Call for Nominations: Educational Excellence Awards

The Commission annually gives three awards to licensees for educational endeavors: the Joe Schweidler Memorial Scholarship Award, the Blanton Little Memorial Scholarship Award, and the Phillip T. Fisher Scholarship Award. Schweidler and Little were former Secretary/Treasurers of the NC Real Estate Licensing Board; Fisher is a former Executive Director of the Commission. In the past, these scholarships have been given in the spring, based on performance in specific educational programs during the previous license year. 

Beginning this year, the Commission will accept nominations for these awards.  Criteria for each of the three awards are provided at the end of this article. 

To be considered for one of the awards, an individual must hold a current NC broker license on Active status and submit an application provided on the Commission’s website, including:

1. a written explanation of the individual’s qualifications for the award (500 words or less);
2. documentation to demonstrate the individual’s completion of activities and/or education that are required by award criteria; and
3. two letters of reference/recommendation.

Nominations for all awards will be accepted from May 1–June 30, 2020.  Self-nominations are welcome.  Go to the Commission’s homepage (www.ncrec.gov) to download the Educational Scholarship Nomination Form. 

Commission Staff will evaluate submissions against the written criteria and make recommendations for award recipients to Commission members.  Commission members will make final selections during their meeting on July 15, 2020, and award recipients will be announced at that time. Each award recipient will receive a check for $1000 and a commemorative plaque. 

If you have questions about the awards, send an email to scholarship@ncrec.gov.

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SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CRITERIA

Scholarship #1 – Joe Schweidler Memorial Scholarship Award:  Community-focused Educational Programs

The recipient of this award has invested in the community (in North Carolina) by developing, organizing, and presenting educational opportunities to those people in the community who are not real estate brokers, but who are or may become real estate consumers. This must be an ongoing commitment as evidenced by regularly scheduled educational events (quarterly, for example, over the past 2-3 years) focusing on topics such as:

• first-time homebuyers;
• leasing vs buying real property;
• financial preparation for home ownership;
• credit scoring and credit improvement;
• new home trends (ex: Green, Technology, Tiny, Granny-Pods, etc.); or
• community changes (ex: zoning, gentrification, etc.).

Scholarship #2 – Blanton Little Memorial Scholarship Award: Peer-focused Educational Programs

The recipient of this award has invested time and energy in elevating the knowledge and skills of other North Carolina brokers. This must be an on-going commitment in which this individual conducts regular training sessions for other brokers in North Carolina through any number of available sites or organizations.  Examples include:

• training sessions through a local association/board of REALTORS®;
• in-house/office training sessions; or
• mentoring of less experienced brokers.

Scholarship #3 – Phillip T. Fisher Scholarship Award: Personal Growth-focused Educational Programs

The recipient of this award has invested time and energy in personal growth through advanced real estate education as evidenced by degree(s) or certifications/designations in various areas of real estate. Over the previous 2 to 3 years, this individual will have attained various different certifications/designations, or an advanced degree in real estate brokerage or a closely related field. Certifications, designations, and/or degree(s) must have been obtained while licensed in North Carolina. Examples include:

• NAR designations, such as ABR, CCIM, CPM, CRB, CRS, CRE, GREEN, GRI, SRS, or SRES;
• certifications/designations in closely related fields, such as the Accredited Staging Professionals (ASP) certification; or
• certifications in specialized practice areas, such as property management or commercial brokerage.