Committed to Excellence Scholarship Program

Objectives

Among the Education Foundation’s many goals is the desire to improve educational opportunities for the youth of the Cooperative’s service area. Since 1993, the Education Foundation has awarded over $1.9 million in scholarships and grants to deserving students from the Cooperative’s service area.

Those interested may complete this application and mail it to:

Education Foundation Committee,
c/o Plateau,
P.O. Box 1947,
7111 N. Prince St.,
Clovis, New Mexico 88102-1947

For questions, call 575.389.4387 or 1.800.432.2369 ext 4387. All applications must be postmarked no later than February 16, 2024.

2024 Scholarship Amounts and Distribution

1 - $3,000 Tonie Martinez Memorial Scholarship (this scholarship is based on financial need and is disbursed over two semesters at $1,500 per semester on condition that the recipient provides proof of full-time student status).

2 - $3,000 Committed to Excellence Endowment Scholarships (these scholarships are based on financial need and are and disbursed over two semesters at $1,500 per semester on condition that the recipient provides proof of full-time student status).

Eligibility

1. Are a graduating high school senior or a returning college student who has not enrolled for at least the past two consecutive semesters.
2. Are a legal dependent of an active Cooperative member¹ or active Cooperative member² who receives retail communication services in one of the Cooperative’s 26 service exchange areas (subscriptions to services outside the Cooperative’s exchange areas do not qualify) or a legal dependent of a current Plateau employee who may not be an active Cooperative member, but meets other qualifications listed.
3. Are a student who plans to attend a regionally accredited vocational school, college or university in the fall of 2024.
4. Are a student with a minimum 2.5 GPA or equivalent on a 4.0 scale (an authorized school official must verify the GPA on this application).
5. Are a student with at least a 22 ACT/1110 SAT score. An authorized school official must verify the scores on this application.
6. Are a student with an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) of no more than $10,000 ($12,500 for a dependent of a Plateau employee) on their current year’s FAFSA Student Aid Report.

Decisions of the Education Foundation Scholarship Committee as to eligibility and scholarship award are final.

How to Apply

1. Complete this application. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are qualified to apply, that the application is complete and legible, with all signatures and supporting information included.
2. Obtain and attach exactly two (2) signed letters of recommendation to the application form. The first letter must be from an official (teacher, principal, counselor) of the school you are attending. The second letter should be from any other adult who can attest to your qualifications and abilities. Supplemental materials including additional letters, resumes, transcripts or other attachments will cause the application to be removed from consideration.
3. Provide a complete copy of your current year’s FAFSA Student Aid Report. This confirms dependency status and EFC.
4. Provide a transcript from the last institution attended ("Returning College Students" only).
5. Additional information may be required to determine eligibility.

Incomplete applications, nonqualifying applicants, unmet GPA requirements, etc. and applications containing additional attachments will be removed from consideration and returned to the applicant.

Mail the completed application form with all attachments to:

Education Foundation Committee,
c/o Plateau,
P.O. Box 1947,
7111 N. Prince St.,
Clovis, New Mexico 88102-1947

All applications must be postmarked no later than February 16, 2024.

Scholarship Award Procedures

The scholarship program is very competitive and applications receive careful review by an Education Foundation Scholarship Committee comprised of Board members. The names of the applicants are concealed so the Committee does not have access to anything other than the application data. The Committee is purposely not informed of who the applicants are until all information contained in the form has been judged, rated and assigned an award status.

Scholarship winners will be notified directly after the selection process is completed.