The recent creation of one representative group for Emporia State non-faculty employees has resulted in a new scholarship gift agreement with the ESU Foundation.
Effective Jan. 1, the elected representatives of both Unclassified Professional and University Support Staff senates ratified a new set of bylaws for the ESU Staff Senate. This move came after months of collaboration between both senates to create a single shared governance group.
Since 1987, the ESU’s Classified Employees (later known as University Support Staff) have spearheaded fundraising efforts in support of scholarships to support dependent children of staff members. This has become a proud tradition as the efforts of these creative and hardworking employees have built up their scholarship endowment to a June 30, 2021, market value of $76,210.58.
On Feb. 8, leaders of the ESU Staff Senate signed a new gift agreement with the ESU Foundation that established the new ESU Hourly Staff Dependent/Child Scholarship.
“We are pleased to continue to support our hourly employees in this way,” said Douglas Cushenbery, equipment mechanic in University Facilities. Cushenbery served as president of University Support Staff Senate before becoming co-president of ESU Staff Senate after the merger. “We also welcome a larger pool of possible recipients by extending this opportunity to both support staff and unclassified professionals.”
Cushenbery signed the new gift agreement along with Greg Larson, project manager in Information Technologies who served as president of Unclassified Professional Senate and now serves as co-president of Staff Senate. Also at the signing were Debra Ritters, administrative assistant in The Teachers College Office of Field Placement and Licensure, and Josh Jenek, technology support consultant in the Memorial Union. Both served as vice presidents of University Support Staff Senate and now serve as vice presidents of Staff Senate.
Isaac Cushenbery, the 2021-22 recipient of the scholarship, was unable to attend the signing. He recorded a video, however, to share his appreciation for the scholarship. It can be viewed on ESU’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/4Og3qafUmwM.
The new scholarship has two criteria:
- The recipient must a child or dependent of a non-faculty ESU employee who is paid an hourly wage.
- The recipient must be enrolled at least half time and be in good academic standing, with a minimum grade point average of 2.50.
Applications for the 2022-23 academic year currently are open. Application is available within the ESU Scholarship Library at https://emporia.scholarships.ngwebsolutions.com/. Complete the ESU General Scholarship Application first, then the ESU Hourly Staff Dependent/Child Scholarship Application will appear for qualified applicants. The deadline to apply is April 30.