The Houston Apartment Foundation has awarded $5,000 to fund six scholarships to support individuals seeking property management industry education.

"The apartment industry has for many years been challenged by a shortage of new talent," said HAA President Jerry Winograd, Judwin Properties. "This program allows for the cultivation of new leaders for our industry. It is a very worthwhile investment for HAA members."

The scholarships support individuals pursuing the new Houston Community College residential property management certificate program. This new HCC program was developed in conjunction with the Houston Apartment Association. Criteria for receiving the scholarship includes:

• Individuals must successfully complete, in full, a scholarship application that demonstrates a committed and researched interest in a career in property management.
• Candidates must commit to attending the HCC program, which begins June/July 2006.
• Each applicant must submit two letters of recommendation; special consideration will be given to candidates who submit at least one of these letters from an HAA member company representative.
• Applicants are required to respond to an essay question in a minimum of 500 words.
• This scholarship was created with the goal of cultivating new talent and skills through higher education to the benefit of the apartment industry; candidates currently employed in the industry or those possessing more than six months of industry experience are not eligible.

The apartment association received 12 applications for the scholarships. Recipients of the first scholarships are Chanreka Green, Sherry Stephens, Iris Robinson, Shiwana Frank, Sandra Cloud and Kia Gardner.

About the Program

In addition to property management training, the program offers courses in landlord/tenant law and leadership. The robust leadership component includes business writing; conflict management and resolution; customer service; ethics, integrity and legal issues in the workplace; time management; and property management software training, featuring products by RealPage®.

The program incorporates a 64-hour property management internship giving students the ability to put in practice the skills, concepts and theories they learn through the coursework. The program requires 144 hours of study, is priced at $855 and leads to a certificate from HCC.