USMH honors 19 scholarship recipients at awards reception

The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown recognized 19 scholarship recipients during an awards reception in the USMH lobby on July 16.

Along with 10 USMH scholarships, nine awards will be given from the Magnolia Foundation Scholarship Fund. The fund includes two named awards each from the Board of County Commissioners and Citicorp Inc.

Also, an award from the city of Hagerstown and a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) scholarship will be given.

Students being awarded the USMH scholarships will receive $2,500 each, and recipients of the Magnolia Fund scholarships will each receive $1,920.

To date, USMH has awarded more than $85,000 in scholarship funds to 55 students.

In order to qualify for an award, applicants must be a student currently enrolled or starting in a program offered at USMH.

In addition, completion of 64 credits and official transcripts showing a minimum 2.5 or 3.0 grade-point average, depending on the scholarship, were required.

Along with the application, students wrote an essay and provided a letter of recommendation.

The applications were reviewed by scholarship committee members, who determined the awardees.

This year marks the second year awards are being distributed from the Magnolia Foundation.

The Magnolia Foundation was established as a conduit for the Waltersdorf-Henson Challenge Grant. Scholarship funds also were raised from past Elizabethtowne Feaste and Frolic and Cheers for 5 Years fundraisers. Similar scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2013 from funds raised at the Oct. 5 Elizabethtowne Feaste and Frolic.

The USMH Scholarship Fund recipients for the 2012-13 academic year are:

 Ashley Bockstanz, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Katie Coffman, Bachelor of Science in psychology
 Cathryn Colbert, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Kristen Dick, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Melanie Ebersole, Master of Arts in teaching-elementary
 Andrew Griffith, Bachelor of Science in criminal justice
 Dylan Hartmann, Master of Social Work
 Jennifer Helmick, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Tia Jordan, Bachelor of Science in nursing
 Erica Kozlowski, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Brandi Lane, Master of Arts in teaching-secondary
 Wendy Puglisi, Master of Social Work
 Kara Reed, Doctorate in education
 Stacy Rice, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Aletha Shaffer, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Kenneth Stewart, Master of Social Work
 Stacy Swayne, Master of Business Administration
 Rachel Wolf, Bachelor of Science in early childhood/elementary education
 Neil Wrona, Master of Arts in teaching-elementary

USMH is a regional higher-education center offering 23 programs from six institutions within the University System of Maryland.

The multiuniversity campus is in downtown Hagerstown.

Partner institutions include Coppin State University; Frostburg State University; Salisbury University; Towson University; University of Maryland, College Park; and University of Maryland University College.