The Salem Rotary Club provides scholarships annually for students pursuing further education after high school. Much of the fundraising the club performs during the year (such as our calendar raffle and auction gala) goes to supporting this endeavor.
In 1993, Salem Rotarians, led by “Salty” Vance M. Smith III, established a fund to accept donations and provide scholarships for Salem students. The fund was started with an initial gift of $7,000. Since that time, the fund has received contributions from individual donors and gifts by the Salem Rotary Club secured through its fundraising efforts.
In 2001, “Salty” and Robert P. “Buck” Alexander, two highly respected Rotarians and dear friends, had the misfortune of passing away the same weekend from heart attacks. From that day forward, both families of these wonderful Rotarians have made it their personal mission to support this fund and encourage others to make gifts to the Salem Rotary Club Scholarship Fund. Their incredible support, plus the support of many Salem Rotarians, donors, and club sponsors, allowed the fund to grow to over $1,200,000 as of 2024.
The Salem Rotary Club provides approximately $40,000 in scholarships each year from this fund. Expenses to maintain the fund are covered through the pro bono services of Salem Rotarians including the record keeping and tax work completed by Chris Casey and his law firm Casey Lundregan and Burns, and fund management by Rob Lutts and his team at Cabot Wealth Management, Inc.
Robert P. “Buck” Alexander, D.M.D. Merit Scholarship
The Robert P. “Buck” Alexander, D.M.D. Merit Scholarship recognizes and rewards students who contribute to, and make a difference in, their home, school and community at large, and who are likely to continue to do so in the future. This is a merit scholarship and, like the National Merit Scholarship, selection will be based on merit, character, accomplishment and involvement and does not largely take family income into account. This scholarship is meant to complement the Rotary Scholarships by recognizing those exceptional students who have demonstrated that they are not afraid to work hard and give their time to make life a little better for others. We are grateful to have the continuous support of Elizabeth Alexander Stevenson and her family who support this fund.
“Salty” Vance M. Smith Scholarship
The “Salty” Vance M. Smith Scholarship recognizes any and all students wishing to pursue advanced education at any level. Salty Smith had a love of student education and this lead him to the path of suggesting to the Rotary Club that we fund and grow a Rotary Scholarship Fund. He knew the incredible value of helping to educate the youth of Salem. His experience with his own family Foundation gave him a unique perspective to see the power of a well managed tax advantaged fund, and he personally made many donations to the fund. Today we are very grateful to have the support of Salty's sister, Elizabeth (Liz) F. Smith, and her family with this fund.
Application Process
The Salem Rotary Club provides scholarships for students who are pursuing further education after high school. Much of the fundraising the club performs during the year (such as our calendar raffle and auction gala) goes to supporting this endeavor. We wish all applicants the best of luck and success in their future studies.
Applicant must be a resident of Salem, Massachusetts. Applicants for the Salem Rotary scholarships may not be the child, grandchild, niece, nephew, great niece or great nephew (this includes adoptive or step relationship) of any current member of Salem Rotary, or any person that has been a member of Salem Rotary within the past five years.
The scholarships are available to Grade 12 High School students pursuing college or further career/technical education. Online applications will be accepted from February 1 through April 17, 2025.
The purpose of the Robert P. “Buck” Alexander, D.M.D. Merit Scholarship is to recognize and reward students who contribute to and make a difference in their home, school and community at large, and who are likely to continue to do so in the future. This is a merit scholarship, and like the National Merit Scholarship, selection will be based on merit, character, accomplishment and involvement, and is largely need blind. This scholarship is meant to complement the Rotary Scholarships by recognizing those exceptional students who have demonstrated that they are not afraid to work hard and give their time to make life a little better for others.
Any student who is awarded scholarship funds agrees to notify the Salem Rotary Club immediately if they do not enroll for any reason, or if they drop out during the first half of the year. Students agree to return to the Salem Rotary Club the funds they have received if they do not enroll or leave school before the end of the year.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS, NOT EVERY APPLICANT WILL RECEIVE A SCHOLARSHIP EVEN IF YOU ARE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW.
Applicant must be a resident of Salem, Massachusetts. Applicants for the Salem Rotary scholarships may not be the child, grandchild, niece, nephew, great niece or great nephew (this includes adoptive or step relationship) of any current member of Salem Rotary, or any person that has been a member of Salem Rotary within the past five years.
The scholarships are available to Grade 12 High School students pursuing college or further career/technical education. Online applications will be accepted from February 1 through April 17, 2025.
The purpose of the Robert P. “Buck” Alexander, D.M.D. Merit Scholarship is to recognize and reward students who contribute to and make a difference in their home, school and community at large, and who are likely to continue to do so in the future. This is a merit scholarship, and like the National Merit Scholarship, selection will be based on merit, character, accomplishment and involvement, and is largely need blind. This scholarship is meant to complement the Rotary Scholarships by recognizing those exceptional students who have demonstrated that they are not afraid to work hard and give their time to make life a little better for others.
Any student who is awarded scholarship funds agrees to notify the Salem Rotary Club immediately if they do not enroll for any reason, or if they drop out during the first half of the year. Students agree to return to the Salem Rotary Club the funds they have received if they do not enroll or leave school before the end of the year.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS, NOT EVERY APPLICANT WILL RECEIVE A SCHOLARSHIP EVEN IF YOU ARE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW.
Typically, several applicants receive a Salem Rotary Scholarship, while only two applicants receive the Robert P. “Buck” Alexander, D.M.D. Merit Scholarship.
We thank you for your interest and recognize your hard work and effort during high school. We wish you luck in your future endeavors whether or not we are able to award you a scholarship.
We thank you for your interest and recognize your hard work and effort during high school. We wish you luck in your future endeavors whether or not we are able to award you a scholarship.
Scholarship applications are due by Thursday, April 17, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Any questions should be directed to your guidance department.
The Scholarship Committee assumes that applicants have reviewed their applications for accuracy and completeness prior to submitting. Discrepancies, contradictions, inaccuracies or omissions may lead to rejection of an application.
When you are ready to apply for a Rotary Scholarship please click the button above to begin the online process. Our application has been made in Google Forms. The state of your progress is saved as you go, including any files you may have uploaded. If you do not have a Google account you will be asked to create one. Your application is tied to that Google account, so it is advised that you work in an account that is your own. Working in a browser on a personal computer is the best way to proceed, however it is possible to make progress on a phone or tablet.
Don't forget applications need to be completed before midnight on April 14th!!
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