Great Plains Bank is pleased to offer an academic collegiate scholarship for graduating high school seniors who would like to pursue a career in banking, within our service area, in honor of former, beloved GPB CEO Art Harris. Please review all of the following information before beginning the application.

1. You will need the following documents ready to upload before beginning the application. Please upload these documents as a PDF, Word, or JPG file.

• A typed essay (no more than one page single-spaced) addressing one of the following topics:
  • Why do you want to pursue a career in the financial services industry?
  • What specific job/position would you like to pursue, and why do you believe you are a good fit for that position?
  • What role do banks and bank employees play in developing the local community?
• One letter of reference or recommendation from a teacher, coach, or other adult who is not an immediate relative.
• Letter of Acceptance at an accredited four- year college, a two-year community college, or vocational school
• FAFSA Form
• High School transcript

2. Once all documents are ready to be uploaded, the application will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You will be able to save your progress and come back to finish the application at a later time if needed.

Eligibility
Students who meet the following criteria are eligible for the scholarship.

• Applicants must be graduating high school seniors at the time of application.
• Applicants must have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA.
• Applicants must express a desire to pursue a career in banking.
• Applicants must have graduated from a high school within Great Plains Bank’s service area.
• Applicants must be an Oklahoma or Texas resident at the time of application.
• Applicants must be a United States citizen.
• In order to be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must demonstrate financial need:
  • FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
  • Please include appropriate documentation for the FAFSA EFC
• Eligibility for this scholarship includes an assessment of the applicant’s activities during their high school years:
  • Did the applicant have to work a part-time job while enrolled in high school?
  • Did the applicant have to assist with family care?
  • Community involvement
  • Extra-curricular activities
  • Volunteer work
• Recipient must attend an accredited college/university/vocational school, for two or four years, within the United States.
• Recipient must be enrolled full-time, each semester, and maintain a 2.0 GPA to retain the scholarship.

Deadline
1. Applications must be received no later than April 1, 2024, at 11:59pm to be considered.

Selection Process
Recipients will be selected by a Great Plains Bank committee based on the application materials provided. Scholarship recipients will be notified of the committee’s decision on or before May 31, 2024. Payment will be made to the recipient’s school of choice upon notification and under the school’s scholarship guidelines.

Award
Up to three Great Plains Bank Art Harris Scholarships will be awarded annually, payable to the recipient’s educational institution for tuition, fees, books, and/or room and board, and will be awarded as follows:

• $2,500 per semester for a total of two semesters, to equal a total of $5,000 for one school year.

Purpose of Scholarship
To provide financial assistance to a student with an interest in pursuing higher education, a career in banking, and playing a role in the future development of their local community. This scholarship is in honor of Art Harris, former CEO of Great Plains Bank. Art embodied community, with his innate ability to connect with everyone he met. He took time to get to know the person on the other end of a handshake, or more likely a big hug. He believed so much in others that he was known as the banker who would take a chance on someone if he knew him or her, and there was a good business plan to back the deal. Art was dedicated to the community he called home. He invested what he could back into the community through sporting events, school activities, business deals, and most importantly, friendships.