ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Roofing Alliance, the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), announces the opening of the Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program for the 2022-23 academic year. 

Accredited Post-Secondary Institution Scholarship

The Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program is open to employees, their spouses and their dependent children of roofing industry companies who plan to pursue careers in the roofing or construction industries. The program is named for Melvin Kruger, a former NRCA president, a former Roofing Alliance president and CEO of L.E. Schwartz & Son Inc., Macon, Ga. who is recognized not only as a great industry leader, but also as a person who has devoted much of his life to the cause of education.

The $5,000 scholarship award for this category is renewable for up to three years of undergraduate study if recipients meet eligibility requirements. Applicants must be:

• Full-time employees of a roofing industry company or their spouses or dependent children. Employees must have a minimum of one year of full-time employment with their companies as of the application deadline.
• High school seniors or graduates who plan to enroll or students who are already enrolled in a full-time undergraduate course of study. 

Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic record; potential to succeed; leadership and participation in school and community activities; honors; work experience; a statement of career goals and aspirations; and an outside appraisal.

Accredited Career Technical Education Scholarship 

The Accredited Career Technical Education Scholarship is designed to help those who are seeking a professional career inside the roofing industry and are attending a vocational or technical trade school. Those careers include but are not limited to roof system and sheet metal installers/fabricators, crane and equipment operators, foremen and superintendents, warehouse and inventory specialists, and other roofing trade specialties.

This Accredited Career Technical Education scholarship is not designed for those careers that require a four-year undergraduate degree. There will be a maximum of five recipients who will be eligible to receive a $1,000 award that is not renewable, but winners are eligible to apply again the following year. 

Diversity Scholarship Program

New this year is the Diversity Scholarship program, which is open to African Americans, Hispanic and Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and multi-racial students. All female students are also eligible regardless of race or ethnicity. Any other students who come from backgrounds that would add to the cause of diversity, regardless of race or gender, are eligible to apply, including applicants with physical, mental or other disabilities. 

Employees, their spouses and their dependent children who are pursuing a construction science education at either an accredited post-secondary institution or an accredited vocational or technical trade school are eligible to apply. Each recipient (up to a maximum of three) is eligible to receive a $1,000 award. Awards are not renewable. However, students may reapply each year they meet the annual renewal requirements

“We have been able to support 139 students with $960,000 in scholarship awards,” said Dave Lawlor, national sales manager of Rockwool and current president of the Roofing Alliance. “These funds not only help the students but represent a contribution toward ensuring the future of the roofing industry. Contributions to the program are always welcome.”

To learn more about the Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program or to download the application, please visit www.roofingalliance.net or contact Alison L. LaValley, CAE at alavalley@nrca.net. Applications must be postmarked by 3 p.m. (CST) no later than Jan. 31, 2022.