Overview
The Jeff Seybert/National Higher Education Benchmarking Institute Scholarship facilitates the professional growth and development of early-career institutional research professionals employed at community colleges by providing travel assistance to the annual AIR Forum.
Named in honor of the late Jeffrey A. Seybert, founder of the National Higher Education Benchmarking Institute (NHEBI), a John Stecklein Distinguished Member Award recipient, and a member of the AIR Board, the scholarship is awarded in memory of Seybert’s commitment to improving the performance of community colleges and recognizing the importance of the work they do. One scholarship in the amount of $1,000 may be awarded to support costs associated with attending the AIR Forum.
The deadline to apply for this scholarship is 11:59 p.m. ET on January 26, 2024.
Stay up to date on AIR scholarships—check your communication preferences, ensure the "Grants and Scholarships" subcategory opt out box is unchecked, and save your preferences.
Application Criteria
To be considered for the award, applicants must:
- Hold a current AIR membership
- Be currently employed in the IR field at a community college
- Have worked for less than three years in a campus-based IR/assessment office (full-time or part-time)
Preference will be given to first-time AIR Forum attendees from the community college sector or AIR Forum presenters from the community college sector.
Application Process
In addition to verifying personal, demographic, and eligibility information, the following three documents are required for a complete application:
- Essay (limit: 750 words) addressing the impact this award is expected to have on your professional development. It should be written for a blind review, which means it should not include information that would personally identify you or your institutional affiliation. The
essay should be presented in three parts to answer each of the following prompts:
- Briefly describe your current work in IR and provide a summary of your current skills.
- What are three outcomes you hope to accomplish from your participation at the AIR Forum?
- What are your long-term career goals and how will your involvement with AIR and the AIR Forum benefit you in this journey?
- A statement (limit: 200 words) indicating whether you have other sources funding your participation at the AIR Forum (example: institutional travel funds or other scholarship/grant). Applicants with additional funding sources are still eligible for this award.
- Letter of support from your supervisor on institutional letterhead. The letter should support your application, and it should indicate how the scholarship will meet larger goals. The letter must acknowledge that your participation in the AIR Forum will be approved as an "on-the-clock" activity.
Previous Recipients
- Jamicia Lackey, Research Specialist, Connecticut State Community College (2023)
- Hadley Jolley, Research Analyst, Laramie County Community College (2020)