scholarships! If you would like to participate in the FMA College Scholarship Committee or make a tax deductible donation to the Program, please contact FMA College Scholarship Committee Chair, Vince Geronimo, at vince@geronimoengineering.com.