Scholarships
NRLI is fortunate to be able to offer scholarships to Fellows of the 8-month program thanks to the generous donations to the following scholarship funds:
Alumni Association Scholarships
Rosezetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship
Rosezetta Bobo is an alumna of NRLI Class 21, and served as the Diversity Officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission during her time as a NRLI Fellow. Her years of working in environments that lack diversity, her participation in NRLI, and lessons learned about the impact that NRLI alumni can have on all groups across the state, focused her attention on the overall lack of diverse participation in most areas of conservation and natural resources. This prompted the establishment of a scholarship in search of greater participation and engagement of African Americans in NRLI.
The Rosezetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship is available to an African American working in the field of conservation or natural resources.
Foundation Scholarships
Bruce Delaney Scholarship Endowment
Bruce is an alumnus of NRLI Class 2, the former Executive Director of NRLI, and was a Project Team member for more than 11 years. Bruce is a Veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and in his earlier career he taught high school history, worked on the oil fields in Alaska, owned a fish camp in Cross Creek, and served terms as Mayor and Commissioner for the City of Gainesville. Bruce has also served on numerous community advisory committees, received community service awards, and chaired over 100 public meetings. A certified mediator, Bruce has mediated over 200 cases and is also the former Director of the USDA Florida Agricultural Mediation Program.
The Bruce Delaney Scholarship supports individuals from disadvantaged communities or organizations that would not otherwise be able to financially support their participation in NRLI.
General Joe Joyce Family Endowment for Natural Resources Leadership
Dr. Joseph C. Joyce was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. at the University of Alabama, and later obtained his Ph.D from the University of Florida in Forest Resources and Conservation. His first professional experience began in 1972 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The highlight of his career with the Corps was leading a successful effort to more effectively manage the invasive water hyacinth in waters of the State of Florida. Those programs are still in effect today. In 1983, Dr. Joyce joined the UF/IFAS faculty as the Director of the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. He has also served UF/IFAS as the Director of the Center for Natural Resources, as Interim Dean for Research and Interim Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He served as the Senior Associate Vice President for 20 plus years and also served as Director of the IFAS Center for Leadership until his retirement in 2015. Dr. Joyce also served in the Army Reserves for over 28 years and retired at the rank of Brigadier General.
This endowment provides scholarship support to NRLI participants as well as general support to the program.
Farm Credit of Florida Agricultural and Natural Resources Leadership Endowment
This fund was made possible through a generous donation by Farm Credit of Florida. Those working in Florida agricultural are an important constituency for the NRLI program and NRLI is proud to have a role in training future leaders of the Agricultural community. The average age for a fulltime farmer in the United States is almost 60 years old and young farmers pursuing full- and part-time farming are crucial to the future of the agricultural sector in the State of Florida.
This fund supports scholarships for young farmers 35 years old or younger to participate in the UF/IFAS Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute.