TMCA Major Scholarship Awards

These awards are made annually. Applications must be submitted by June 15 each year. The TMCA Scholarship Committee will determine winners based on eligibility requirements. Winners will be notified that they have received a scholarship. TMCA scholarships are $500 for pursuit of the TRMC or recertification, or up to $1,000 for pursuit of a bachelor's or graduate degree.

Download the application form. NOTE: Members apply for TMCA Major Scholarships in the current calendar year and, if awarded, must use the funds in the following calendar year. TMCA Major Scholarships are awarded at the TMCA Annual Banquet.

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 Advanced Institute. Scholarship winners will be notified that they have received a scholarship.

The deadline for annual scholarship applications is June 15.

A. Purpose of Scholarships

The purpose of the TMCA major scholarship program 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 in a program of study that directly enhances the recipient’s professional job performance.

B. Scholarship Sources

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.

  1. Dorothy F. Byrd Scholarship
    Maximum amount awarded: $500 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 by the members of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc., to honor Dorothy Byrd, former Executive Director of Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program and Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc.

    Dorothy Byrd served as Director of TMCCP and TMCA, Inc., from 1968 through 1993. Formerly a city secretary and tax collector, City of Andrews, and an Associate Dean of the School of Community Services, University of North Texas, Denton, Director Byrd's achievements included: 1) President of the Association of City Clerks and Secretaries of Texas, 1964-65; 2) the establishment of the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program that requires four home study courses, four examinations, and eight seminars that provide education and professional development in public administration, public law, municipal finances, supervision, and intense study of the Texas election laws and the Local Government Code; 3) the creation of an eighty-hour recertification course of study that requires completion of three texts and six seminars; 4) the publication and development of revision schedules of the Texas Municipal Clerks Handbook, the Texas Law and Procedure Manual, the Texas Municipal Election Law Manual, and the TMCA, Inc., Policy Book; 5) passage of HB 2092, May 1985, signed by Texas Governor White, which gives legislative legitimacy to the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program and to the office of the municipal clerk.

    In 1994 the members of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Inc., professional colleagues, and collegiate peers selected Executive Director Dorothy Byrd to receive the First International Institute of Municipal Clerks Institute Director's Award.

    In recognition of Dorothy Byrd's exemplary contributions and years of dedicated service to the office of the municipal clerk and to local government, the TMCA, Inc., founded this scholarship to promote the education and professional development of the Texas municipal clerk.
     
  2. Lila Fern Martin Scholarship
    Maximum amount awarded: $1,000
    Intended use: Eligible college/university study
    History:The Lila Fern Martin Scholarship is so named to honor the 1958-1959 president of the Association of City Clerks and Secretaries of Texas - the predecessor organization of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association, Incorporated. Miss Martin was the city secretary of the City of Abilene as well as the Association President when she suffered a terminal illness.

    The Association honored Miss Martin for her contributions and service to her colleagues and profession by establishing the scholarship which bears her name.

    Lila Fern Martin, TMCA President 1958-1959
     
  3. Dr. Joyce Snay Scholarship
    Maximum amount awarded: $500
    Intended use: Pursuit of the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification (TRMC) or Recertification
    History: The Dr. Joyce Snay Scholarship was established in 2008 to honor former TMCCP/TMCA Education Director Dr. Joyce Snay.
     
  4. Susan Rocha Scholarship
    Maximum amount awarded: $500
    Intended use: Pursuit of the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification (TRMC) or Recertification, including travel to and from approved seminars
    History: The Susan Rocha Scholarship was established in 2011 to honor Susan Rocha’s memory and her commitment to education and enthusiasm for the municipal field. Ms. Rocha was a partner with Denton, Navarro, Rocha and Bernal, P.C., and a frequent speaker for the TMCCP Legislative Update Seminar. The scholarship was established by friend and colleague, Alan Bojorquez, Bojorquez Law Firm, PLLC, to be administered by TMCA, Inc.
     
  5. Vendor Scholarships
    Maximum amount awarded: $500
    Intended use: Pursuit of the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification (TRMC) or Recertification, including travel to and from approved seminars
    History: Various 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.”
     
  6. MCCi Records Management Scholarships
    Maximum amount awarded: $500 in each of three categories
    Intended use: Scholarship award funds are to be used for continued or advanced education in a TMCCP program or a TMCA, Inc., approved records management program, i.e. ARMA, Texas State Library, Council of Governments, including travel to and from eligible seminars.
    History: The MCCi Records Management Scholarship was developed in 2006 and the first scholarships awarded in January 2008 for the purpose of recognizing city secretaries/municipal clerks who have established outstanding systems for records management or who have improved existing systems.
     
  7. Peggy Burnside Scholarship
    Maximum amount awarded: $500
    Intended use: Pursuit of the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk Certification (TRMC) or Recertification
    History: The Peggy Burnside Scholarship was established in 2021 by City Hall Essentials to honor former TMCCP/TMCA Administrative Director Peggy Burnside.

 

C. Scholarship Committee

The Scholarship Committee, which is appointed annually by the president of TMCA, Inc., will consider all applications, deliberate on the factors of eligibility, and designate the scholarship awards for all of one calendar year. To determine scholarship recipients, the Committee shall use the appropriate scoring criteria sheets developed by the executive board and kept on file at the TMCA, Inc., office (scoring criteria forms will be provided to the Committee during the scoring process). The actual presentation of the awards will occur at the Annual TMCA Awards event, held in conjunction with the TMCCP Graduate Institute.

The Committee and Administrative Director receive and review all applications. The deliberations of the Committee and the Administrative Director are confidential. The selection(s) by the Committee is final.

The Committee notifies the TMCA, Inc., President of the named recipient(s) and the amount of the award(s). The President notifies the recipient(s) and confirms his/her attendance at the TMCA Annual Awards event.

The applications and committee papers will be forwarded to the corporate office by the Committee Chair.

D. Scholarship Administration

The Chair of the Scholarship Committee must receive all scholarship applications by June 15 of each year. Applications postmarked or emailed after June 15 of the specified year will be returned.

The TMCA, Inc., treasurer disburses scholarship funds to the recipient(s) on a cost-reimbursement basis not to exceed the amount(s) awarded. The recipient(s) shall be reimbursed for qualifying expenses incurred between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of the year following the award of scholarship.

Reimbursable expenses depend upon the scholarship awarded. Each scholarship and eligible expenses are listed below:

Dorothy F. Byrd Scholarship (for TMCCP certification/recertification or college)

Reimbursable expenses are exclusive to :

TMCCP expenses: cost of enrollment, textbooks, exam fees, and TMCCP seminar registration fees and travel expenses, or

College expenses: credit-hour tuition fees, (extension and correspondence courses listed in the institutional catalog that apply to the recipient(s) degree plan are acceptable), building use fees, student service fees, identification card fees, publications fees, union building fees, property damage fees, science laboratory fees, and academic department fees

Lila Fern Martin Scholarship (for college use only)
Reimbursable expenses are exclusive to: 1) credit-hour tuition fees (extension and correspondence courses listed in the institutional catalog that apply to the recipient(s) degree plan are acceptable); 2) building use fees; 3) student service fees; 4) identification card fees; 5) publications fees; 6) union building fees; 7) property damage fees; 8) science laboratory fees; and 9) academic department fees.

Dr. Joyce Snay Scholarship (for TMCCP certification/recertification)
Reimbursable expenses are exclusive to: enrollment fees, textbooks, exam fees, TMCCP seminar registration fees and travel expenses

Susan Rocha Scholarship (for TMCCP certification/recertification)
Reimbursable expenses are exclusive to: enrollment fees, textbooks, exam fees, TMCCP seminar registration fees and travel expenses

Vendor Scholarships (Including the MCCi Records Management Scholarship)
Reimbursable expenses are exclusive to: 1) cost of enrollment; 2) textbooks; 3) exam fees; 4) seminar registration fees; and 5) travel to and from approved seminars.

The recipient must submit original, official receipt(s) issued by TMCCP, the college, or the university to receive payment for reimbursable expenses.

E. Eligible Applicants

  1. General Requirements
    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. Applicants must have already earned the TRMC to be eligible to use the funds for a college degree.
     
  2. Bachelor Degree Requirements
    Applicants pursuing a bachelor's degree must have completed thirty semester credit hours of study in an accredited college or university. 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 treasurer until the degree plan is presented to the TMCA, Inc., treasurer.
     
  3. Graduate Degree Requirements
    Applicants pursuing a graduate degree must have completed nine semester credit hours of graduate study in an accredited college or university. 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.

F. 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 within the last three years.
  4. With the exception of the MCCi Records Management Scholarship, preference will be given to 1) city secretaries or municipal clerks; 2) assistant or deputy city secretaries or municipal clerks; and 3) other TMCA, Inc., members. Applicants must be city secretaries/municipal clerks to be eligible for the MCCi Records Management Scholarship.
  5. Members of the current scholarship committee are not eligible to apply for a TMCA Major Scholarship or MCCi Records Management Scholarship

G. 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).

The scholarship recipient pursuing a bachelor’s or graduate degree must complete the same college or university semester credit hours for which the scholarship funds were reimbursed.

Failure to fulfill the post award requirements will obligate the recipient to repay TMCA, Inc., the amount awarded. Failure to repay the awarded funds will result in appropriate legal action by the Association.

The recipients studying for a bachelor's degree must maintain at least a "C+" grade point average.

The recipient studying for an advanced degree must maintain at least a "B" grade point average.

Go to the Application Form

Deadline for application for a TMCA Major Scholarship Award is June 15.