PA New Economy Technology Scholarships Address Critical Need

A state-sponsored initiative for students in technology-related majors the Pennsylvania New Economy Technology Scholarship Program is helping to fund educational expenses for nearly 50 students at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Forty-seven Penn College students in approved majors are expected to receive grants totaling $75,000 by the end of the 2000-01 academic year, according to Benjamin H. Comfort III, director of financial aid. The program which includes the SciTech Scholarships and the Technology Scholarships (formerly known as the GI Bill for the New Economy) addresses the need for a technologically skilled work force while helping to stem the migration of Pennsylvania college graduates to other states.

Recipients of either grant must agree to work in Pennsylvania one year for each year they receive a grant award. The program is administered jointly by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the state Department of Education.

SciTech Scholarships provide up to $3,000 per year to full-time bachelor-degree students for a maximum of three years (with certain exceptions for five-year degree programs). To be eligible, a student must be a state resident and be at least a sophomore enrolled in an approved science or technology field at an approved Pennsylvania college or university.

The students must also maintain a 3.0 grade-point average, complete an approved internship or relevant work experience in a technology-intensive field with a registered Pa. company before graduation, begin employment in Pennsylvania within one year of the completion of studies and apply for a federal PELL Grant and a Pennsylvania State Grant. The scholarship reverts to a loan for students who fail to satisfy the program?s requirements and obligations.

Technology Scholarships provide up to $1,000 per year for educational expenses to state residents enrolled in approved programs at an approved community college, independent two-year college or licensed technical institute in Pennsylvania. Part-time students enrolled for at least three semester credits per semester or the equivalent are eligible for a grant based on tuition and mandatory fees (less any federal Pell and State Grant aid) up to $1,000, or 20 percent of tuition and mandatory fees, whichever is less.

Technology Scholarship recipients also must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average and begin employment in Pennsylvania within a year of the completion of their studies. This grant also reverts to a loan if a student fails to satisfy his or her academic or work obligations.

At Penn College, the bachelor-degree majors approved for the Sci-Tech Scholarship are: Civil Engineering Technology, Computer-Aided Product Design, Computer Information Technology, Culinary Arts Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Plastics and Polymer Engineering Technology.

Penn College associate-degree majors and certificates approved for the Technology Scholarship are: Architectural Technology, Automated Manufacturing Technology, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Avionics Technology, Biology, Baking and Pastry Arts, Broadcast Communications, Civil Engineering Technology, Computer-Aided Drafting Technology, Computer Information Systems, Culinary Arts Technology, Electrical Technology, Electronics Technology (all emphases), Environmental Technology, Food and Hospitality Management, Plastics and Polymer Technology, Surveying Technology, Toolmaking Technology and Machinist General.

For information on the Pennsylvania New Economy Technology Scholarship Program, call toll-free 1-800-692-7435, or visit on the Web.

To contact the Financial Aid Office at Penn College, call (570) 327-4766 or 1-800-367-9222 (toll-free), or visit Penn College's Web site.