The Park Law Enforcement Association’s Newell S. Rand Jr. Scholarship Program was created to honor the memory of a pioneer in our field. The program is designed to provide a scholarship to person’s pursuing an Associate, Bachelor or Master’s Degree in an accredited course of study relating to a career in some aspect of park operations.

Newell S. Rand Jr., Commander of the Prince George’s County Division of the Maryland National Capital Park Police was serving as PLEA Vice President at the time of his death on March 19th, 1997. During his tenure as Commander of the Park Police he was instrumental in bringing many new innovations to both his department and the field of park law enforcement. PLEA is proud to sponsor this scholarship opportunity in memory of Commander Rand.

Requirements include:

• Being a graduate of an accredited high school, college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale.
• Being enrolled as a full-time student at the institution to be attended.

An applicant must submit the application containing the information above and include with it the following: 

• Three letters of recommendation (one of which must be from a counselor/instructor, principal or college advisor).
• A one-page essay explaining why this scholarship is desired.
• A listing and summary of school and community service activities that exhibit the applicant’s leadership and character.

Qualified candidates must be pursuing a degree in one of the following areas of study: Conservation Law Enforcement; Criminal Justice/Police Science; Natural Resource Management; Park Management or Administration; Any related degree that indicates a clear career path to some aspect of park operations as a career goal.

Scholarships will be awarded once per year subject to availability of PLEA funds and no more than five scholarships will be awarded in any given year. The Park Law Enforcement Associations Executive Board will make the final decision on all scholarships to be given. The amount of any given scholarship will be up to but is not to exceed $1000.00. Once awarded, a recipient must maintain a 2.8 GPA each semester and remain a full-time student for the duration of the scholarship. Funds will be dispersed directly to the educational institution and not the individual.

Application Deadline dates are June 1st of the current year. All applications, including the supporting documentation must be submitted and postmarked by June 1st of each year to be considered by the Executive Board.

Scholarship Application (1).docx