The first distribution of the Faw Annual Scholarship and the Richard Gainey Annual Scholarship has been decided for Fall 2024.
The scholarships were announced during Homecoming Week in October 2023.
Chris and Cathy Faw donated a total of $100,000 with the intent of $20,000 being awarded each year for five years. $10,000 will be awarded for the Faw scholarship and $10,000 for the Gainey Scholarship.
The Faw scholarship is a need-based scholarship that helps students who qualify for financial aid.
Faw also established the Gainey Scholarship. Richard Gainey was an influential professor for Faw during his time at Western. Faw said Gainey helped, “nurture his love for Radio and Communication.”
The Gainey scholarship is merit-based, and designed to support an outstanding student in the communication department.
Both scholarships aim to provide financial assistance to incoming freshmen pursuing a degree in communication, with a 3.0 GPA or better.
Students apply for financial aid and scholarships through the ScholarCat system.
Recipients of the scholarship are chosen from a committee of faculty in the communication department.
“Students that apply through ScholarCat are then matched up with scholarships where they meet the criteria,” said Dr. Scott Eldrege, department head for the communication department. “From there, the communication department forms a committee from the faculty who then reviews the matched applications in ScholarCat and decides who to award.”
Receiving donations from alumni helps cultivate a more connected network and provides financial assistance for students.
“They help students attend the university and offset at least some of the costs associated with college. It makes it possible for students to get a college education that may otherwise be out of reach,” said Eldredge. “Second, it connects our alumni to our students. That helps them network with and find professional mentors to help them navigate the transition from college student to working professional when they graduate. That kind of advice is incredibly valuable to our students, and provides an extra dimension to their education where they learn to understand what it means to be a part of this profession.”
Shedrick Addison, Luke Black, Joshua Jordan and Rebecca Taylor received the Faw Annual Scholarship, for the 2024-25 school year.
Luke Bullins, Logan Erby, Allie Parsons and Ella Syken received the Richard Gainey Scholarship.
Each student was rewarded $2,500 for the upcoming school year.
“I think it demonstrates how much we care about our students and how important we think it is to develop relationships from students to faculty, to alumni,” said Eldredge. “When we all work together, it uplifts our students, it uplifts the profession, and it sends the message that we are working hard to support and develop the next generation of communication professionals that will be ready to go out and make a positive impact on our society.”
Opportunities like scholarships allow students to learn, grow and transform throughout their four years.