Education

Below are the 17 scholarships that AFE is offering for 2008.  All applications and supporting documents are due by May 1, 2008.  You can download your application in either the MS Word Document or PDF format below or you can click here - College Tool Kit - to complete your application on the CollegeToolkit.com website.

The Scholarship Application PDF can be downloaded here.

The Scholarship Application MS Word Document can be downloaded here.

The Scholarship Recommendation Form MS Word Document can be downloaded here.

BALL HORTICULTURAL COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP
Ball Horticultural Company is an international breeding, production and distribution corporation involved in nearly every facet of floriculture. Includes: Ball and Pan American Seed, Ball FloraPlant, ColorLink, Ball Superior, and Vegmo Plant, plus 11 joint ventures around the world. The Ball Horticultural Company Scholarship is intended for junior or senior students pursuing a career in commercial floriculture.

BETTINGER, HAROLD SCHOLARSHIP
Harold Bettinger was a partner in Bettinger Farms of Swanton, Ohio. In the mid-50’s, he was one of the first progressive growers to convert his bedding plant production from wooden to plastic flats. Bettinger Farms now grows greenhouse and field vegetables.The Bettinger Scholarship is intended for horticulture students, sophomore through graduate levels, who have a major or minor in business and/or marketing with the intent to apply their education to a horticulture-related career business.

BIOWORKS IPM/SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES SCHOLARSHIP
The BioWorks IPM/Sustainable Practices Scholarship is intended for students pursuing a career in floriculture. Students will be selected on the basis of sound academic performance and a grade point average of 3.0 or better. While not mandatory, it is strongly desired that the student be interested in furthering the use of Integrated Pest Management (”IPM”) or Sustainable practices and preference will be given in this area.

BRIDENBAUGH, JAMES MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Jim Bridenbaugh was a specialist in fresh flowers and plants, designing and commentating at design shows and seminars. His floral industry knowledge, comedic story-telling and audience rapport made him a favorite. Jim served as OFA president from 1989 to 1991.The Bridenbaugh scholarship is for sophomore, junior, or senior students who are pursuing a career in floral design and marketing of fresh flowers and plants.

CAREW, JOHN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
John Carew, former head of the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, dedicated his career to encouraging and guiding young horticulturists. He was instrumental in establishing BPI in 1969. The Carew scholarship is open to graduate students in horticulture, with an interest in greenhouse crops.

DEDMAN, EARL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Earl Dedman owned and operated Mountainview Greenhouses in Woodinville, Washington, and was a former president of BPFI. In addition to his participation with BPFI and BPI, Earl was involved with the Montana State Flower Growers, the Puget Sound Flower Growers, and the Washington Floricultural Association. Educated in rural Montana in a one-room schoolhouse, Earl had a strong commiment to education, believing it was a great way better yourself. Earl considered education and hard work to be the keys to success in life.

The Earl Dedman Scholarship is awarded to students who are interested in becoming greenhouse growers, are from the Northwestern United States, and have sophomore, junior, or senior status.

DOSATRON INTERNATIONAL, INC. SCHOLARSHIP
Dosatron International, Inc. distributes fertilizer and chemical injectors used worldwide in greenhouses and nurseries. Dosatron is located in Clearwater, FL.

The Dosatron Scholarship is intended to encourage junior and senior level students with career interest in floriculture production and a career goal to work in a greenhouse environment.

FRACASSO, PARIS PRODUCTION FLORICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP
Paris Fracasso was known for his outstanding work ethic, positive attitude, and greenhouse knowledge. He managed DeSantis Greenhouse from the mid 1940’s to 1974, then joined Ohio State University as Greenhouse Superintendent from 1974 to 1986. After mandatory retirement, he continued to serve part-time as OFA mail supervisor. This scholarship is sponsored by the Ohio Florists’ Association and the Ohio Floriculture Foundation.

The Fracasso Scholarship requires students to have junior or senior status and to express a career goal in production floriculture.

JOHNSON, FRAN NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
Fran Johnson enjoyed a long, productive career with the John Henry Co., a horticultural printing firm in Lansing, Michigan. Fran also made many significant and practical contributions of time and talent through the BPI trade association to advance the greenhouse industry. The Johnson scholarship goes to students re-entering school after a minimum 5-year absence, who have an interest in bedding and/or floral crops.

NATIONAL GREENHOUSE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (NGMA)
NGMA is a professional trade organization for the manufacturers and suppliers of greenhouses and greenhouse components built to codes designed for a grower’s needs. The National Greenhouse Manufactures Association Scholarship targets students majoring in horticulture and bioengineering or the equivalent and are at least a junior at an accredited four-year college maintaining a 3.0 GPA.

NOVOVESKY, MIKE AND FLO SCHOLARSHIP
Mike and Flo Novovesky have enjoyed over 30 years of active participation in the floriculture industry. The Novovesky’s know first hand the hardships a young couple must overcome when balancing a career and a family. Their scholarship fund aims to help young married students who are working to put themselves through college and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Depending on the availability of married applicants, the scholarship may also go to an undergraduate working his or her way through school with financial need and family obligations. The keys are strong interest in horticulture and financial need.

RATHMELL, JAMES K., JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR HORTICULTURAL WORK/STUDY ABROAD
Jim Rathmell was a horticulture extension specialist at Penn. State University who promoted communication and cooperation with horticulturists in other countries. A widely published author, he worked with commercial growers to implement many outstanding educational programs.

The Rathmell scholarship is awarded to junior or senior level undergraduates or graduate students who have a specific plan for horticulture work/study outside of the United States.

SEED COMPANIES SCHOLARSHIP
Seed companies - Ball, Pan-American, Goldsmith, and Novartis are leaders in the seed production and breeding industry, providing new, improved varities. These seed companies co-operatively sponsor this scholarship.

The Seed companies scholarship requires students to have a career goal within the seed industry and be junior or senior level undergraduates or graduate students.

TOMASOVIC, JOHN L., SR. SCHOLARSHIP
John Tomasovic, past president of BPFI, has grown his family business, John L. Tomasovic, Sr., Florist, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, which includes a greenhouse from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. They produce geraniums, pot mums, hardy mums, bedding plants, ground covers, poinsettias, Easter lilies, bulb crops and foliage, carrying on the business his father began in 1931.

The Tomasovic scholarship offers special consideration for sophomore, junior, or senior undergraduate students with financial need and grade point average between 3.0 and 3.5.

TUINIER, EDWARD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Ed Tuinier, owner of Post Gardens, loved the greenhouse business, building his firm to one of the top 50 U.S. companies, inspiring his children, all of whom work in one of the two Post Gardens locations. A graduate of Michigan State University, Ed was a major benefactor of the MSU horticulture program and demonstration gardens.

The Tuinier scholarship is awarded to sophomore, junior, or senior undergraduate students enrolled in the floriculture program at Michigan State University.

VAN NAMEN, JACOB MARKETING SCHOLARSHIP
The Jacob Van Namen/Vans Marketing Scholarship was established January 1997. Jacob Van Namen is a true entrepreneur who built a multimillion-dollar business in wholesale floriculture. This award is intended to develop knowledgeable, creative individuals to improve the floriculture industry.

The Van Namen Scholarship requires students to have a career interest in agribusiness marketing and distribution of floral products and be of sophomore, junior, or senior standing.

VOCATIONAL (Bettinger, Holden & Perry) SCHOLARSHIP
The FIRST Vocational Scholarship awards at least 3 students each year, in honor of:

LEONARD BETTINGER, was a successful greenhouse grower in the Bettinger Farms family business in Toledo, Ohio, and was president of the BPI trade association from 1974-76;

JOHN HOLDEN, had a long, helpful career at Ball Seed Co. and was active in the BPI trade association since it’s inception, attending the very first “pre-BPI” conference in 1968;

JIM PERRY, was a respected wholesale nurseryman, who grew Perry’s Plants of La Puente, California into one of the largest bedding plant operations in the U.S and was president of BPI from 1972-1974.

The Vocational (Bettinger, Holden & Perry) Scholarship requires students to be in a 1 or 2-year program with the intent to become a grower or greenhouse manager.

You can find more scholarships at CollegeToolkit.com.