Guidelines for Administering the Paul Hepler Scholarship Fund of the Dover Baptist Association

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The student Ministries Council of the Dover Baptist Association will be governed by the following guidelines:

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1.  A person to be considered for Scholarship Aid must be a member of a Dover Association Baptist Church for at least one year prior to his/her application for aid, and the application must be approved by the church.  (Time requirement exception may be considered by the Student Ministries Council.)

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2.  The applicant must be planning to pursue a baccalaureate or graduate degree in an accredited college, university, or seminary. Seminary students must attend a seminary accredited by the American Association of Theological Schhools.  College students must attend a college accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school which the applicant attends may be denominational or non-denominational in Virginia or a Baptist institution out of state. (Exceptions may be considered when the applicant is pursuing a diploma program such as one at an accredited seminary.)

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3.  Application forms, approved by the Dover Executive Committee, will be available from the Dover Assocation Office.  Completed applications must be submitted there by March 15.

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The application form must contain sections describing applicant's general family and personal background, Christian experience, church activities, vocational goals, financial position and academic standing.  In addition, the last page shall be a church verification and recommendation to be returned with the completed application in a separate, sealed envelope.

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The applications will be evaluated to determine financial need.  Once financial need is established, the other areas of the application will be used to decide which applicants should receive awards.  All else being equal, the following priorities for awarding scholarship(s) each year would be followed by the Council in decreasing order:

      a. First year undergraduate(s)

      b. Other undergraduate(s)

      c. Graduate or seminary student(s)

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4.  The Student Ministries Council reserves the right to interview any applicant.

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5.  Distribution of funds:

      a. The scholarship or combined scholarships shall not exceed 80% of the annual proceeds from the corpus of the Hepler Scholarship fund.

      b. Each scholarship check will be made out to the school and delivered to the recipient.

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6.   If a student who is the recipient of aid withdraws from school,  the Student Ministries Council must be notified at once.

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7.  Each scholarship must be approved by the Dover Executive Committee. Once approved, they shall be publicized n the next issue of the Dover newsletter.

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8.  These guidelines must be reviewed no less often than every five years.  Any proposed changes shall be submitted to the Dover Executive Committee for approval.

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9.  A permanent list containing a minimum of each year's applicants, their churches, year of study, school attended and amount of any scholarship awarded shall be maintained at the Dover Office.  The applications of those who receive awards shall be kept on file at the Dover Office for at least one year.

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10.  The Student Ministries Council shall promote the Hepler Scholarship Fund and encourage donations by the Dover Association, churches, and individuals.