There are established professional and technical annual awards for graduate studies. On or before December 1st of each and every year, the Board shall conduct a public hearing to receive the opinion and recommendation of various professional groups or associations and the Guam Occupational Information Coordinating Committee or its equivalent, to determine those areas in which additional professional and technical skills are needed. From those hearings, the Board shall establish a list of occupational priorities for Guam prior to considering applications for the awards. The number of awards and occupational priorities to be recommended shall be submitted to the Legislature no later than January 1st of each year. The provisions of this section shall also be applicable to students who are to receive loans under § 15201 of this Chapter.

Funds appropriated to provide loans and professional and technical awards and which are not totally expended may be used in succeeding years so as to increase the number of annual awards. The awards provided in this Article are subject to the following limitations:

(a) The applicant must be a bona fide resident of Guam and a United States citizen or a permanent resident alien and
must have achieved an overall grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent in such applicant’s undergraduate studies if pursuing an academic graduate degree, or an irrevocable letter of acceptance from an accredited professional school.

(b) The applicant must agree that after completion or termination of the course of studies for which the award was granted, such applicant return to work on Guam for a period of one (1) year for each Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000) received under the award.

(c) The applicant must present to the Board prior to granting of the award satisfactory proof that such applicant has been admitted to the college or university as a full-time student to pursue a program of study in the field applied for.

(d) The colleges or universities must be properly accredited and must be approved by the Board; provided, however, that no award shall be granted for studies at an off-island institution in a specific academic program that is available at the University of Guam.

(e) The Board shall select the recipients of the awards upon the basis of scholastic ability, financial need, aptitude and health as well as the likelihood of the recipient returning to Guam to fill its professional needs.

In determining financial need, the applicant must complete an application form of Federal Student Aid (AFSA) as documentary evidence of need.

SOURCE: GC § 11814; amended by P.L. 16-28; Subsection (a)
amended by P.L. 17-18:6, R/R by P.L. 19-037:5 (Dec. 30, 1988).