Scholarships

2025 MNASQ Gayle W. McElrath Scholarship

The Gayle W. McElrath scholarship honors the memory of MNASQ member Gayle McElrath who was a living testimony to the principles and practices of the quality profession. His achievements and contributions demonstrate his dedication, these include Certified Quality Engineer, Professional Engineer, Professor and founder of the Industrial Engineering Department, University of Minnesota (1953) and founding member of Minnesota Section, ASQ (circa 1947) subsequently holding the position of Section Chair (1951-1952), receiving Fellow membership (1953) and being awarded the E.L. Grant Medal (1963). His professional life actively included applied learning to reinforce continued practices. Numerous seminars and technical papers reflect the confidence others had in Gayle’s capability and dedication. He demonstrated excellence and commitment throughout his forty-year career.

In celebration of Professor McElrath life’s work, the Minnesota Section of ASQ #1203 (MNASQ) offers yearly scholarships to students attending post-secondary education that are members or family members of members in good standing of the Section and affiliated MFESTS organizations. Four awards will be presented annually; two $1000 and two $500 scholarships with one of each scholarship level being renewable for up to three years if the applicant continues to meet the entry requirements.

Scholarship selection criteria include:

• Must be enrolled in a program leading to an Associate, Bachelor’s or graduate degree in Engineering, Technology, Physical or Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Statistics, Business-Administration, Health Sciences, or Education at a recognized (ABET or equiv. accredited) college or university.
• Must have a GPA of 3.0 or greater on a scale of 1-4.
• Must be a full-time student during the time the award is active.
• Essay must be submitted articulating why the applicant should be considered for the scholarship and how quality relates to their chosen profession or major. The essay should be a maximum of 1000 words.
• Applicants under 18 years old at time of application submission must submit a Minor Consent Form.
• A recipient cannot be awarded a non-renewable award more than once but may apply for other scholarships that are available. The maximum number of years of eligibility shall not exceed 4 years.
• Decisions of the MNASQ Scholarship Committee are final.

Application packages must be submitted electronically. The application package consists of the following documents:

1. Completed scholarship application form,
2. Essay articulating why the applicant should be considered for the scholarship and how quality relates to their chosen profession or major (maximum of 1000 words.),
3. Letter of recommendation from 1 faculty member,
4. Current photo,
5. Copy of the applicant’s current transcript,
6. Verification that the student will be enrolled during the 2025-2026 school year.

Please submit questions to .

Complete applications must be received no later than July 1st.  Selected recipients will be contacted by September.

THE 2025 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 1ST.

Application form: 2025-2026 Gyle McElrath Scholarship Application.pdf(~772 KB)

Consent form for Minor Applicants: 2025-2026 mnasq-scholarship-minor-consent-form.pdf(~136 KB)

Electronic submissions: Email applications to: . Submissions will be confirmed.

2023 Scholarships

• • Award Amounts: Various scholarships from $750 to $10,000 dollars
  • Deadline: There are 16 scholarships available. All applications deadlines are on January 6th, 2023
  • Scholarship Selection Criteria:
    • Current Member of NSBE
    • Have a verified GPA in your membership profile
    • Complete and update the following fields in your membership profile: education level, major, citizenship status, chapter and region.
    • Additional information for each scholarship
  • For more detail information and application requirements, visit: https://www.nsbe.org/collegiate/education/scholarships

2023 SHPE-TC Academic Scholarships