The purpose of the Foundation's Apollos Scholarship Program is to assist the church in developing quality clergy to provide important leadership that it might more effectively carry out its sacred mission.
Our goal is helping the church achieve its mission. The means to that end is to help those chosen by God and under the care of presbyteries to become the very best they can be as they respond to God's call to leadership.
The applicant must be:
1. A member of a Presbyterian Church (USA).
2. Under the care of a Presbytery as a Candidate or Inquirer.
3. Possess qualities of excellence for ministry.
4. A full-time student accepted or enrolled in one of the following 10 Presbyterian theological institutions: Austin Seminary, Columbia Seminary, Dubuque Seminary, Johnson C. Smith Seminary, Louisville Seminary, McCormick Seminary, Pittsburgh Seminary, Princeton Seminary, San Francisco Seminary or Union Seminary/PSCE in Virginia.
The applicant must:
1. Complete an Apollos application form online or one supplied by the Foundation. It must be either computer generated or typed and completed in full. Original transcripts from each college or seminary must be submitted. The Privacy Waiver form must include an original signature. PLEASE NOTE: Handwritten applications will not be considered.
2. Provide the Foundation with the official transcript(s) of all college and/or seminary academic records to date.
3. Provide names and current contact information for all six references.
Please note: references cannot be relatives. Applicants must confirm that reference appraisal forms are submitted by May 1st.
The Foundation will send appraisal forms to the references utilizing the contact information provided. Please include an email address for each reference.
1. Annual amount: $5,000.00. The maximum amount will be $15,000.00 over the award recipient's three-year enrollment in seminary.
2. These scholarship awards honor the top four applicants in the competitive process of selection among the applications. The awards are given in honor of these highly revered Foundation leaders:
Eugene C. Dinsmore
Robert K. Adams
Silas G. Kessler
Howard B. Dooley
3. Each scholarship installment is contingent upon continued, satisfactory educational progress toward graduation at one of the 10 qualifying Presbyterian theological institutions.
1. All interested applicants may download the application from this website or request an application from the Foundation.
2. When received, each application will be carefully reviewed by the Apollos Scholarship Committee. All information will be checked for accuracy and compared with the Foundation's eligibility requirements.
3. All references will be contacted and their appraisals reviewed by the entire Apollos Committee.
It is very important that each reference responds.
4. Applicants will receive a personal, written notification shortly after August 1 as to whether or not they will receive an award for the upcoming academic term.
The four Board of Trustees for whom the scholarships are named were chosen for their outstanding leadership in preserving the assets of the Foundation and promoting its mission as the successor to the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Omaha.
ROBERT K. ADAMS
For over 26 years, Robert K. Adams brought to the dormant Seminary his knowledge and skill as an attorney. His organizational skills and legal knowledge provided the framework upon which the Foundation could develop its program and carry forward its mission. To express appreciation to Mr. Adams for his wisdom and devotion, a scholarship has been funded in his name.
EUGENE C. DINSMORE
For over 40 years Eugene C. Dinsmore gave his talent as an investment banker and, largely due to his efforts, the seminary assets grew from $340,000 until the corpus of the Trust reached over $9,000,000. The Foundation chooses to honor him by funding annually a scholarship to a student, in his name.
THE REVEREND DR. SILAS G. KESSLER
The mission of the Foundation is to encourage those whom God has called to give their lives and leadership talents to the Church. To achieve this, the Foundation needed a model of what a pastor ought to be. They found that model in the person of The Rev. Dr. Silas G. Kessler, a former Moderator of General Assemby and above all, a talented and much loved Christian pastor. The Foundation honored him by naming a scholarship on his behalf.
THE REVEREND DR. HOWARD B. DOOLEY
A person whose name is almost synonymous with the Foundation is Dr. Howard B. Dooley. He graduated in one of the last classes of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Omaha, became a Board member in 1969, vice president in 1977 and president in 1988. As both a lawyer and a minister, he was well prepared to lead the organization though the transition period from a seminary to a charitable foundation. Upon his retirement in 1994, the Board named a scholarship honoring and recognizing his outstanding service.
