AFE Accepting Applications for Graduate Scholarships

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is now accepting applications for the Altman Family Scholarship and the Paul Ecke, Jr. Scholarship.

The application deadline is Feb. 1.

These two merit-based scholarships are for graduate students who have the skills and passion to become leading floricultural scientists and educators.

Applicants must be in the process of successfully completing either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in horticulture or a related field (e.g., agricultural engineering, entomology, agricultural marketing and economics, plant pathology, etc.) and must have the intention of pursuing an MS or Ph.D. degree on a full-time basis.

One student will be selected for each scholarship. Applicants attending land-grant universities will automatically be considered for the Paul Ecke, Jr. Scholarship. All others will qualify for the Altman Family Scholarship.

The Altman Family Scholarship was created in 2015 by Ken and Deena Altman, owners of Altman Plants, who support numerous efforts to improve education and research for the industry.

They established the Center for Applied Horticultural Research as an effort to help the industry.

The Paul Ecke, Jr. Scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke, Jr., who made significant contributions to the floriculture industry and believed strongly in research and education.

Ecke was concerned about the future of floriculture and recognized that innovative researchers and educators are necessary for the continued success of the industry, according to AFE.

Students must apply online on or before the Feb. 1 deadline.

More information about the scholarships and how to apply is available at endowment.org.