Cypress, CA (8/24/2011)
- Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is now accepting
applications for the 2011-2012 scholarship program
that provides financial assistance to members
of the National Agricultural Communicators of
Tomorrow (ACT). ACT is a national college student
association with more than 350 members located
on 17 college and university campuses across the
country. ACT’s mission of fostering professional
development is at the core of the Yamaha-ACT Scholarship
Program, now in its fourth year.
The Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program is broken out
into two individual student scholarships and one
chapter scholarship. All three awards are aimed
at helping students attend the annual Agricultural
Media Summit (AMS), which is the largest gathering
of ag media professionals in the country and is
the ACT students’ primary career development
networking opportunity each year. The conference
is hosted by the American Agricultural Editors’
Association (AAEA), the Livestock Publications
Council (LPC) and the American Business Media
Agri-Council – potentially future employers
and colleagues of the students.
“Yamaha is proud to help these ag students,
but the program is structured so that the ag community
might benefit most in the long term,” said
Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV/SxS marketing
manager. “Within our application process,
we are incorporating some basic points on safe,
responsible equipment use, and we expect the students
will take these important messages into their
future careers as professional communicators.”
For the 2010-11 program, the University of Florida
received Yamaha’s chapter award for the
third year in a row, while Janell Baum of University
of Illinois and R. Bruce Sargent of University
of Guelph earned the individual scholarships.
The University of Florida’s award helped
cover costs in bringing four students to the 2011
AMS in New Orleans this year, while the individual
scholarships covered all travel and accommodations
costs, plus more, for both Baum and Sargent. The
2012 AMS will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., August
4-6.
“This program has helped my agricultural
communication students in two ways: It provides
funding for them to attend AMS, and equally important,
my students have benefitted from how I have incorporated
the Yamaha/ACT program into my spring curriculum,”
said Ricky Telg, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural
Education and Communication and ACT chapter advisor
at the University of Florida. “Without this
scholarship award, my students would not have
been able to attend the Agricultural Media Summit
which allows them to network with professional
communicators, learn new communications skills
and interact with their fellow ACT students from
around the country.”
“As the Ag Media Summit continues to grow,
so do the opportunities for the ACT students who
are in attendance,” Nessl said. “These
scholarships help students, many of whom might
not have otherwise been able to attend, make it
to the event allowing them to participate in the
professional development sessions and networking
while learning more about the industry as a whole.”
Applications are judged based on merit, need and
quality of submission materials by a review committee
consisting of Yamaha representatives and members
of the AAEA and the LPC. The 2011-2012 application
process will run through the end of March and
winners will be announced in late April 2012.
More information and guidelines, along with the
application form, can be found online at
www.nactnow.org.
About Yamaha Motor
Corp., U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS), is
a leader in the motorsports market. The company’s
ever-expanding product offerings includes ATVs
and Side-by-Side vehicle, motorcycles, outboard
motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats,
outdoor power equipment, race kart engines,
accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products
are sold through a nationwide network of dealers
in the United States.
Headquartered in Cypress,
Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha
also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia,
as well as factory operations in Tennessee and
Georgia. For more information on Yamaha, visit
www.yamaha-motor.com.