About the TCAFS scholarship program

Facilitated by the Scholarship Committee, the scholarship program recognizes academic and professional excellence among students enrolled in fisheries-related curricula at universities in Texas.

***  2024 Student Scholarship Information ***

The Scholarship Committee of the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is once again soliciting nominations for deserving students enrolled in fisheries related curricula (in the state of Texas) for our annual scholarship awards. If you feel you qualify for a scholarship, you are highly encouraged to submit an application. Applications can be submitted in a Word document or a PDF. Download the application in one of the forms given below:

TCAFS 2024 scholarship application only as docx

TCAFS 2024 scholarship application only as PDF

Scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each will be awarded to a minimum of two undergraduate students, one Master’s student, and one Ph.D. student. One student will be awarded the prestigious Clark Hubbs Scholarship for research that continues his legacy of native fish conservation. One student will be awarded the Dave Terre Scholarship, which honors his history of contributions to fisheries and to TCAFS.

Applicants must be current students at the time of scholarship award (February 2024). Students are eligible to receive one award in each degree category during their scholastic career. No nomination is necessary, and more than one student from the same university may apply in each category. Scholarships will be awarded during the 2024 Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting to be held February 21-24, 2024, in Nacogdoches, TX. Scholarship recipients should plan to attend the meeting to receive their award.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on their academic excellence, professional activities, promise of future professional involvement, and contributions to the field of fisheries science.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, November 12, 2023, 11:59 PM CST

Applications and questions should be directed to the Scholarship Committee Chair:

Jennifer Butler, Chair 
302 Medical Drive
Lake Jackson, TX 77566
Phone: 979-292-0100 ext. 225
Jennifer.Butler@tpwd.texas.gov

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Committee’s Approach

The Scholarship Committee will oversee and conduct the Texas Chapter’s Student Scholarship program. Scholarship awards will be provided on an annual basis to help deserving students attain their educational and career goals in the fisheries-related sciences, and to promote good stewardship of aquatic resources in the state.

1. An endowment fund will be established in a high-interest-bearing account to be administered by the Executive Committee (EXCOM) of the Chapter with guidance from the Endowments Committee (EC). Additional funds will be deposited by the Secretary/Treasurer at the direction of the Chapter EXCOM at any time.

2. The chairperson of the Scholarship Committee (SC) will be appointed by the President. Members of the SC will be appointed by the Chair. The SC will be composed of a minimum of five voting members, including the Chair, and all will be Chapter members in good standing. Voting members of the SC will be drawn from the general membership of the Chapter, exclusive of faculty or staff serving at Texas universities. In naming voting members of the SC, the Chair should strive to reflect the diversity of the membership and to minimize any possible bias of the SC toward any particular academic institution.

3. Annual selection of the scholarship recipients will be made by the SC. The SC will select recipients shortly before each annual Chapter meeting where the scholarship awards will be presented. Selection of the scholarship recipients will be made by the voting members of the SC, based on the following criteria: 1) academic excellence; 2) professional activities; 3) promise of future professional involvement and 4) significant contribution to the field of fisheries science (See Scholarship Application Guideline in Appendix B). Financial need will not be a judgment criterion for this award.

4. Four student scholarships (currently in the amount of $1,500 dollars each) will be awarded each year by the SC. Two undergraduate students, one Master’s degree candidate, and one Ph.D candidate will receive the scholarships.

5. University Point of Contacts (POC) will be solicited from the various colleges and universities throughout Texas by the SC. The SC is responsible for making universities aware of Texas Chapter scholarship information and timelines. Scholarship announcements and a copy of the application will be sent to the POC’s annually as early in the fall semester as is practical. The role of the POC is to distribute scholarship announcements and application materials to interested students. A list of participating universities, their POC’s, and the associated contact-related information (e-mail, mailing address, and telephone number) will be maintained the Chair of the SC. The deadline for receiving applications will be established by the SC and posted in the scholarship announcement and in the Texas Chapter newsletter. Interested students will prepare their application and submit it directly to the Chair of the SC prior to the established deadline.

6. Each student will be eligible for only one award in each award category (i.e. a student could be awarded a maximum of three scholarships lifetime- undergraduate, M.S. and Ph.D.).

7. In the event that no applications are received in an award category, or all of the applications received within a category are deemed unworthy of an award by the SC, then the money earmarked for that category will not be awarded and will remain in the endowment fund.

8. Changes to the award process including, but not limited to, the number and amount of scholarships awarded may be made at the discretion of the EXCOM with guidance from the EC and SC, provided that all such changes shall be made after the annual Chapter meeting and prior to the announcement of scholarships in the fall.

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Other Scholarships:

– SDAFS Reservoir Committee
– SDAFS Warmwater Streams
– AFS Scholarships
– Bass Fishing Hall of Fame-Fishery Management Scholarship

 

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Jobs
• Texas A&M Job Board

STUDENT SUBUNITS

• Tarleton State University
• Texas A&M University College Station
• Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
• Texas Tech University
• University of North Texas
• University of Texas San Antonio
• University of Texas at Tyler

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

• Hutton Junior Fisheries Program

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