McGee Foundation Donates $100,000 to West Virginia State University for Scholarships

2/8/2021

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Contact: Jack Bailey
Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
(304) 766-4109
   
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) has received a $100,000 donation from The McGee Foundation to provide for needs-based scholarships for West Virginia students during the upcoming academic year.

The purpose of the grant from the foundation is to enable college study for qualified West Virginia residents who otherwise might not be able to do so.

“We are thankful for this donation from The McGee Foundation,” said WVSU Vice President for Advancement Patricia Schumann. “The trustees have been thoughtful in structuring this scholarship to ensure that McGee Scholars have both the financial support and the experiences, inside and out of the classroom, to prepare them for success in their careers and their communities.”

In making the announcement, Bern Mebane, chair of the Board of the McGee Foundation, said, “John and Ruth McGee, longtime residents of Charleston, established the McGee Foundation in 1992 with the stated purpose of sharing their resources with the residents of the state where John had spent the majority of his career.

“Education, for the McGees was the cornerstone of a successful life of the people who received it. Reflecting their belief, the Trustees of the Endowment want this program to be the catalyst for achieving two goals,” Mebane added. “First, we want deserving individuals residing here to be able to attend college as a result of these grants. Second, we want their resulting education to be an encouragement for them to stay here and help contribute to an improved quality of life for themselves, their families and their fellow citizens of West Virginia.”

The McGee Foundation Scholarship will assist West Virginia students with financial need who are from underrepresented areas of the state and show academic promise. Students will also be expected to commit to at least one experiential learning activity per year and 10 hours of community service per semester.

A limited number of awards will be made during the spring 2021 semester. The majority of the funds will be awarded to qualified students for the 2021-2022 academic year.

WVSU was one of three state colleges to receive $100,000 from The McGee Foundation.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.