Chapter 13. Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program
Regulation .01 Purpose.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The purpose of the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program is to provide student financial assistance to certain individuals due to their eligible military or public safety service or due to their eligible family or marital relationship to such an individual.
B.
The purpose of the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program is to provide student financial assistance to eligible children and surviving spouses of school employees who, as a victim in an act of violence occurring in the line of duty, either died or sustained an injury that rendered the school employee 100 percent disabled.
Regulation .02 Definitions.LinkCopy Citation
A.
In this chapter, the following terms have the meaning indicated.
B.
“Child” means a son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter.
C.
“Conroy-Cryor scholarship” means the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program administered under this chapter.
D.
“Disabled public safety employee” means a State or local public safety employee who sustains an injury in the line of duty that:
(1)
Precludes the individual from continuing to serve or be employed as a State or local public safety employee; and
(2)
In the case of a volunteer member of a fire department, ambulance, or rescue squad or company, precludes the member from continuing to be employed in the nonpublic safety occupation in which the member was engaged at the time of injury.
E.
“OSFA” means the Office of Student Financial Assistance within the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
F.
“School employee” includes an employee of a public or nonpublic school in the State.
G.
“Service connected” means with respect to disability or death, that such disability was incurred or aggravated, or that the death resulted from a disability incurred or aggravated, in the line of duty in the active military.
H.
“State or local public safety employee” means a person who is a:
(1)
Career or volunteer member of a fire department, ambulance, or rescue squad or company;
(2)
Law enforcement officer;
(3)
Correctional officer; or
(4)
Member of the Maryland National Guard who was a resident of this State at the time of death.
I.
“Surviving spouse” means a person who has not remarried.
J.
“Victim of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks” means a Maryland resident who was killed as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the attack on the Pentagon in Virginia, or the crash of United Airlines flight #93 in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
Regulation .03 Eligibility.LinkCopy Citation
To be eligible for a Conroy-Cryor scholarship, an individual shall:
A.
Be a resident of Maryland at the time of the application or have been a resident of Maryland when an event described in §C of this regulation occurred;
B.
Be accepted for admission or enrolled in:
(1)
The regular undergraduate, graduate, or professional program at a Maryland postsecondary institution;
(2)
A 2-year terminal certificate program in which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate program in an eligible institution; or
(3)
A private career school; and
C.
Qualify under at least one of the following conditions:
(1)
Be at least 16 years old and the child of a member of the armed forces who:
(a)
Died as a result of military service after December 7, 1941;
(b)
Suffered a service connected 100 percent permanent disability after December 7, 1942; or
(c)
Was declared to be a prisoner of war or missing in action, if that occurred on or after January 1, 1960, as a result of the Vietnam conflict, and if the child was born prior to or while the parent was a prisoner of war or missing in action;
(2)
Be a prisoner of war or missing in action, if that occurred on or after January 1, 1960, as a result of the Vietnam conflict, and a resident of this State at the time the person was declared to be a prisoner of war or missing in action;
(3)
Be either:
(a)
At least 16 years old and the child of any State or local public safety employee killed in the line of duty; or
(b)
The surviving spouse of any State or local public safety employee killed in the line of duty;
(4)
Be either:
(a)
A disabled public safety employee;
(b)
At least 16 years old and the child of a disabled public safety employee who sustains an injury in the line of duty that renders the public safety employee 100 percent disabled; or
(c)
The surviving spouse of a disabled public safety employee who sustains an injury in the line of duty that renders the public safety employee 100 percent disabled;
(5)
Be a veteran, as defined under State Government Article, §9901, Annotated Code of Maryland, who:
(a)
Suffers a service connected disability of 25 percent or greater; and
(b)
Has exhausted or is no longer eligible for federal veterans educational benefits;
(6)
Be the surviving spouse of a member of the armed forces who suffered a service connected 100 percent permanent disability;
(7)
Be at least 16 years old and the child of or the surviving spouse of a victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
(8)
Be at least 16 years old and the child of a school employee who, as a result of an act of violence:
(a)
Died in the line of duty; or
(b)
Sustained an injury in the line of duty that rendered the school employee 100 percent disabled; or
(9)
Be the surviving spouse of a school employee who, as a result of an act of violence:
(a)
Died in the line of duty; or
(b)
Sustained an injury in the line of duty that rendered the school employee 100 percent disabled.
Regulation .04 Award Amount.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The annual Conroy-Cryor award may not exceed the equivalent annual tuition and mandatory fees of a resident undergraduate at a 4-year public institution of higher education within the University System of Maryland, other than the University of Maryland University College and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with the highest annual expenses for a full-time resident undergraduate.
B.
An annual Conroy-Cryor award may not be less than the lesser of:
(1)
$3,000; or
(2)
The equivalent annual tuition and mandatory fees of a resident of the institution attended by the recipient.
C.
Awards to a child or spouse of a victim of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks may not exceed the amount specified in §A of this regulation when combined with any other scholarship received by the student based on the student’s status as a child or spouse of a victim of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
D.
A Conroy-Cryor award may be used for tuition and mandatory fees at any eligible institution.
Regulation .05 Application Procedures.LinkCopy Citation
A.
An interested individual may apply for a Conroy-Cryor scholarship by submitting an application to their institution of interest containing:
(1)
A completed Conroy-Cryor scholarship application form;
(2)
If the applicant is a son or daughter, a birth certificate showing the names of both parents;
(3)
If the applicant is a stepson or stepdaughter:
(a)
A birth certificate showing the names of both parents; and
(b)
A marriage certificate showing the name of applicant’s parent and spouse;
(4)
If the applicant is a spouse, a marriage certificate; and
(5)
Official verification from:
(a)
If the applicant’s parent or spouse was killed, or suffered a service connected 100 percent permanent disability as a result of military service or is a prisoner of war or missing in action, the United States Veterans Administration;
(b)
If the applicant is a veteran who suffers a service connected disability of 25 percent or greater, and who has exhausted or is no longer eligible for federal veteran’s educational benefits, the United States Veterans Administration;
(c)
If the applicant’s spouse or parent was killed in the line of duty, the applicable State or local public safety personnel office;
(d)
If the applicant or applicant’s spouse or parent is a disabled public safety employee who sustained an injury in the line of duty that renders the public safety employee 100 percent disabled the applicable State or local public safety personnel office;
(e)
If the disability was a result of service while the applicant was a volunteer member of a fire department, ambulance, or rescue squad or company, the nonpublic safety employer and the local public safety personnel office;
(f)
A physician, in the form of a death certificate identifying the deceased and certifying the date, location and cause of death to have been as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or the crash of United Airlines Flight #93 on September 11, 2001; or
(g)
For the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship, a physician, in the form of:
(i)
A copy of a death certificate identifying the deceased and certifying the date, location, and cause of death to have occurred in the line of duty; or
(ii)
A statement certifying that the parent or spouse of the applicant, as applicable, has a 100 percent disability as a result of an injury sustained in the line of duty.
B.
Eligible institutions shall make Conroy-Cryor scholarship forms available to interested individuals at their financial aid offices.
C.
Institutions shall promote the Conroy-Cryor program.
D.
Institutions shall accept all Conroy-Cryor scholarship applicants and determine the eligibility of applicants.
E.
The Conroy-Cryor scholarship application deadline for new applicants is July 15.
F.
Each applicant shall agree to provide any information or documentation requested by OSFA for the purpose of administering this program and, if requested, shall sign an authorization for the release of information to OFSA for the purpose of administering this program. The applicant’s failure or refusal to provide requested information or a signed release may result in a determination of ineligibility or the revocation of an award.
Regulation .06 Awarding Procedures.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Applicants who are awarded a Conroy-Cryor scholarship shall be notified of the award in writing by the institution’s financial aid office.
B.
A Conroy-Cryor scholarship recipient shall provide the institution’s financial aid office with a written acceptance of the award by the date specified by the institution.
C.
No more than 15 Conroy-Cryor scholarships may be awarded annually to Veterans who suffer from a service connected disability of 25 percent or greater.
Regulation .07 Payment.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Institutions shall make the initial award disbursement on the eligible student’s behalf.
B.
The institution’s financial aid office shall report to OSFA each October and February information as required by OSFA regarding eligible Conroy-Cryor scholarship recipients.
C.
Upon receipt and acceptance of the institution’s information, OSFA shall authorize Conroy-Cryor scholarship reimbursements to the institutions.
D.
If sufficient funds are not appropriated for that award year to pay institutions for all eligible Conroy-Cryor scholarship recipients, funds from the following years’ appropriations will be used first to satisfy unpaid scholarship balances from the prior year.
Regulation .08 Renewal And Continuation.LinkCopy Citation
A.
OSFA shall renew all eligible Conroy-Cryor scholarship recipients who were initially awarded prior to FY 2011 and shall continue to renew them until they complete their program of study or are otherwise no longer eligible for the award.
B.
Institutions of higher education shall make Conroy-Cryor scholarship renewal awards to students who received their first award during FY 2011 or later.
C.
A Conroy-Cryor scholarship may be renewed on an annual basis for up to 5 years of full-time study or 8 years of part-time study if the recipient:
(1)
Is enrolled on at least a part-time basis in an eligible Maryland postsecondary institution; and
(2)
Continues to meet all other eligibility requirements.
Regulation .09 Revocation Of Award.LinkCopy Citation
A Conroy-Cryor scholarship award shall be revoked if:
A.
The criteria in Regulation .07 or .08 of this chapter are not met;
B.
The recipient makes any changes to name, address, or any other information pertinent to the Conroy-Cryor scholarship and fails to inform the financial aid office at their institution or other office designated by their institution to administer the program; or
C.
The recipient otherwise fails to satisfy the eligibility criteria.
Regulation .10 Appeals.LinkCopy Citation
A.
Each eligible institution shall establish and publicize its appeal process for the Conroy-Cryor scholarship program.
B.
An institution’s appeal decision may not be appealed to OSFA in the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Education Article, §§11-105(u), 18-204(c), and 18-601, Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date: April 24, 2017 (44:8 Md. R. 406)
History: Regulation .03B amended effective August 7, 2023 (50:15 Md. R. 683)