Blood and brains equally important in BVU scholarships

BRISTOL, Va. – When it comes to scoring points on Bristol Virginia Utilities’ college scholarship application, who you’re related to counts roughly as much as strong academic marks, extracurriculars or demonstrated financial need.

Since 2005, five applicants with family ties to city employees have been among the top scorers invited for a final interview; four emerged as scholarship winners.

The scholarship, open to graduating high school seniors whose families are customers of the city-owned utility, awards students $1,500 per semester towards tuition, renewable over four years for as much as $12,000.

The scholarship money comes from funds set aside in BVU’s operating budget, which in turn is funded by rate-paying customers.

A scholarship committee – composed of BVU officers, city and school officials and a citizen-at-large – evaluates applicants according to a rubric, which equally weights such factors as grade-point average and SAT performance with whether a student has a relative on the city’s payroll.

Equal heft is given to community service, employment history and whether a student will attend a local college.

The scoring system is geared toward assisting the kind of student "we think will stay in the community and make a difference here," and "not necessarily the 4.0" scholars, said Wes Rosenbalm, the utility’s chief executive.

"Having a relative here gives you a tie to the community, a reason to come back," Rosenbalm said.

Established in 2003, the scholarship was designed to "give a little bit of an edge" to children of city employees, he added. "We’re proud of that. I wish we had more teachers’ children that had been awarded the scholarship."

Eleven students – with a two-way tie last year – have won the scholarship, which is now funded at a total of $24,000 a year.

The utility declined to release the applications of the student winners, citing privacy concerns. Although BVU officials would not identify which applicants were related to city employees, BVU provided the scores of those winners without revealing the names.

According to BVU’s scoring sheet, an applicant with a parent or guardian who works for the city receives three points; an applicant with an aunt, uncle or grandparent gets two, and a student with more distant blood ties earns one point.

For each of the winners, the boost they received from a family relationship varied as a percentage of their total points, according to the utility’s records. It accounted for 7 percent of the total points of one 2007 applicant, the nephew by marriage of a BVU employee; and for 13 percent of the points earned by the child of a public school teacher in 2005.

Family ties made up 18 percent of a 2006 applicant’s point total, but were not enough to propel the student – the child of a BVU employee – to the interview round.

The scholarship is exclusively funded by BVU, and a spokeswoman said the utility has never had a sponsor and has not reached out to any. While BVU operates largely apart from the city, it is closely tied to the City Council, which must approve rate hikes, and which appoints members to its board of directors.

Bristol Mayor Jim Rector, a retired Washington County, Va., school official and a past BVU board chairman, sits on the utility’s board and the scholarship committee. Also on the committee is City Councilman Harold Leonard; Washington County and Bristol Virginia school officials Gary Catron and Mike Amstein, respectively; Dr. Jim Geiger; and three BVU officers, Rosenbalm, Marketing and Business Development Director Sandy Crusenberry and Chief Financial Officer Stacey Bright.

Students who receive the scholarship must reapply yearly, maintaining at least a 2.5 GPA and staying enrolled at the same college, to renew their funding.

The deadline for applying this year is March 3.

dgilbert@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2558