Faculty and staff in Pennsylvania College of Technology's School of Health Sciences recently established an endowed scholarship fund to benefit students in the school.
Most of the money to endow the School of Health Sciences Endowed Scholarship - making it a permanent source of scholarship revenue for the future - was raised through a series of 5K run-walks organized and staffed by employee and student volunteers in the School of Health Sciences.
In all, nearly 500 runners and walkers have participated in the 5K since its first run in Spring 2008.
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A core of 10 employees from Penn College’s School of Health Sciences worked to facilitate 5K run-walks that raised funds for the School of Health Sciences Endowed Scholarship Fund. From left, are Sue Swank-Caschera, assistant professor of physician assistant; Shawn A. Kiser, director of dental hygiene; Sharon K. Waters, dean of health sciences; Robert Slothus, director of radiography; Robb C. Dietrich, executive director of the Penn College Foundation; Nathan D. Smyth, assistant dean of health sciences; Jane E. Oehme, associate professor of psychiatric/medical-surgical nursing; Emily B. Miller, instructor of fitness and lifetime sports/physical fitness; Scott A. Geist, director of surgical technology; and Paula D. Holmes, clinical director of the physician assistant program.
The scholarship effort was initiated by Sharon K. Waters when she took the position of dean of health sciences.
"I wanted to create a school-specific scholarship for health sciences students as part of creating a legacy for the school and as a way to bring staff and faculty across the school together in an important cause," she said.
A core of about 10 employee volunteers has worked together consistently to pull off each 5K, sometimes in wet, windy and cold weather.
"This committee has been a joy to work with," Waters said. "There is a high level of enthusiasm, everyone did their part to contribute, and we had fun. It never felt like 'work.' "
Additional funds were raised through donations by employees to the School of Health Sciences through the college's annual Penn College Fund campaign. The first scholarship award from the School of Health Sciences Endowed Scholarship Fund will be made in 2012-13. To be eligible for the award, students must be enrolled full time in any major in the School of Health Sciences and must have completed at least one semester and achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Preference will be given to students who have participated in community service activities and-or Penn College extracurricular activities.
