IDOT offers $7,000-a-year scholarships for civil engineers

[October 17, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- With a record number of civil engineers expected to retire within the next few years, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich is announcing the Illinois Department of Transportation's first Civil Engineer Scholarship program. Scholarships provided as part of this new program will give selected students up to $7,000 per academic year as an incentive to continue their civil engineering education.

"We must begin to increase the interest in the rewarding field of engineering," Blagojevich said. "This scholarship gives us the opportunity to grow a diverse and quality work force for the future, and I encourage civil engineering students to look into this program."

This new scholarship program is for Illinois residents who are admitted to or enrolled full-time at select Illinois colleges and universities in a curriculum leading toward a degree in civil engineering. Scholarship recipients may be given the opportunity to work for the Illinois Department of Transportation during summer breaks and could be offered full-time employment upon graduation.

The program uses federal transportation funds to enhance the diversity and quality of the Department of Transportation's civil engineering work force. The department may award up to 20 scholarships, each providing tuition assistance in an Illinois pre-engineering or engineering program on an annual basis.

Each scholarship recipient may receive up to $7,000 per academic year. The scholarship program may provide support for up to five years per student. Up to two years of graduate school may be included in those five years.

"Fewer and fewer college students in Illinois are choosing civil engineering as a career," said Milton R. Sees, secretary of the Department of Transportation. "It is up to us to encourage our youth and show them that no matter what their financial situation, higher education is an option, and a career in engineering is attainable."

The application deadline is Nov. 26 for the spring 2009 semester. For additional information and to obtain an application, visit www.dot.il.gov/scholarships.

To obtain information for other financial assistance opportunities for college students, visit the Illinois Student Assistance Commission site at www.collegezone.com.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]