Financial Support for Professional Development

EDUCAUSE has a long history of offering financial assistance to help members participate in professional development activities. Since 2013, the EDUCAUSE Scholarships Program has awarded more than $120,000 in assistance. Scholarships are an extension of our commitment to those who lead, manage, and use information technology to shape strategic decisions at every level within higher education. Scholarships are funded through membership dues and generous donations from individual community members and corporate sponsors.

EDUCAUSE Scholarships for Professionals

EDUCAUSE currently offers three scholarship programs for higher education professionals from members institutions:

• The Diane Balestri Memorial Scholarship helps female professionals build knowledge and expand their professional networks at EDUCAUSE events.
• The Jane N. Ryland Scholarship helps individuals from underserved backgrounds and financially challenged institutions become tomorrow’s higher education IT leaders.
• The EDUCAUSE Scholarship helps members who demonstrate financial need as a result of limited professional development funding/resources attend an EDUCAUSE event or training to advance their professional knowledge.

During the application process, applicants will identify the event they are interested in attending. If you are selected, the award will correspond to the registration fee for the selected event. Please note: Scholarship awards only cover event registration fees; additional support from your institution will be required for travel, meals, lodging, etc.

EDUCAUSE Scholarship for Students

Moran Technology Consulting, Inc., a long-time EDUCAUSE Gold Partner, approached EDUCAUSE with the idea of diversifying the professional pipeline by including students in our Annual Conference. We thought it was a great idea and teamed up with Moran Technology Consulting to explore details. The result is a pilot program to support the students of color (SOC) community and poverty-affected students (and other individuals with a demonstrable commitment to the SOC or poverty-affected communities) who are considering a higher education IT career so they can participate in the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. The Annual Conference convenes IT professionals and industry partners from around the world to showcase the best thinking in higher education IT. The conference is a place to learn, connect, and discover—it embodies the innovative ethos of the IT profession; it demonstrates the influential nature of IT professionals; and it is the place to excite the next generation of professionals to join the IT workforce.

• The Professional Pipeline Student Scholarship assists and supports member institutions’ students of color (SOC) and poverty-affected student workers or student volunteers who are considering a higher education IT career.

Students are first nominated by a professional at a member institution and then are invited to submit their own application package. This two-part process helps ensure the financial commitment and institutional support necessary to send the student to the conference. As part of the scholarship package, EDUCAUSE will provide awardees with a complimentary event registration, 15 hours of event mentoring, a VIP orientation/overview of the event, and a meal with EDUCAUSE leadership. The nominator will provide testimonial to the distinguishing factors of the nominee, as well as financial support for the nominee to attend the conference (beyond the registration fees) if awarded a scholarship.

We are grateful to Moran Technology Consulting, Inc. for inspiring this student scholarship program that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in the higher education IT profession and being the inaugural donor to the program.  

View the EDUCAUSE Scholarship Committee→