Diversity in Safety Scholarship Funded by Chemours

The National Safety Council's Diversity in Safety Scholarship Program is committed to building a workforce of occupational, safety and health professionals that best reflects the various cultures and ethnicities represented in the U.S. workforce. 

NSC launched the Diversity in Safety Scholarship Funded by Chemours to foster diversity and support the emergence of a more inclusive generation of safety professionals. Five academic scholarships will be awarded to people of color pursing an undergraduate degree at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions to help jumpstart their careers in safety. The Scholarship provides a $5,000 tuition award, renewable up to four years.

Scholarship Benefits

• $5,000 annual academic scholarship to support post-secondary education in Occupational Safety and Health Technology, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health and Safety, and other STEM and accredited degree programs approved by the NSC Scholarship Advisory Committee
• Renewable for up to four years
• Free registration and annual travel stipend to the NSC Safety Congress & Expo, one of the largest conferences focused on safety, and participate in NSC educational opportunities 
• Free access to NSC Webinars
• Informational interviews and internships with safety leaders
• Access to additional skills trainings and certifications to support safety-related education
• Connections to employers seeking safety professionals

Scholarship Rules and Guidelines
Eligibility is based on the following:

• Freshman attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
• Students entering as freshman or currently enrolled as a freshman
• BIPOC individuals who are seeking post-secondary education in Occupational Safety and Health Technology, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health and Safety, and other STEM and accredited degree programs approved by the NSC Scholarship Advisory Committee (may be received for up to four years)
• Recipient must sign an acceptance agreement stipulating use of funds for tuition
• Award checks are sent to the university
• The award may be prorated if the recipient is not a full-time student
• Applications are accepted at Submittable.com. No paper or emailed applications will be accepted. 

 
Application and Selection
To be considered, applications must:

• Be submitted online by April 1, 2024
• Include a letter of recommendation. Up to three letters of recommendations can be submitted
• Finalists will be notified mid to late April 2024 and will be asked for additional information, verification of claims and to supply transcripts. Finalists must also pass a media review. 
• NSC staff and volunteers will have access to the information provided on all applications. Completion of an application does not guarantee a scholarship award

  
For more information about the NSC Congress & Expo, visit congress.nsc.org.

NSC Student Members
NSC student membership opportunities are made possible through funding by the National Safety Council and its members.  Click here to join NSC as a student member; there is no cost for membership. If you are a current student member and need assistance, contact CustomerCare@nsc.org or call 800-621-7619. If you are unable to become a student member because you have not yet been accepted into a program, please contact scholarship@nsc.org for assistance.
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NSC DE&I Commitment Statement
At NSC, we demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through our culture and our values. Our culture embraces all people regardless of ancestry, color, national origin, race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical or mental disability, or veteran status.* We boldly empower our team to model respect and dignity. We find impactful opportunities for growth and development. We create a safe environment that includes mental, physical, psychological, and emotional protections. To be NSC is to deliver our mission by working together — our employees, members, and stakeholders — in such a way that everyone feels a sense of belonging
We believe that you can’t be safe if you don’t feel safe. Feeling safe requires a commitment to equitable policy implementation and promoting diversity in the safety profession. We must cultivate our own diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment to deliver on our mission to save lives, from the workplace to anyplace.

Diversity in Safety Scholarship
The National Safety Council envisions building a workforce of occupational, safety and health professionals that represent all of the cultures and ethnicities represented in the workforce. To achieve this vision, the Diversity in Safety Scholarship from NSC helps support students from diverse backgrounds who are pursuing safety as a career. The Diversity in Safety Scholarship provides the winner a $5,000 tuition award, renewable up to four years.
All Diversity in Safety Scholarship recipients are also provided the opportunity to attend the NSC Safety Congress & Expo at no cost, with access to technical sessions, keynote addresses, an Expo of over 1,000 exhibitors and networking events. The NSC Safety Congress & Expo is the world’s premier annual safety event, bringing together 14,000 occupational safety and health professionals from various industries.
Scholarship Rules and Guidelines
Eligibility
BIPOC individuals, people with disabilities, and people who identify as LGBTQIA+ who are seeking post-secondary education leading to a career in environmental, health and/or safety.
Additional eligibility includes:

• Students attending community colleges, technical programs, apprenticeships or bachelor’s degree programs within the United States (both in-person and online), enrolled full- or part-time; part-time candidates may receive a prorated award
• Students maintain a GPA of 3.0 (recommended)
• For those who are attending programs without EHS majors, at least 25 percent of course work each semester must be pursuing careers that are applicable to an EHS professional such as public health, engineering and other educational pursuits that relate to health and safety.

Application and Selection
To be considered, applications must be fully completed and submitted online.
At least one and up to three letters of recommendation must be submitted with the application
Finalists will be notified in the Spring of 2024

•   Finalists will be asked for additional information, verification of claims and to supply transcripts
•  Finalists must pass a media review

NSC staff and volunteers will have access to the information provided on all applications


Award Information

• Recipient will receive a check in the amount of $5,000, payable to the university/college
• This award is renewable up to four years
• The $5,000 award may be prorated if the recipient is not a full-time student
• Recipient must sign an acceptance agreement stipulating use of funds for tuition

For more information about the NSC Congress & Expo, visit congress.nsc.org.

NSC Student Members
NSC student membership opportunities are made possible through funding by the National Safety Council and its members.  Click here to join NSC as a student member; there is no cost for membership. If you are a current student member and need assistance, contact CustomerCare@nsc.org or call 800-621-7619. If you are unable to become a student member because you have not yet been accepted into a program, please contact scholarship@nsc.org for assistance.
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NSC DE&I Commitment Statement
At NSC, we demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through our culture and our values. Our culture embraces all people regardless of ancestry, color, national origin, race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical or mental disability, or veteran status.* We boldly empower our team to model respect and dignity. We find impactful opportunities for growth and development. We create a safe environment that includes mental, physical, psychological, and emotional protections. To be NSC is to deliver our mission by working together — our employees, members, and stakeholders — in such a way that everyone feels a sense of belonging
We believe that you can’t be safe if you don’t feel safe. Feeling safe requires a commitment to equitable policy implementation and promoting diversity in the safety profession. We must cultivate our own diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment to deliver on our mission to save lives, from the workplace to anyplace.

Worker safety: Does your CEO “get it”?

  CEOs Who “Get It” is an annual recognition from the National Safety Council to organizational leaders who demonstrate a personal commitment to worker safety and health.

 It doesn’t matter if your organization has 50 employees or 50,000. If you believe your leader should be recognized, fill out the form and tell us why.

 Forms submitted by August 25, 2024 will be considered for 2025. Those recognized as CEOs Who “Get It” will be featured in Safety+Health magazine.

 Click the link below to see the full list of 2024 CEOs Who "Get It", featured in the February 2024 issue of Safety+Heatlh.
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/24902-2024-ceos-who-get-it

2024 NSC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Safety Champion Recognition
 NSC is taking action on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), with a commitment to recognize the importance of DE&I to workplace safety and health, and a pledge to help organizations identify and redress imbalances. To perpetuate DE&I in the safety community, the NSC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Safety Champion Recognition will be awarded to organizations with a proven commitment to DE&I within their safety culture. Recognized organizations will have incorporated DE&I safety initiatives into their culture and core business strategies through major business initiatives where they strive not only to ensure physical safety, but foster an environment where every employee feels secure, welcome and included.

 The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Safety Champion Recognition honors three types of achievement each year:

• Culture – DE&I integration in organizational culture 
• People – Diversity within safety professional workforce
• Program Innovations – Implementation of significant DE&I-related safety programs
   

Organizations may apply or be nominated for recognition based on one of these criteria.

Culture
Inclusion and psychological safety are crucial for leveraging a diverse workforce. Employee feedback is vital for assessing psychological safety, with inclusion being a key aspect. Successful applicants will demonstrate how DE&I is ingrained in their organizational cultures by incorporating strategies that foster psychological safety and inclusion. Employee surveys to gauge perceptions regarding psychological safety and psychosocial risks are helpful to evaluate culture. Administering surveys is not mandatory but recommended.

People
Diversity metrics help identify risk areas, set goals, and measure the impact of initiatives. Applicants must outline their DE&I goals and measurement methods or describe specific initiatives leading to increased diversity among safety professionals.

Program Innovations
 Underrepresented identity groups in the workplace can create barriers to safety--both physical and psychological, necessitating innovative solutions. Applicants must detail their DE&I program innovations integrated into the safety management system, including the initiative's origins, safety improvements, and recognition for those driving these efforts.

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NSC DE&I Commitment Statement
At NSC, we demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through our culture and our values. Our culture embraces all people regardless of ancestry, color, national origin, race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical or mental disability, or veteran status.* We boldly empower our team to model respect and dignity. We find impactful opportunities for growth and development. We create a safe environment that includes mental, physical, psychological, and emotional protections. To be NSC is to deliver our mission by working together — our employees, members, and stakeholders — in such a way that everyone feels a sense of belonging
We believe that you can’t be safe if you don’t feel safe. Feeling safe requires a commitment to equitable policy implementation and promoting diversity in the safety profession. We must cultivate our own diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment to deliver on our mission to save lives, from the workplace to anyplace.