Robert M. O’dell Endowed Scholarship in Public Administration

Please note that CSU Foundation Scholarships offered by the Chancellor’s Office are awarded based on applicants meeting the eligibility criteria and the quality of their submission for these scholarships.

The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office Committee will review all applications and select the top one to two qualified candidates by mid-April. These applicants will be nominated and forwarded to the Chancellors Scholarship Committee and applicants from the other CSU campuses to be reviewed in the summer for the upcoming academic year.

If selected as a nominee, additional documentation or information may be required. Nominees will receive a unique link from the Chancellor’s Office. Therefore, nominees should keep a copy of their original application in the event they are asked to resubmit their application or provide additional documents, as requested by the Chancellor’s Office.

The California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO) established the Robert M. Odell endowed scholarship fund in April 1987 to honor the former city treasurer of Los Angeles. Preference is given alternating between northern and southern geographic regions of California to the seventeen campuses offering degree programs in public administration.

Applicants must:

  • Be in a degree program in public administration
  • Be in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Be enrolled as a full-time, upper-division undergraduate or graduate student in public administration and must remain a full-time student in good standing during the academic year the award is received.
  • Not be a previous recipient of this award.

Personal Statement (300-word count for each):

  • What experience has impacted your personal growth?
  • Tell us about a time you failed. What did you learn from that experience?
  • Why are you pursuing your major? How does it relate to your career aspirations?
  • Provide an example of service beyond the classroom (i.e., have you taken on significant family obligations, helped others in a specific way, been involved in political action, worked/volunteered/interned at a particular organization, etc.).
  • Why is this example significant to you?

Scholarship recipients will be invited by the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers to attend their annual professional conference in Southern California in the spring.

Award
Varies
Scopes
Financial Aid & Scholarship Office
Deadline
03/02/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. CSU Chancellor's Office Scholarship Personal Statement:
    • 1. What experience has impacted your personal growth?
    • 2. Tell us about a time you failed. What did you learn from that experience?
    • 3. Why are you pursing your major? How does it relate to your career aspirations?
    • 4. Provide an example of service beyond the classroom (i.e., have you taken on significant family obligations, helped others in a specific way, been involved in political action, worked/volunteered/interned at a particular organization, etc.). Why is this example significant to you?