Scholarships

This scholarship was established by Jim Mossberg ’73, an avid table tennis player and founder of the Table Tennis Club at Virginia Tech. This scholarship will support current Virginia Tech students who meet the following criteria:

• Must be an active USA Table Tennis (USATT) member.
• Active participant in the Virginia Tech Table Tennis club and a member of the Virginia Tech Table Tennis team. (Incoming students must agree to be active Table Tennis club and Table Tennis team members.)
• Achieve minimum USATT rating of 1900-2100.
• Minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Must pursue one of the following majors: Engineering, Computational Modeling & Data Analytics, Mathematics, Physics, or Statistics.

The Henry Dekker Student Leadership Award was established to honor Henry J. Dekker ’44 and to acknowledge his outstanding service to the university. This award recognizes a rising sophomore or junior who has demonstrated outstanding leadership service within Student Affairs. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Rising sophomore or junior
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership service within Student Affairs
• GPA of 2.8 or higher

One scholarship will be given to an eligible undergraduate student.

The Edward F.D. and Norrine Bailey Spencer Leadership Scholarship was established to honor Edward F.D. Spencer, vice president emeritus for student affairs, and in memory of his wife Norrine Bailey Spencer, who served as associate provost and director of undergraduate admissions. The recipients of this scholarship will be known as Spencer Scholars. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student in any field of study
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership potential
• Preference given for individuals with financial need

Multiple scholarships may be given annually to eligible undergraduate students.

The Robert Edward Nance ’50 Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of Robert Edward Nance, a graduate of Virginia Tech in the Class of 1950. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Demonstrated financial need
• Outstanding leadership potential
• Preference given to current or newly selected members of the German Club

Multiple scholarships may be given annually to eligible undergraduate students.

Brothers Stephen ‘85 and Mark ‘86 Benedetti created this endowment to provide support to students who wish to pursue leadership activities as part of their experience at Virginia Tech. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student in any field of study
• Leadership service at Virginia Tech
• Demonstrated fnancial need

Preference will be given to a student in the Pamplin College of Business or the College of Engineering.

Mr. Jones ‘83 created this endowment, on behalf of his wife and five children, to set an example of philanthropy and to provide support to students with financial limitations that wish to pursue leadership activities as part of their experience at Virginia Tech. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student in any field of study
• Leadership service at Virginia Tech
• Demonstrated financial need

Preference will be given to a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

In gratitude for the encouragement received from the VT community during her own personal and academic challenges, Barbara Stulb-Heffner ‘77 established this endowment. It is meant to provide continued incentive for students who may have had difficulty during their first years at the university, but through perseverance and commitment have been able to make steady academic improvement. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Full-time academic status
• Rising junior or senior status
  
• Demonstrate personal challenge(s) while showing academic improvement throughout their time at Virginia Tech (personal statement and letter of recommendation should reflect individual experience)

Ben Ames ’48, with his wife Ellen, established this award to recognize an outstanding student leader. While a student here at Virginia Tech, Mr. Ames served as a cadet, vice-president of the German Club, and the student body president. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student in any field of study
• Demonstrated student leadership experience in a program of Student Affairs

The Bible Family “Dream Big” Scholarship was established to honor the spirit of service of Bible family members who have attended and served the university, both while students and later as alumni. As the second endowed scholarship established by Bible family members at the university, it challenges its recipients to a lifelong leadership journey to Invent the Future. This award recognizes undergraduate students in the College of Engineering with demonstrated financial need.

The Adam Ward ’11 Memorial Scholarship was established to honor Adam’s legacy at Virginia Tech to help students who, like Adam, are true Hokies and are persistent, active, caring, and willing to reach out and help others. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student in any field of study
• Demonstrated financial need

Preference will be given to students who demonstrate caring compassion and service to others; residents of the Roanoke Valley; and students in the Department of Communication.

The Student Government Association Leader Scholarship was established to recognize the leadership and contribution a student leader has made to SGA and the student body. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student who is a current member of SGA and who holds a leadership position within the organization and a 3.0 GPA at the time of application.

The recipient must maintain a leadership position to remain eligible for any additional awards.

The Charles W. Schiffert and Dorlores S. Schiffert Scholarship was established to provide scholarship support for a current undergraduate student who plans to pursue a career as a medical physician. The Schifferts moved to Blacksburg in 1968 from Craigsville, Virginia where Dr. Charles Schiffert served as a family practitioner. He was Associate Director of Student Health at Virginia Tech from 1968-1971 and served as Director from 1971 until he retired in 1986. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student enrolled in a curriculum that will prepare her/him for a career as a medical physician
• Demonstrated financial need

The Austin Michelle Cloyd Social Justice Scholarship provides financial assistance to exceptional undergraduate and graduate Virginia Tech students to offset the costs of social justice-focused leadership building activities that may not otherwise be accessible for students due to financial limitations. Social justice is interpreted broadly to reflect the spectrum of challenges facing underserved communities and marginalized populations. The range of acceptable activities for scholarship application include, but are not limited to, internships, study abroad programs, alternative breaks, co-ops, apprenticeships, fellowships, service-learning, and undergraduate research.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

• Any current Virginia Tech full or part-time undergraduate and graduate student(s). Applicants must be VT students for the duration of the grant.
• Applicants must be participating in and use funds to support an experiential learning experience including, but not limited to, study abroad, internships (paid or unpaid), fellowships, undergraduate research, co-ops, and alternative break trips.
• The experiential learning experience must have a social justice focus. We recognize that social justice is interpreted broadly to reflect the spectrum of challenges facing underserved communities and marginalized communities.
• Applicants must agree to meet with a member of the VT Engage team at least once during their scholarship duration and for a final share-out of their work after their experience is complete.
• Applicants must disclose a point person from the experience they are applying for funding for and agree to VT Engage contacting that person for verification.
• Applicants must agree to meet with a representative from the financial aid office to discuss the ways this scholarship will affect their award package.
• Applicants must agree to complete a reflection component at the end of their experience including, but not limited to, thank you cards to the donors and short reflection essays.
• Previous award winners are not eligible to apply.

Application Process

• Interested students must complete an application on Scholarship Central. Deadlines listed.
• All students who apply for this scholarship must agree to meet with a representative from scholarships and financial aid in order to determine how this award might affect existing aid.
• Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but we encourage applicants to submit their application at least one month in advance of the experience they intend to use funding for.

Guidelines

• Students may apply for this scholarship at any point in advance of the experience they intend on using the funds for. This does not guarantee the application will be reviewed in time for funds to be dispersed for the experience. We recommend applying at least three months in advance of the experience.
• Students may use this scholarship for experiences taking place outside of their enrolled academic year, provided they will be enrolled for the semester following the experience.
• Students may use the funds for a variety of experiences with a social justice focus but they must provide VT Engage with contacts for the organizations they will be working with. An example of this is providing the contact information for the faculty leading a study abroad experience.
• Funds from this scholarship will be dispersed as a refund to the awardee’s financial aid account. This can negatively affect other financial assistance already awarded to the student. For this reason, all students must meet with a financial aid representative before continuing further in the application process.
• Funds from this scholarship are meant to offset the costs of experiential learning opportunities that may not have otherwise been accessible to students due to financial limitations. VT Engage will prioritize those students with financial limitations during the application process.
• Award amounts will vary depending on the availability of funding, needs of the applicants, and other factors.

Brent "Buzz" Williams, Virginia Tech Basketball Coach 2014-2019, established this scholarship to assist undergraduate students with disabilities so they may reach their full potential. The ideal candidate embodies the character strengths of leadership, integrity, and commitment to improving our world. The following guidelines are required for this award:

• Undergraduate student in any field of study
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership potential
• Recognized as a student with a disability by Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) and enrolled for at least one semester
• Be in good academic standing with the University and the respective Academic Department (overalll and in-major GPAs meet required standards)
• Multiple scholarships may be given annually to eligible undergraduate students.

Application Process

Interested students must complete an application on Scholarship Central.

The Robert and Mary McClelland Aspire! Ut Prosim Scholarship was established in 2014 and is given annually to an undergraduate student or students who have been an Ut Prosim Aspire! Award recipient. The scholarship is designated for students who enrich their lives through service to others and takes into account demonstrated financial need.