West Chester Off-Campus Housing owners, John and Linda O’Connell, are the first off-campus landlords to offer a tuition-based scholarship program to West Chester University student tenants. There are three available $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to students for academic achievement, community involvement and financial aid. Students who apply for this scholarship must be a West Chester Off-Campus Housing tenant in good standing with WCU and WCOCH. Eligible students must have also completed a minimum of 15 credits, have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 and must have at least one academic year of coursework remaining at the end of the fall semester in which the scholarship is awarded.
On Jan. 17, 2006, three student recipients were awarded the scholarships in Sykes Room 209 at 2 p.m. The students and their families attended along with several members of the West Chester University staff including Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Jackie Hodes, who also coordinated the event. Also in attendance were Student Activities Director Jeff Gerstein, Director of the Office of Service Learning and Community Service, Maggie Tripp, among many others.
“People should know the nice things they do,” said Christina Brenner, who has worked closely with the O’Connells on the scholarship programs since the Spring 2005 semester.
“They really do give back to the University,” said Brenner. Currently, the O’Connells are the only off-campus landlords involved in a scholarship program, but Brenner hopes that others will “join suit.”
The O’Connells currently have an estimated 435 tenants. Last semester there were three scholarship recipients out of the 18 students who applied. Katie Frawley, who won the Academic Achievement award, is currently majoring in elementary education with a minor in mathematics. Katherine Shook was the recipient of the Community Involvement scholarship, and is currently majoring in nutrition and dietetics, and Jennifer Masterson was the recipient of the Financial Aid scholarship and is majoring in elementary education with a double minor in special education and spanish. All three students are dually involved with the university and the community.
For further information about the West Chester Off-Campus Housing Scholarship, there is a link on the WCOCH website.