What is the McEwen Scholarship? The McEwen Scholarship was founded by Co-op Atlantic to honour the memory of W.H. McEwen, the organization's first General Manager. McEwen considered education of the utmost importance, including topics which addressed how co-operatives fulfill their social and economic responsibilities to the community. The McEwen Scholarship is an entrance scholarship awarded to two undergraduate university students each year. The scholarship is allocated in the amount of $1,000 per year for up to four years, for a maximum value of $4,000. The objectives of the scholarship are as follows: To improve understanding and knowledge about co-operative issues and co-operative organizations; and To fulfill one aspect of Co-op Atlantic's socioeconomic responsibilities to the community by assisting deserving students in reaching their educational goals. Each year, a McEwen Scholarship will be awarded in each of the following categories: Co-op Members The applicant must be: a dependent of a current co-op member, that co-op being a member of Co-op Atlantic; or a current member of a co-op, that co-op being a member of Co-op Atlantic. Employees The applicant must be: a dependent of a full-time employee of Co-op Atlantic or member co-operative; or a full-time employee of Co-op Atlantic or a member co-operative.  Applicants must be accepted at an accredited university. Through an application form and a formal written essay, applicants will be judged on the following criteria: demonstrated knowledge of co-operative issues and/or co-operative organizations good academic performance demonstrated community/school involvement The yearly allocation of the $4,000 maximum will be paid at the beginning of each of the four school years in an amount of $1,000. Proof of successful completion of each previous year is needed before the next year's amount is provided. As well, the student will be expected to meet one of the following conditions: Complete one course on co-operatives before the end of the second year of studies and submit proof of successful completion to the Office of the Corporate Secretary of Co-op Atlantic.  The course selected has to be approved by the Scholarship Committee, prior to course commencement, to ensure it meets the requirements of the scholarship; or Failing the availability of such a course, the student will be expected to complete a written research essay of at least 2,500 to 3,000 words with an accompanying bibliography.  The standards of the university's research papers shall be used and a copy of the standards followed are to be submitted with the essay.  The essay is to be submitted to the Office of the Corporate Secretary of Co-op Atlantic before the end of the student's third year of studies to be judged prior to receiving the fourth year instalment.  A list of topics will be available from the Office of the Corporate Secretary.  The essay cannot be written on a topic outside of that list.  The essay will then be published on the Co-op Atlantic Website at http://www.coopatlantic.ca. Each applicant must complete and submit an official application form by May 31. The completed form must be accompanied by a 500-word essay. The content of the essay will be one of the following two formats: A two-part submission: the first part to provide an overview of the applicant's life experiences and future goals, including an indication of how he/she plans to achieve these goals; the second part to indicate the applicant's understanding of how co-operatives work and outlining one major issue confronting co-ops today, or an understanding of how co-operatives work and the benefits they provide to their communities. An overview of the applicant's life experiences and future goals, including an indication of how he/she plans to achieve these goals, and an evaluation of how the applicant's experiences and goals have been influenced by the co-operative movement or a co-operative organization. Application forms for the McEwen Scholarship may be obtained from all member co-operatives of Co-op Atlantic or by contacting: Office of the Corporate Secretary Co-op Atlantic P.O. Box 750 Moncton, NB, E1C 8N5 Fax: 506-858-6473 Telephone: 506-858-6055 Christine.Savoie@coopatlantic.ca W.H. McEwen was born in Ontario, raised in Alberta, and educated at the University of Manitoba. In 1929, as an employee of the Canadian Co-operative Wheat Producers, he was sent to promote sales of Western grain to the Canadian Livestock Co-operative (Maritimes), located in Moncton, NB. In 1931, he was named Manager of the Canadian Livestock Co-operative, the organization which later became Co-op Atlantic, and served in this position until 1961, when he became Corporate Secretary. In 1971, W.H. McEwen retired. He died at the age of 90 in 1982 and will long be remembered as a pioneer of the Maritime co-operative movement. His will committed a large part of his estate to a trust - the W.H. McEwen Fund - for the purpose of promoting education about co-operatives.