Funding your resident scholar

To begin funding a local resident scholar program, an AVC should first assess its financial and physical resources to determine what it could offer to a potential resident scholar.  The AVC should then work to design a plan that coordinates funds and/or scholarships/grants from its budget.  If the AVC still needs additional support to fund its resident scholar they can request a portion of the limited number of grants/scholarships that are given out each year from the national Fraternity. 

All funds provided to a resident scholar are in the form of a grant or scholarship and in some cases are tied to performance standards determined by the AVC.

The resident scholar is, in most cases, not an employee of the local AVC or national Fraternity; services provided are to assist the chapter and the AVC in achieving academic and leadership goals.

Funding Vehicles

Funding for a resident scholar position can be provided through one or a combination of the following vehicles:

Room and board stipend

The local AVC may offer a partial or full stipend to cover the rent and meal plan (if applicable) expenses of the resident scholar. This is done at the discretion of the AVC, depending on the needs of the candidate and the attractiveness of the package necessary to secure a qualified candidate.

Local scholarship

The AVC may choose to also provide a performance-based scholarship to the resident scholar, based on responsibilities and measurement/reporting systems determined by the AVC and the resident scholar.  Scholarships of this type usually range from $500-1,500. The AVC is not constrained to these dollar amounts, and can decide on any amount they find reasonable. 

As a best practice, many AVCs provide a scholarship that is given in two parts– the first part at the beginning of an academic term as a base amount, and the second part at the end of the term based on performance. A formal review session involving all parties should take place as early as possible to trigger performance-based funding.  Performance-based measures may include:

•    New member academic performance.
•    Member retention.
•    A chapter’s overall grade point average.
•    Quality and amount of leadership development programming.

Grant from the national Fraternity

The Fraternity manages a limited discretionary pool of funds for resident scholars, which is allocated on a yearly basis. Grants are given based on a variety of factors, including responsibilities, need and qualifications. Grants typically range from $1,000-3,000 annually.  The national Fraternity asks that all local AVCs match whatever funding amount they solicit from the national organization.  This allows Headquarters to broaden its impact and ability to aid more chapters as they seek to fund their own resident scholar positions.  Grants from the national Fraternity are secured through formal application process.

For more information contact Shane McKee.