Chugach Gem and Mineral Society is a non-profit corporation. Our purpose is to support amateur rockhounding in the 49th state. We incorporated in 1959 and have a long history of trips in Alaska and around the world in pursuit of interesting specimens and adventures (members of our club were instrumental in jade becoming the State of Alaska rock!). Our objective with these scholarships is to support the people who will work in our field of interest. We ask the scholarship recipients attend one of our “Pot-luck” meetings to acknowledge the scholarship with a short presentation ceremony.

Please refer questions for this scholarship to Andres Macias at the address below. Andres Macias, Scholarship Chairman

The purpose of the Chugach Gem & Mineral Society Clayton Rasmusson Memorial Earth Science Scholarship is to offer financial assistance for tuition and other related educational expenses to University of Alaska Anchorage or University of Alaska Fairbanks students who are admitted in a Geology degree-seeking program.

It is the intent to award two (2) $2,000 scholarship for the 2008/2009 academic year.

DEADLINE: October 6, 2008

Qualifications:

• Applicant should demonstrate motivation, academic and leadership potential.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
• Applicant must be formally admitted into an undergraduate Geology major or minor degree-seeking program at the University of Alaska Anchorage or University of Alaska Fairbanks by the start of the Fall 2008 semester.
• Applicant must plan on enrolling at least half-time (six (6) credits) at the University of Alaska Anchorage (Anchorage campus, Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska-Susitna College, and/or Prince William Sound) or the University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fairbanks campus, Chukchi, Kuskokwim, Northwest, Rural College, or Tanana Valley campus) by the start of the Fall 2008 semester.
• Applicant must have a Junior or Senior standing, as of the Fall 2008 semester, at the University of Alaska Anchorage or University of Alaska Fairbanks.
• Applicant must be an Alaska resident.
• Proof of residency is required
• Applicant must be enrolled in the semester for which the award is made.

Forfeiture of Award:

• Does not enroll at least half-time in the semester in which the award is to be in effect.
• Is placed on academic and/or disciplinary probation.
• Does not meet satisfactory academic progress.
• No longer meets the scholarship qualifications.

Applicant Procedure:

• Complete the UAA 2008/2009 Scholarship Application Form.
• Attach a list of activities/community service in which you have participated (such as publications, sports (team, intramural, individual, etc.), music, art, student government and clubs, volunteer work, crisis hot lines, peer groups, hobbies, and chorus participation) during high school and/or college. This should be in a resume format and should include dates of participation, number of weeks/hours, and special awards or honors received.
• Attach a resume of your work experience (including summer employment) you have held over the past four years.
• Attach a personal essay. The personal essay should be no more than 500 words and describe your educational goals and objectives, your plan and timeframe for meeting these goals, your plans for utilizing your education after you receive your degree, and your specific qualifications for this scholarship. Be specific about the reasons you chose a university education and your life goals. This essay is very important. A subjective review of your essay is a significant part of the evaluation. Place your full name and student ID number in the upper right hand corner of your personal essay.
• Attach two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation must be from individuals willing to attest to your ability to succeed in your course of studies. These letters of recommendation should be from professors, current/former teachers, teaching assistants, counselors, employers, former employers, or ministers who know you well and who can evaluate your academic ability and potential. Allow enough time for your referral to complete the letter of recommendation and submit with your completed scholarship application by the deadline date. The letters should describe your strengths, whether in academic achievement, intellectual abilities, leadership, or character. Also, please make sure that the letters of recommendation contain your full name and your student ID number (if possible). Letters of recommendation MUST be attached to your scholarship application; there is NO guarantee that unattached letters of recommendation will be considered.
• Attach transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). Neither the Office of Student Financial Aid nor the Records Office will copy transcripts from any other previously attended institution(s) that may be in your admissions file. Transfer students must also attach transcripts from each institution attended. Continuing students DO NOT have to supply any transcripts from any campus in the University of Alaska system.
• Attach proof of Alaska residency (i.e. Alaska voter registration, Permanent dividend receipt, etc.).
• Applications must be received by OCTOBER 6, 2008, NOT POSTMARKED. All late or incomplete applications will be disqualified. Please no fancy binders, folders, tabs, etc. These are discarded and only requested materials are copied to the selection committee.
• Return the completed application to:
• UAA Office of Student Financial Aid
  Attn:  CGMS Rasmusson Memorial Earth Science Scholarship 
  PO Box 141608
  Anchorage, AK 99514

General questions or concerns on this scholarship can be addressed to the Office of Student Financial Aid, Scholarship Coordinator Rachael Daugherty (907) 786-1517, or at anrld3@uaa.alaska.edu.