The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) will award 30 - $2,500 scholarships to qualified rural students in May 2010 – one per geographic region of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) and one to a student sponsored by an NTCA associate member.

The remaining 19 awards will be distributed proportionate to the number of applications received from each NTCA region. The FRS will fund $2,000 of each scholarship, with the sponsoring organization of each winning student providing a $500 match.

ENMR·Plateau is proud to join with the FRS to bring this opportunity to the rural students of eastern New Mexico and west Texas.

The deadline for applications for the FRS Scholarship Program is February 1, 2010. Applications must be postmarked and submitted by that date.

Applications are available at local high school guidance offices, any ENMR·Plateau retail store, on the Web at http://www.enmr.com or by contacting ENMR·Plateau, FRS Scholarship Program, P.O. Box 1947, Clovis, NM 88102-1947, phone 1.575.389.4241, toll free 1.800.432.2369 or e-mail jrj@plateautel.com.

Those wishing to apply for the scholarship must meet the following requirements:

•        Be a graduating high school senior.

•        Be in the immediate family or a dependent of an active ENMR·Plateau Telephone Cooperative member who is currently receiving landline telephone service from the Cooperative (Wireless phone service or Internet service alone does not qualify).

•       Be accepted by an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

•        Have at least a C grade point average (GPA). FRS scholarships will be awarded to deserving students whose academic credentials fall within an average to above-average range.

•       Express an interest to return to a rural community following graduation.
Recognizing the disparities between rural and urban access to higher education, the FRS offers its annual scholarship program to help further educational opportunities amongst rural youth.

An April 2003 study by Seton Hall University revealed that rural students are consistently disadvantaged in post-secondary desire and enrollment when compared to students in urban and suburban areas.

The FRS is a national nonprofit organization that helps educate the public on the telecommunications industry and improve the quality of life throughout rural America.

The FRS is an affiliate of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA). The NTCA, "the voice of rural telecommunications," is the premier non-profit association representing more than 580 small and rural telephone cooperatives and commercial companies. ENMR·Plateau is a proud, active member of the NTCA.