Chester Carlson Scholarship a Reality

(Editor’s note: Reprinted from the July issue of The Cannata Report.)

Thanks to the leadership and generosity of Lou Scantland, president of Documation in San Antonio, Texas, the Chester Carlson Memorial Scholarship is a reality.

This scholarship is available to a son or daughter of anyone employed within the copier industry. This includes manufacturers, dealers, and those who serve these entities. The procedure to apply is very simple:

1.  The candidate must fill out an application for admission to Caltech. This form is available online.
2.  Upon receipt of notice of acceptance, the student must request an application for the Chester Carlson Memorial Scholarship. This application will also be available online.
3.  In submitting the application, the student must indicate that his or her parent is a member of the copier industry and note the company the parent works for.
4.  The winner will receive a minimum of $17,750, and any variance is due to the spinoff of the endowment. The current value of the endowment is $300,000 plus interest accumulated from September 21, 2010.

It is my feeling that we should all promote this in our respective organizations as a scholarship which honors the inventor of the plain paper copier industry. I would also hope that that the respective HR departments encourage their employees to have their children apply. They should be further informed that if they wish their children to be considered for this award, they must indicate the name of the organization the parent is employed by.

This scholarship endowment was raised by individuals and corporations within the copier industry. As such, the offspring of any copier-related organization employee will have first priority. In the event there are no suitable candidates with a parent in the copier industry, another highly qualified student will receive the scholarship.

Based on my experience with endowments of this type of scholarship, it rarely goes to the student that the benefactors would prefer to see. Let’s not allow this to happen with the Chster Carlson memorial Scholarship. This should be considered a benefit and pleasure that comes with being employed in the copier industry.

With the cost of education today, this is a very substantial scholarship; let us all do our best to ensure that it does go to someone who meets the criteria. The candidate must of course be interested in earning a degree in engineering. Application for admission to Caltech entails very little cost, and once accepted, the candidate should immediately apply for the scholarship. As one of the many benefactors for this endowment, I can assure you that our candidates will receive every possible consideration.

The first scholarship will be awarded for the fall class of September, 2012. Students should apply for early admission in the Spring of 2012, and if/when accepted, immediately apply for the scholarship.

For those representing (all) the manufacturers producing MFPs and members of BPCA, BTA, CDA, and SDG, please feel free to copy or reprint the text regarding this scholarship. Provide your respective HR people with our contact information should they have any questions. Please inform your employees and members that they and their employees’ children are eligible for this scholarship.