The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Columbia Southern University (CSU) have announced the winners of the 2014 NVFC-CSU Scholarships: Joseph Ondrasek Jr. and Marc Veilleux. This is the sixth year NVFC has teamed up with CSU to provide members this opportunity to achieve their educational goals.

The scholarships are awarded each year to two NVFC members through a competitive application process. Each recipient gets 100% of tuition to CSU paid for up to two years. The scholarship can be applied to any of CSU’s online degree programs. In addition to the annual scholarship opportunity, all NVFC members and their spouses and children are eligible to receive a 10% tuition discount and waived application fee to CSU.

“Congratulations to Joseph Ondrasek, Jr. and Marc Veilleux on winning the 2014 CSU scholarships. We are proud to partner with Columbia Southern University to help our members reach their educational goals. To date, 12 scholarships have been awarded and hundreds of others have utilized the NVFC member discount to CSU,” NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg said in a statement. “CSU’s online format makes it easier for busy volunteers to pursue their degrees, and these opportunities for financial assistance provide needed support to make those goals attainable.”

Joseph Ondrasek Jr. of Bryan, Texas, has been a member of the fire service since he was 16. He currently serves as fire chief of the Brazos County Precinct 4 Volunteer Fire Department, a career battalion chief with the City of Bryan Fire Department and a fire instructor at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) during its annual municipal fire school. Ondrasek is also on the board of the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas.

Marc Veilleux of Greene, Maine, became a volunteer firefighter in 1991 and worked his way through the ranks to deputy fire chief, a position that he held for nine years before accepting a part-time position as fire chief for the town of Sabattus, Maine in 2013. He is also an advisory member on the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code board representing life safety.