PAST Scholarship Recipients

WHAT IS IT: a unique scholarship opportunity for dependents of civil service employees at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.  Additionally, one scholarship per year may be awarded to a civil service employee. The objectives of the program were designed to assist Civil Service employees and their dependents to achieve educational goals by providing selected recipients with financial assistance in their pursuit of an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university.

HISTORY
Two civil service employees, Marjorie Beasley and Judy Barker developed the idea and established the original program in 1984 for Civil Service employees and their dependents. The program has since been renamed the Civil Service Employees and Dependents Scholarship Program Fund in Honor of Marjorie Beasley.   

HOW IS IT FUNDED?
This award is made possible from donations. Donors include University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign employees, dependents, affiliate groups, retirees, former scholarship recipients, and anyone interested in contributing to this unique scholarship program.

AWARD AMOUNTS
The goal is to award eight scholarships per year, dependent upon fundraising success and the number of applicants. Prior committees have decided that each dependent scholarship will have a value of 1.5 times the value of any employee scholarships. The ratio of funds distributed between employee and dependent scholarships is set by the committee. The number of scholarships will be as evenly distributed as possible, given available funds and applications.

HOW CAN I DONATE?
Visit UIF.UILLINOIS.EDU/GIVE
Use the “Search” feature and search for “Marjorie Beasley” or “11775771” to select the “Civil Service Employees and Dependents Scholarship Program Fund in Honor of Marjorie Beasley.”

Remember to specify the fund of "Civil Service Employees and Dependents Scholarship Program Fund in Honor of Marjorie Beasley" regardless of giving method.

Options include:

Online:   https://uif.uillinois.edu/give-online

Payroll Deduction:  https://uif.uillinois.edu/payroll-deductions

Electronic Funds Transfer: https://uif.uillinois.edu/electronic-funds-transfer

By Mail: https://uif.uillinois.edu/give-by-mail The fund name to enter when prompted is "Civil Service Employees and Dependents Scholarship Program Fund in Honor of Marjorie Beasley."

ELIGIBILITY

Dependents
1. Applicant must meet the IRS dependent definition of an individual who is:
- a dependent of an employee who is currently employed full-time as a University of Illinois Urbana Champaign civil service employee or a University of Illinois System Office employee located at Urbana Champaign. Employee must have a minimum of three years of continuous full-time employment at the time of application.
2. Be an incoming full-time freshman at an institution of higher education and show good academic standing or a continuing full-time student who shows good academic standing while working toward an undergraduate degree.
3. Recipients shall be selected based on financial need.
4. Preference given to students who are attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Parkland College.
5. No more than one dependent from each household may receive an award in an award year.
6. Previous recipients may not apply.

Employee
1. Currently employed full-time as a University of Illinois Urbana Champaign civil service employee or a University of Illinois System Office employee located at Urbana Champaign.  Employee must have a minimum of three years of continuous full-time employment at the time of application.
2. Employee must be enrolled as a student in an institution of higher education.
3. Continuing students must show good academic standing.
4. Preference given to employees who are attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Parkland College.
5. No more than one employee from each household may receive an award in an award year.
6. Previous recipients may not apply.

HOW TO APPLY
Step 1: Click on the application or pick up a paper copy (link and address below) to review all documents and information needed to fill out the application.
Step 2: Obtain a copy of your transcript (unofficial or official are acceptable) and send it in prior to the deadline of April 4, 2023.
Step 3: Complete the application and send or drop it off to the appropriate location.

Your completed application with current transcript must be received by the posted date. All information will be confidential. For a printed paper application, you can go to Illinois Human Resources at the Personnel Services Building, 52 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. Applications will be available March 13, 2023.

Click here for the DEPENDENT online application.
Click here for the EMPLOYEE online application.
Click here for the PDF version of the application.

AWARD PRESENTATION
Recipients will be asked to attend a presentation to receive a certificate and check.* Recipients will be notified of the date and time of the presentation (typically in May). A recipient unable to attend the presentation must contact the committee. If a recipient makes no direct contact with the committee prior to the presentation, the scholarship is forfeited.

*Scholarship funds awarded to recipients who attend the University of Illinois are credited directly to the recipient’s student account.

RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITY
In the event that a recipient is unable to enter or return to school in the fall semester immediately following the receipt of this scholarship, all cash must be returned to the scholarship fund. The donors that make this program possible heavily rely on the ethical and fiscal responsibility of the recipient to ensure the monetary award is used in achieving the goals and objectives as declared on the application. The signatures on the application serve as a contract that the scholarship will be used as pledged.