Scottish Rite Awards Fellowships
Six first-year and two second-year graduate students in the Radford University Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders have been awarded fellowships totaling $33,472 by the Scottish Rite Foundation of Virginia.
The recipients are Brittany Bartley and Julie Smith of Abingdon; Sarah Moore of Chatham; Catherine Dent of Roanoke; Stephanie Dove of Montrose; and Melinda Whitley of Pilot. Last year's recipients, now in their second year, are Sharon Russell of Meadowview; Mary-Elizabeth Weaver of Roanoke; and Amanda Lee DeBord of Marion.
The Scottish Rite fellowships go to students who are committed to advancing knowledge of childhood language disorders and are positioning themselves to work with children from Virginia who have language disorders. The endowed fellowships include the Scottish Rite Fellowship in Language Disorders; the George Everett and Matsue Yamazaki Dewese Scottish Rite Graduate Fellowship; the Matsue Yamazaki Dewese Scottish Rite Graduate Fellowship; and the Arney Dalton Scottish Rite Graduate Fellowship.
Scottish Rite Scholarship Winners: (left to right)-Sarah Moore, Julie Smith, Sharon Russell, Melinda Whitley, Stephanie Dove, Catherine Dent , Amanda DeBord, Brittany Bartley
"The Scottish Rite fellowship program is competitive and includes an overall appraisal of the applicants’ academic caliber, as well as consideration of their responses related to the application," said Elizabeth Lanter, an instructor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. "In evaluating proposals, department faculty look to acknowledge students who are not only academically capable but also passionate about serving children with language disorders."
The Virginia Scottish Rite Foundation has donated more than $858,000 to Radford to support initiatives that enhance children's language and literacy skills and has cosponsored the Summer RiteCare© Clinic at the university since 1995.