Seminar Registration Fee Scholarships
Purpose

The Certification Committee of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc., encourages professionalism of Texas municipal clerks by administering a scholarship program that pays up to $225.00 of a Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program seminar registration fee. The recipient must be enrolled in TMCCP, and the scholarship may be used for certification or recertification seminar credit. The Certification Committee reviews applications and approves or denies requests.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Applicant must be currently employed as a city clerk or city secretary; assistant city clerk or assistant city secretary; and/or deputy or a combination of these positions.
2. Applicant must have been employed continuously for the past 24 months in the capacity of city clerk or city secretary; assistant city secretary or assistant city clerk; and/or deputy or a combination of these positions.
3. Applicant must be a current (paid) member of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc.
4. Applicant must be actively pursuing certification or recertification in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program.

Application Requirements

1. Applicant must submit the prescribed application and a letter of commitment stating how his/her educational and professional goals will be enhanced by completion of the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification or Recertification Program.
2. Scholarships shall be paid directly to the Certification Program and applied to the registration fee or reimbursed to the payee.
3. This application must be received at least 10 business days prior to seminar date. Send to: Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program, P.O. Box 305067, Denton, Texas 76203-5067; or via fax: 940-565-2012; or via email.

Reimbursement Requirements

Applicant must reimburse the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc., the amount(s) of scholarship(s) awarded if he/she should not continue to actively pursue the course of study with TMCCP.

Limitations

1. Scholarship must be used for the seminar awarded.
2. Applicants are eligible for one scholarship each fiscal year.
3. Applicant may not receive a TMCCP scholarship and a travel stipend for the same seminar.

Go to the Seminar Registration Fee Scholarship Application

Seminar Travel Stipends
Purpose

The Certification Committee of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc. (TMCA, Inc.), offers partial payment to defray travel costs of seminar attendance for city clerks and city secretaries enrolled in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification/Recertification Program. The amount of the award paid to any individual applicant will not exceed $300.00 per fiscal year. The Certification Committee screens applications and approves or denies requests.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Applicant must be currently employed as a city clerk or city secretary; assistant city clerk or assistant city secretary; and/or deputy or a combination of these positions.
2. Applicant must have been employed continuously for the past 24 months in the capacity of City Secretary or City Clerk; Assistant City Secretary or Assistant City Clerk; and/or deputy or a combination of these positions.
3. Applicant must be a current (paid) member of Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc.
4. Applicant must be actively pursuing certification or recertification in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program.

Application Requirements

1. Applicant must submit the prescribed application and a letter of commitment stating how his/her educational and professional goals will be enhanced by completion of the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification/Recertification Program.
2. Travel stipend shall be paid to the recipient or a municipality on a cash reimbursement basis. To support expense claims when requesting reimbursement, recipient must submit expenses with documentation (receipts and statements) to the certification committee chair.
3. This application must be received at least 10 business days prior to seminar date. Send to: Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program, P.O. Box 305067, Denton, Texas 76203-5067; or via fax: 940-565-2012; or via email.

Reimbursement Requirements

Applicant must reimburse TMCA, Inc., with the amount of an awarded travel stipend if he/she should not continue to actively pursue the course of study with TMCCP.

Limitations

1. Travel stipend must be used for the seminar awarded.
2. Applicants are eligible for one travel stipend each fiscal year.
3. Applicant shall not receive a travel stipend and a TMCCP scholarship for the same TMCCP seminar.

Go to the Seminar Travel Stipend Application

TMCA Major Scholarship Awards

Scholarship Committee will consider all applications, deliberate on the factors of eligibility, and designate the scholarship awards for all of one calendar year. The actual presentation of the awards will occur at the Annual TMCA Awards Banquet, held in conjunction with the TMCCP Graduate Institute. Scholarship winners will be notified that they have received a scholarship.

The deadline for annual scholarship applications is June 15.

Purpose

The purpose of the scholarship is to advance the education, professional development, and job performance of Texas Municipal Clerks by providing financial assistance to the members who are enrolled in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification or Recertification Program.

Scholarships will be used toward pursuit of the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification or Recertification. Scholarships are also available for eligible Texas Registered Municipal Clerks (TRMCs) who are pursuing a bachelor's or graduate degree that is directly related to the recipient's professional job performance.

Scholarships Awarded

Depending on the applicant’s intended use of the scholarship—TMCCP or college/university study—the applicant may be granted a scholarship from one of the following sources, chosen by the Scholarship Committee.

• Individual scholarships from vendors. In the past, donors have included: American Legal Publishing; Franklin Legal Publishing, Inc.; Laserfiche; Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP; Municipal Code Corporation; and Questys Solutions
  Maximum amount awarded: $500.00 each
  Intended use: pursuit of the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification (TRMC) or Recertification
  History: Donors contribute funds toward Texas Municipal Clerks scholarships in recognition of the mission of TMCA, Inc., and TMCCP, which states, "The Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc., and the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program are dedicated to providing an educational and professional development program for novice and experienced municipal clerks."


• Dorothy F. Byrd Scholarship
  Maximum amount awarded: $500.00 each
  Intended use: pursuit of either the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification/Recertification (TRMC) or eligible college/university study
  History: The Dorothy F. Byrd Scholarship was established in 1993 to honor Dorothy F. Byrd, Executive Director of TMCCP/TMCA, Inc. The purpose of the scholarship is to advance the education, professional development, and job performance of Texas municipal clerks by providing financial assistance to members who are pursuing TMCCP certification or recertification, or who are pursuing a college or university degree in a qualified program of study that directly enhances the recipient’s professional job performance.


• Lila Fern Martin Scholarship
  Maximum amount awarded: $1,000.00
  Intended use: eligible college/university study
  History: The Lila Fern Martin Scholarship was established to honor the 1958-1959 president of the Association of City Clerks and Secretaries of Texas (the predecessor organization of TMCA, Inc). The purpose of the scholarship is to provide financial assistance to eligible Texas Registered Municipal Clerks (TRMCs) who are pursuing a bachelor's or graduate degree that is directly related to the recipient's professional job performance. The maximum amount awarded is $1,000.00 for one academic year, e.g. fall/spring semesters and summer terms.

Selection Criteria

1. Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements.
2. Scholarships will be awarded based on a combination of the applicant's years of municipal service, membership in TMCA, Inc., and progress in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification/Recertification Program. For those pursuing a college or university degree, points are awarded based on the number of college hours completed.
3. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received a previous award.
4. Preference will be given to 1) municipal clerks/city secretaries; 2) assistant or deputy municipal/city secretaries; and 3) other TMCA, Inc., members.
5. Members of the current scholarship committee are not eligible to apply for a TMCA Major Scholarship or MCCi Records Management Scholarship.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants shall be current paid members of TMCA, Inc., and shall have been paid members of TMCA, Inc., for two consecutive years previous to application for the scholarship. Applicants must be actively pursuing certification or recertification in the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program.

A. General Requirements
Eligible applicants must be practicing city clerks or city secretaries, Texas Registered Municipal Clerks (TRMC), and active members of TMCA, Inc., in good standing.

Applicants in a program of study leading to a bachelor's degree must have completed thirty (30) semester credit hours of study in an accredited institution of higher learning.

Applicants seeking a graduate degree must have completed nine (9) semester credit hours of graduate study in an accredited institution of higher learning.

B. Bachelor’s Degree Requirements
Applicants must major in government, business administration, finance, management or economics. Recipients who do not have a degree plan on file with the institution must provide an official degree plan by the end of the first academic semester for which the scholarship funds are received. Subsequent scholarship funds will not be released by the TMCA treasurer until the degree plan is presented to the treasurer.

C. Graduate Degree Requirements
Applicants must have completed the institutional requirements for admission to Graduate School for a Master of Arts degree or a Master of Science degree in government, public administration, urban government, business administration, management, finance or economics. Persons admitted to a doctoral program or a law program will have similar requirements.

Post-Award Requirements

The scholarship recipient pursuing TRMC certification must complete the same TMCCP course for which the scholarship funds were reimbursed (completion of the course includes: successful completion of the homework, a passing examination grade, and attendance of the total 24 hours of the two required seminars). Failure to fulfill these requirements will obligate the recipient to repay TMCA, Inc., the amount awarded. Failure to repay the awarded funds shall result in appropriate legal action by the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc.

Post-award requirements for recipients of scholarships for bachelor’s or graduate degrees: The scholarship recipient must complete semester credit hours for which the TMCA, Inc., funds were reimbursed. Failure to fulfill these requirements will obligate the recipient to repay TMCA, Inc., the amount awarded. Failure to repay TMCA, Inc., shall result in appropriate legal action by the Association. In addition, the recipient studying for a bachelor’s degree shall maintain a C+ grade point average. The recipient studying for a graduate degree shall maintain at least a B grade point average.

Deadline for application for a TMCA Major Scholarship Award is June 15. The 2009 TMCA Major Scholarship Award application will be available December 2008.