More than 20 years ago, when Dr. Gerald Blake was a professor of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State, the Community Environmental Services unit was in its infancy.
Now, years after Blake began one of the very successful service units in the Center for Urban Studies in the College of Urban Studies and Public Affairs, he has become the namesake of a scholarship devoted to helping students interested in sustainability.
The Gerry Blake Memorial Scholarship
Though the scholarship will not be awarded this year, funds are currently being collected. The department hopes to have a process for deciding on the scholarship winner by the time spring 2011 rolls around.
“The time frame for the nomination of the scholarship will not fit with the rest of the university’s nomination awards, so we will not be selecting any CES staff this fiscal year,” said Aymie Reynolds, the resource conservation specialist at CES.
Reynolds said that the scholarship was just revived last month, and therefore all of the details have not been worked out. According to Shanna Eller-Segal, director of CES, though funds existed prior to this year, it had not been financed yet.
Though the process for determining a winner is still undecided, CES knows which students it would like to see apply for this scholarship.
According to a press release, the Gerry Blake Memorial Scholarship is offered to “deserving students” concerned with urban environmental issues.
The primary target for the scholarship will be CES’ current and past employees, Eller-Segal said. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be considered.
“Students who receive awards will be selected based on their leadership strengths and dedication to their assigned projects [within the CES program],” Eller-Segal said in the press release. “These students will also show initiative in their field and address challenges positively.”
Students interested in applying for the scholarship will have the opportunity to do so next school year through the PSU Scholarship Search Engine.
“[The Gerry Blake Memorial] Scholarship will become part of the master online scholarship application process,” Eller-Segal said. “The university currently administers the bulk of its undergraduate and graduate scholarships through an online process. This [scholarship] will be incorporated [into that system].”
Community Environmental Services
CES is made up of a collection of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Though these members come from many diverse disciplines, they share an interest in “resource conservation and environmentally sustainable practices,” according to the press release.
“CES is committed to building the foundation for deserving students that are passionate about sustainability and resource conservation,” Eller-Segal said.
The aim of the scholarship is to support research in the U.S., as well as other countries around the world. It will help with the cost of student travel to professional conferences, according to the press release.
“We equally serve two missions: to provide high quality technical and research services to the region and to provide students the opportunity to apply their academic work in real world settings,” Eller-Segal said.
Blake and Dr. Barry Messer—who still teaches as an associate professor in Urban Studies and Planning—first created CES 1986. At the time, it was known as the Recycling Education Projects, according to CES’ website.
As the program expanded its projects, the name was changed in order to reflect its widening scope.
Eller-Segal acknowledges the influence CES has had in the community over the years.
“CES has provided high quality research, technical assistance, data collection and educational outreach services in the areas of solid waste management, recycling, waste prevention and other resource conservation areas since the late 1980s,” she said.
Make a donation
CES is currently accepting gifts to help fund the Gerry Blake Memorial Scholarship. To make a donation, contact CES Director Shanna Eller-Segal at 503-725-8207 or ces@pdx.edu.
“Please join us in making a gift and help deserving students move forward and excel. Every gift helps,” Eller-Segal said.