PNM, council team up for pueblo scholarship fund

Public Service Company of New Mexico has partnered with the All Pueblo Council of Governors and the American Indian Graduate Center to create the PNM Pueblo Scholarship Endowment Fund, according to a news release.

This fund offers more than 15 scholarships aimed at students enrolled in STEM, public policy, business administration, communications and journalism, education and vocational trades. PNM has devoted $1 million to “seed the creation of the endowment ... and has also committed $50,000 annually to the fund for four years, to enable immediate scholarship accessibility,” the release said.

Two of the engineering scholarships are named after the late Everett F. Chavez, three-time governor of the Santo Domingo Pueblo, who also served as superintendent of the Santa Fe Indian School.

“Our intent is to make a lasting investment in the Pueblo people of New Mexico,” said Pat Vincent-Collawn, PNM Resources chairman, president and chief executive officer, in a release. “We believe PNM has an important role in supporting a Pueblo way of life in the communities we serve through investment in education and economic development that represents an opportunity to create economies that align with Pueblo cultural values and traditions. We, too, hold a responsibility and commitment to future generations of New Mexicans, and equally important are the Pueblo people of New Mexico.”

Albuquerque-based American Indian Graduate Center has been engaged to establish and administer the scholarships, which range from $2,000 to $7,000.

The release said students from the Pueblos of Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambé, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zia and Zuni may apply. To learn more or begin the application process, visit aigcs.org. The deadline for applications is June 1.