Scholarship Information

Procedures for Selecting and Awarding Scholarships

1. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships using application forms obtained through the Office of Student Financial Assistance at Western Kentucky University. A listing of business majors who have applied for scholarships is routed to the Ford College committee for selection of awardees. Scholarship recipients are chosen during the late spring or early summer for upcoming academic years.
2. Candidates will be evaluated and recommended for awards by the College of Business scholarship committee, a standing committee which evaluates and recommends awards for this and other scholarship funds under the direction of the College of Business. The scholarship committee is comprised of faculty members in the College of Business and is subject to the rules and procedures of the College of Business. Recommendations for the awarding of scholarships are sent to the Dean of the College. To receive the Charles B. and Anita Hardin McDole Endowed Scholarship, the nominee must receive the full endorsement of the Dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business. The College of Business Administration Scholarship Committee may designate an amount of funds to be awarded at the discretion of the Dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business.
3. Candidates will be evaluated as individuals. That is, though there are at present five departments in the College of Business, there is no intent to allocate one-fifth, or any portion of the funds available for distribution among the departments. Furthermore the McDole Scholarships will be awarded to students within the College of Business as the College is structured at the time of the award. Students enrolled in departments, schools, disciplines, or programs that previously existed in the College at the date of the creation of the McDole Scholarship Endowment but are part of the College at the time of disbursement are eligible for scholarships.
4. Candidates must be full-time, undergraduate or graduate students at Western Kentucky University.
5. Candidates must have a major declared in one of the programs administered by the Gordon Ford College of Business on the first day of the semester for which the scholarship is awarded.
6. Scholarships may be awarded for one semester only or for more than one semester. Multiple semester scholarships may be awarded only if the recipient maintains: a) status as a full-time student b) academic good standing as determined by the University and the College c) financial good standing with the University business office.
7. The general criteria for selecting and awarding McDole Endowed Scholarships may be changed or be amended from time to time upon written notice from the Dean of the College in consultation with the Vice President for Academic Affairs but no more than once annually. Any changes in the specific criteria must comply with the terms of the McDole Trust and with the General criteria stated above. 

GFCB Scholarships

Evelyn F. Knicely Scholarship

1. Student must be a junior or senior pursuing a degree in Business Administration (Gordon Ford College of Business).
   
   
2. Student must have relatively high academic performance at the college level.
   
   
3. Student must demonstrate a need for financial assistance.
   
   
4. Nominations for this award will be made by the Dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business to the University Scholarship Committee.
   
   Appropriation: $600.00 (one award)

Gordon Smith and Thomas G. Smith Scholarship Fund

Awards to be given to worthy students pursuing educational objectives leading to careers in the general field of business. Emphasis is to be directed toward individuals preparing for leadership roles in business, either administrative or technological. The Department of Business Administration makes recommendations to the University Scholarship Committee as to recipients.

Appropriation: $1,500.00 (three @ $500)

Mildred B. Rhoads Scholarship Fund

1. Scholarships are to be awarded to deserving students enrolled in the Gordon Ford College of Business.
   
   
2. Awards are to be made by the University Scholarship Committee working closely with the Gordon Ford College of Business and the College Heights Foundation.

Appropriation: $4,500.00 (nine @ $500)

Clyde B. Cates Scholarship Fund

1. Scholarships are to be awarded to deserving students enrolled in the Gordon Ford College of Business.
   
   
2. Awards are to be made by the University Scholarship Committee working closely with the Gordon Ford College of Business and College Heights Foundation.
   
   
3. Awards are to be made on an equitable basis among all departments within the College.
   
   
4. To be considered for the award, students must demonstrate potential for academic success, possess the personal qualities deserving of an award made in the name of Mrs. Cates, and show evidence of financial need. Selections are to be made without regard to classification and may be renewable at the discretion of the University Scholarship Committee.

Appropriation: $2,500.00 (five @ $500)

Byron N. Wilson Scholarship

Recipient should be a deserving student working toward a degree in the Gordon Ford College of Business. Financial need is to be a consideration and student should be of junior or senior classification.

Appropriation: $500.00

J. Murray and Ruth P. Hill Memorial Scholarship

Recipients of the J. Murray and Ruth P. Hill Memorial Scholarship are to be enrolled in areas of study that were a part of the rich heritage and history of the Bowling Green Business University--our sister institution which merged with Western in 1963. Students selected for the award must have demonstrated potential for academic success, must have need for financial assistance, and must possess the personal qualities which merit the honor of being selected. The awards will be made by the University Scholarship Committee in cooperation with the Dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business .

Appropriation: $500.00

The Charles B. and Anita Hardin McDole Scholarship

The Charles B. and Anita Hardin McDole Endowed Scholarship Fund was created by the provisions of a testamentary trust. According to the terms of the trust, the Bowling Green Business University (the Gordon Ford College of Business of Western Kentucky University, as a successor) will receive two-thirds of the trust assets for the purpose of establishing a permanently endowed scholarship fund.

The trust document did not specify the amount of the scholarship, the duration of the scholarship awards, or whether the recipients are limited to undergraduate or graduate students in the Gordon Ford College of Business. Scholarship recipients must be enrolled in the Gordon Ford College of Business and must demonstrate some measure of financial need.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Karla Scherer Foundation Scholarship

Scholarships are available to interested female students majoring in Finance or Economics with plans for a corporate business career in the private sector. Details on this scholarship opportunity can be found at the Karla Scherer Foundation website.