By Andy Drennan, FPSA Senior Vice President.

46% – It’s a number that leaves me shaking my head.

In baseball, that would be a Hall of Fame batting average, but this isn’t baseball. It’s money. And it’s kids, and if my two sons in college were eligible for the Career Development Scholarship Program (they’re not) I have a sinking suspicion that this number would frustrate me even more, especially as I write the check for next semester’s tuition.

Here’s my point. Each spring, FPSA offers FIFTEEN $5,000 CDS Scholarships to worthy students who are family members of any FPSA member company.

Sound good? Absolutely! So then why did only 46% of last year’s applicants complete the online process which honestly only takes about 30 minutes? I just don’t get …. (excuse me, I had to take a break to send my youngest a few hundred bucks because the meal plan at Radford isn’t cutting it).

Maybe you don’t have this problem with your kids. Maybe it’s just me. If your kids are in college, I’m sure they are out there diligently doing whatever they can to help find money to pay for it, right? Absolutely!

But just in case they are not, have them take a look. Since launching this scholarship program many years ago, we have refined the application process many times to simplify it for the users. In addition, the FPSA Foundation has graciously expanded this program to award more students and to increase the scholarship amounts to the current level.

(Sorry, another break. Had to pay the other one’s Amex bill. No much to do in Radford but go to Wal-Mart and eat bad pizza.)

If you have children in college you know better than anyone, every little bit counts. The deadline for this year’s application is April 12.

And please, when you ask them about the application, make sure you ask them, “Did you complete it?”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAM CLICK HERE.