ATLANTA, GA. (January 18, 2016) – The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) is pleased to announce its 2016-2017 scholarship program available for undergraduate and graduate students at two-year and four-year schools.

Five academic scholarships will be awarded on a one-time basis for the 2016-2017 academic year, including the new SMRP Legacy of Excellence scholarship worth $10,000, the biggest scholarship offering from SMRP to date.

"Part of serving our industry means ensuring the next generation of professionals has the resources to pursue degrees in these fields,” said Bob Kazar, SMRP Chair. “With the aging workforce and need for younger, qualified workers, it’s more important than ever to invest in our students and their education.”

The following scholarships will be made available for the upcoming academic year:

• SMRP Legacy of Excellence Scholarship – One $10,000 awarded to one student pursuing a maintenance or reliability-related degree at a four-year school
• SMRP Scholarship and SMRPCO Jack Dorothy Nicholas Scholarship – Two $2,000 scholarships available to two students pursuing maintenance or reliability-related degrees
• SMRP Higher Standards Scholarship – Two $2,000 scholarships available for students whose family members are SMRP members, regardless of degree

The SMRP Foundation and SMRP Certifying Organization (SMRPCO) will judge applications based on academic standing, work experience in the maintenance, reliability and physical asset management field, non-work experience and leadership activities, among other criteria.

The deadline for applications for the 2016-2017 academic year is May 30, 2016. Scholarships will be awarded in August 2016. For more information on the scholarships and how to apply, visit www.smrp.org/scholarships.

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About SMRP 
The Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) is a not-for-profit professional society formed by practitioners to advance the reliability, maintenance and physical asset management profession. SMRP provides value for professionals, individual practitioners and companies who are committed to sustaining best practices within their industries. SMRP boasts over 4,500 members worldwide and provides its community with benefits including: international affiliations, domestic public and private partnerships, educational opportunities, Body of Knowledge resources and ANSI-accredited certifications, plus local and global networking events. For more information on SMRP, please visit www.smrp.org.