Scholarship Information

The University of Texas Medical Branch School of Allied Health Sciences awarded over $100,000 in scholarship money to SAHS students last year.  Please contact the Office of Student Affairs for additional information.  Click on the Title to go to the "Criteria for Selection" for each scholarship.

Complete list of endowments and scholarship funds available at the School of Allied Health Sciences.

Departmental Academic Scholarships
    Clinical Laboratory Sciences
    Occupational Therapy
    Physical Therapy
    Physician Assistant Studies
    Respiratory Care

Dean's School of Allied Health Sciences Silver Anniversary Scholarship Endowment
   The Dean’s Competitive Academic Scholarships are made possible by the Dean through the schools silver anniversary endowment. The recipients are selected competitively on the basis of their academic performance.

Competitive Scholarship

To qualify for exemption from paying out-of-state tuition rates a student must be awarded a competitive scholarship in the amount of $1000 or more for the academic year, by an official scholarship committee or committees of the public institution of higher education they are attending.  If nonresidents or foreign students in competition with other students, including Texas residents, obtain these competitive scholarships, the students may pay the same tuition as a resident of Texas during the registration period in which the competitive scholarship is in effect. A competitive scholarship that qualifies the holder for waiver of the difference between the tuition charged to resident and nonresident students shall be awarded for the purpose of encouraging excellence in the academic program in which the student is enrolled. An institution shall not waive nonresident tuition on the basis of competitive scholarships for more than five percent of its total enrollment in the corresponding previous academic year.

For more information about competitive Scholarship qualification please either Raymond Lewis, Jr - Associate Dean of Student Affairs or Helen Rogers - Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

 

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School-wide Scholarships (available to all students) 

The Edith and Emanuel Cohen / Evelyn A Gerstein Memorial Scholarship

Established in the honor of the parents and aunt of Ms. Phyllis Jendrusch, a member of the SAHS Faculty, The Edith and Emanuel Cohen / Evelyn A Gerstein Memorial Scholarship is awarded to incoming students with a high potential for leadership and service.

The A.J. Rodriguez, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

The late A.J. Rodriguez, Jr. was an alumnus of University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences.  He received a Certificate of Proficiency as an Occupational Therapy Assistant from the SAHS and an Associate Degree from Galveston College in 1971.  In 1978, he completed a B.S. Degree in Government Management, with a concentration in The Law and The Citizen, at the University of Houston at Clear Lake.

 Adolph J. Rodriguez, Jr., "A.J." to all who knew him, exemplified all that   can be accomplished in a community by a single energetic individual who  has dedicated his life to love and service.  During his short but successful  career, the City of Galveston benefited greatly from his many endeavors.  He  was president of the Galveston Heart Association, president of the  Galveston Noon Kiwanis Club, secretary of the Galveston Boys Club, and a  member of the Galveston Board of Directors of the United Way.  He played a  major role in the establishment of the Emergency Medical Services program  in the City of Galveston, was the director of the CETA program in the  community, and was Federal Grants Coordinator for Galveston County.  Mr.  Rodriguez was a moving force behind the summer recreation program for  disadvantaged youth, and he served on the External Advisory Council for  the School of Allied Health Sciences.

A.J. was the recipient of several awards including the Kiwanian of the Year,  the Boys Club Medallion, and the Galveston Jaycees Distinguished Citizen  Award.  In addition to his tireless community service, A.J. was a devoted  father, husband, and friend.

A.J. Rodriguez was a man of character and spirit.  His faith and belief in his fellow man, the optimism and dedication with which he met life, and his tireless efforts on behalf of those less fortunate than himself form the foundation of the memorials to his life. Endowment currently stands at $15,110.00 with a $50,000 goal.

Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship

Available to all full-time junior students who have participated in community and alumni events. All life time memberships to the alumni association are deposited into the principal (or corpus). Endowment currently stands at $26,184.59 with a $100,000 goal.

Alpha Eta Society Scholarship

Funds distributed from this endowment are used to provide scholarships to full-time senior SAHS students receiving either baccalaureate or graduate degrees who are members of the UTMB chapter of the Alpha Eta Society. The endowment currently stands at $17,213.45 with a $50,000 goal.

The Arthur V. Simmang Scholarship

    The awards for the Arthur V. Simmang Scholarship are made possible from Arthur V. Simmang.  The recipients for this award are selected on the basis of their academic performance and financial need.
 

The Diane Lisa Sunshine Leonard Scholarship

The D. Lisa Sunshine Leonard Scholarship was created in 1990 to honor the  late Dr. Lisa Leonard, Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs.  Dr. Leonard was a biochemist, a talented teacher and an able administrator.  She first joined the UTMB School of Allied health Sciences as a teaching consultant in 1975.  In 1976 she became a full time member of the faculty, developing and teaching courses in Human Anatomy, Human Physiology and Neuroscience.  Before becoming Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, in 1981, she headed the Department of Humanities and Basic Sciences.

Dr. Leonard was an active member of the American Society of Allied Health  Professions and held many national and regional offices and committee  posts.  Her research activities included numerous papers and presentations  in the areas of curriculum development and evaluation, and gerontology.   She was honored several times by the School of Allied Health Sciences,  receiving awards as Outstanding Teacher and Outstanding Administrator.
 

The Dr. Eugene Kindley Memorial Scholarship

Eugene (Gene_ Kindley, Ph.D. was an educator who taught anatomy and neuroscience at UTMB's School of Allied Health Sciences from September 1995 until his death in February 1997.

In his short two-and-one-half years at the School of Allied Health Sciences, Associate Professor Eugene Kindley won the respect of administrators and faculty for as a colleague and later as director of the Humanities and Basic Sciences Division. He communicated to students his genuine concern for their development as scholars and as people, and they responded to his interest. His untimely death was a great loss to our school and to allied health education.

The SAHS established the Dr. Gene Kindley Scholarship Endowment to honor Kindley's memory in perpetuity. Income from the endowment is awarded to an eligible student in any of the school's programs after completion of the basic science portion of the curriculum. Other criteria which may be considered in awarding the scholarship are: overall grade point average in basic science courses; leadership in student government and professional organizations; community service, disadvantaged background, financial need, and commitment to ethical, compassionate, team-oriented health care. The endowment currently stands at $28,148.00 with a $50,000 goal.

The Edgar and Grace Gnitzinger Endowed Scholarship

The Edgar and Grace Gnitzinger Endowed Scholarship was established by Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Gnitzinger as grateful patients of UTMB. After a long illness, Mr. Gnitzinger passed away on February 28, 1997 and is survived by his wife Grace of 48 years.  Grace Gnitzinger has become a very special family member to this university. For the ones that have had the opportunity to know Grace, they describe her as charming, sincere and a very special friend. Grace truly cares about the University and loves her Dr. Jim Goodwin, Director for the Sealy Center on Aging and Chief of the Division of Geriatrics in Internal Medicine.  The University is extremely fortunate to have you Grace as it’s advocate and friend and one that is concerned about the healthcare for senior citizens. 

Students in their second or third year of their professional program are invited to apply for this scholarship. The faculty within each department considers the student’s academic standing with the class as well as evaluates a written essay submitted by the student. The essay is evaluated on content and quality and responds to the following issues/concerns  

1. How have your personal experiences shaped your attitude toward geriatric medicine as it relates to your profession?

2. How can your discipline enhance the quality of life and health care for older people and improve potential outcomes within this patient population?

3. What have you done/are you doing that demonstrates your commitment to serving the geriatric population?

4. What are your long term goals and how do they relate to geriatric health care?

GALVESTON NOON OPTIMIST CLUB SCHOLARSHIP

Since 1988, the Noon Optimist Club of Galveston has provided an annual scholarship for a student in the graduate program specializing in gerontology.

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR SCHOLARSHIP

The Good Neighbor Scholarship is a scholarship that exempts students from the payment of tuition and fees.  This can be quite substantial especially if they are paying out-of-state rates.  It covers 31 Nations within the American hemisphere (outside the U.S.A.) from which students may be considered.  If you are a student who may meet that criteria please contact the Office of Student Affairs before February 20 to verify eligibility.  The award is offered 2 times per year.  This is a substantial scholarship given the amount of tuition and fees students are currently paying.

The Hector P. Garcia, M.D., Cultural Competence Award

The Hector P. Garcia, M.D., Cultural Competence Award is a UTMB-wide competitive scholarship.  Students from all four schools on the UTMB campus are invited to submit an essay on the topic, “cultural competence.” 

Minnie and Ward Savage Presidential Scholarships

    This competitive academic scholarship is available to selected students within the second or third year of their professional program. A maximum of two students per department who are ranked within the top 20% of their class and consistently demonstrate an outstanding level of professionalism within their discipline/department were invited to apply for the Competitive Savage Scholarship. The SAHS Scholarship Committee evaluated a  written essay submitted by the students in order to select the recipient of this award. The essay is evaluated on content and quality and responds to the following issues/concerns:

1. What sacrifices have you made and what motivates you to achieve a high level of academic success?

2. How do you think your program will facilitate your long-term career development?

3. How have you used your academic success to enhance the learning environment within your program?

Minne and Ward Savage Scholarship #2

This academic scholarship is available to SAHS departments on an annual rotating basis. It will be offered only through faculty nomination to selected students within the second or third year of their professional program. Nominated students are ranked within the top 20% of their class and consistently demonstrate an outstanding level of professionalism within their discipline/department.

PEYTON AND LYDIA SCHAPPER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN HEALTH PROMOTION AND GERONTOLOGY

Five years ago Mr. and Mrs. Peyton A. Schapper, Jr. endowed a scholarship for students who intend a career in gerontology. The Schappers became interested in our school after attending a meeting at Galveston's Senior Center in 1993 where assistant professor Donna Philips talked about our school and our students' work with the elderly in the community.  The Schappers offered to support this effort and began to create an endowment. They were aided in their philanthropic endeavor by the corporate matching gifts policy of Marathon Oil, the company from which Mr. Schapper retired. The endowment now stands at $58,772.

Not only did the Schappers endow a scholarship in Health Promotion and Gerontology, they decided to endow a scholarship in the Department of Physical Therapy. Mr. Schapper knows about Physical Therapy more then he probably wants to know. He lives with daily back pain. The Schappers were so grateful for the Physical Therapy care Mr. Schapper received at UTMB that the Schapper Endowment for the Study of Spine Rehabilitation was established.

RALPH AND MARY JOHN SPENCE SCHOLARSHIP

This has been an award of $1400 to a student from one of the four schools who demonstrates the following attributes:

• A student in good standing
• Demonstrates superior academic performance
• Exhibits high personal and professional ethics, values and standards
• Demonstrates financial need

Nomination packets should include:

• Letter of nomination from faculty
• Copy of student’s award letter from financial aid
• Letters of recommendation regarding personal and professional ethics and standards (from faculty members, community or employers)

School of Allied Health Sciences Silver Anniversary Scholarship Endowment

Funds from this endowment are distributed at the discretion of the Dean to the programs, for scholarship awards, to be decided by program faculty. On October 11, 2000, 17 scholarships were awarded in the amount of $10,500. Currently the endowment stands at $250,000 with a goal of $1,000,000.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARD

The Student Leadership Award is presented annually through the Office of Student Affairs of the University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences. It is given in recognition of outstanding leadership within the school, their profession and in the community.

TEXAS SOCIETY OF ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (TSAHP) SCHOLARSHIP

The Texas Society of Allied Health Professions (TSAHP) will award three (3) student scholarships of $250.00 each "to allied health students who have demonstrated the highest level of service to the health professions and their community, a high level of scholastic achievement, and potential as a future health professional".  To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have successfully completed 24 semester hours, or 50% of their professional program, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.  Students may be full- or part-time.  Awardees will be honored at the TSAHP's Annual Meeting (registration fee will be waived), scheduled for October and receive a year's membership in TSAHP.  Each institutional member of TSAHP may nominate one student.

UNIVERSITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION SCHOLARSHIP

The University Federal Credit Union is Sponsoring One $500 Scholarships for the School of Allied Health Sciences

The criteria for the scholarship includes:

1.  Must be a “non – traditional student.”  Attach a cover sheet with your name, department, and a statement about how you meet one or more of the following criteria.

• Parent of a dependent child

• Pursing current program as a 2^nd career

• 30 years of age or older

2. Show evidence of financial need (attach a copy of financial need statement – receive from Financial Aid Office 1.206 Ashbel Smith)  
3.  Must have completed at least 30 credit hours with a 3.25 GPA or higher at the SAHS (attach a copy of your UTMB transcript)  
4.  Must either be a member of the UFCU or be willing to join if chosen as a recipient ($6.00 fee) & agree to have a photo in the UFCU Newsletter
5. Please include a W-9 form (Tax Identification Number) from the Federal Government.  You may pick these up from your department Scholarship Committee member or at the following web site: http://www.irs.gov/forms_pubs/forms.html  
6.  Must submit an essay entitled:

 “The Advantages of Being a Non-Traditional Student in a Professional Program of Study”

The essay should be no more than two typed pages, double-spaced in a 12 point Times New Roman or comparable font.  Your essay will be judged on content and quality.

Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Ruth Morris Scholarship

The history of CLS at the School of Allied Health Sciences begins with Ruth Morris. She joined UTMB in 1967, the year the UT Board of Regents approved creation of the SAHS. She became founding chair of the Department of Medical Technology in the new school in 1968 and served in that role for 19 years, guiding the department and the school through its important formative period. Morris retired in 1990 and is now professor emeritus. To honor Ruth Morris, the department has established the Ruth Morris Scholarship. The fund currently stands at approximately $5,417.85 with a $10,000 goal to endow the scholarship.

Department of Occupational Therapy

  The Robert K. Bing Scholars Program

In 1966, Robert K. Bing agreed to reorganize the Department of Occupational Therapy in the hospitals of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Here he established the first school of allied health in the Southwest. In 1968,he was named dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences, the first occupational therapist to receive such an appointment.

Dr. Bing has contributed to education, research, administration, recruitment, and public relations for occupational therapy. In 1981, the AOTA awarded him its highest honor, the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship. While holder of the lectureship, Dr. Bing wrote "Occupational Therapy Revisited," a thorough, thoughtful, and inspiring history of occupational therapy, from its philosophical origins in seventeenth-century England forward.

As professor emeritus, Dr. Bing maintains active involvement with the School of Allied Health Sciences, where he is a frequent lecturer for the Department of Occupational Therapy and a mentor to faculty members and students alike.

Medical professionals today recognize, more than ever before, the "inextricability of mind and body" of which Dr. Bing speaks (quoted on
front cover). And they acknowledge the critical importance of occupational therapy in restoring function and improving quality of life for people with physical and emotional disabilities. In this emerging health care environment, occupational therapists have the opportunity to create new collaborative roles and add to the rich history of the profession. The opportunity demands imagination and commitment, and the Robert K. Bing Scholars Program is designed to foster development of just such professional attitudes.

Robert K. Bing Occupational Therapy Scholars will be students who demonstrate scholarship and potential for leadership in the profession. The dollar amount of the award will be sufficient to cover the cost of tuition, books, and laboratory fees. The prestigious award will encourage students to perform at their best. It will recognize and reward those who take seriously the profession's challenge to make contributions that extend beyond satisfaction of requirements.

Income from the Robert K. Bing Occupational Therapy Scholars Program endowment will:

• pay tribute to a nationally acclaimed occupational therapist and educator, founder, and first dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

• promote and reward scholarship in occupational therapy among students who demonstrate potential for leader-ship in the field.

• attract, by virtue of the award's prestige and substance, dedicated students who will strengthen the occupational therapy program and the School of Allied Health Sciences.

• encourage students to emulate Dr. Bing's high standards of scholarship, integrity, competence, and compassion.

The endowment currently stands at $66,620 with a goal of $100,000.

The Texas Society, Daughters of the American Revolution Endowed Occupational Therapy Scholarship

This endowment was established in 1992 in partial recognition of the important contribution of occupational therapists working with American war veterans at Veteran Administration facilities. A portion of the endowment's interest is awarded annually to an occupational therapy student in excellent academic standing.  Candidates submit a letter of application with an original essay on the value of occupational therapy in the treatment of chronic illness.  The recipient is selected on the basis of the essay. 
 

Warm Springs Cornerstone Scholarships in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy

The Warm Springs Cornerstone Scholarship in Physical Therapy is awarded to Physical Therapy students who show most promise in the field of rehabilitation as demonstrated by academic achievement, scholarly interest, and performance during clinical affiliation rotations.  The Warm Springs Cornerstone Scholarship in Occupational Therapy is a merit award. Candidates who meet eligibility requirements of satisfactory grade point average are judged on the basis of some attribute or component of extraordinary achievement that may or may not be academically based.
 

Department of Physical Therapy
 
The Linda Lange Williams Memorial Scholarship

 

This award is given to a MPT student in their final year of education in the Department of Physical Therapy who has demonstrated academic excellence by maintaining a Grade Point Average of not less than 3.3 during professional studies;  who had demonstrated potential for clinical excellence in the laboratory and clinic; and who has been certified by the Office of Financial Aid as in need of monetary assistance in order to complete his or her education.  

Linda Lange Williams was born January 15, 1950 in Beaumont, Texas.  She attended public schools in Vidor, Texas and later attended Lamar University.  She was accepted into the Physical Therapy Program at the School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch in 1970 and graduated in 1971.

Linda's education was funded by scholarships such as the Neil Armstrong Easter Seal Scholarship, and she never forgot the financial help provided by others that enabled her to reach her goal of becoming a physical therapist.

Following graduation, Linda accepted a position as staff therapist at Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas in Beaumont.  She was later promoted to the position of Assistant Director and was Acting Director of Physical Therapy at the time of her death.

Linda died on April 19, 1986 at the age of thirty-six in a tragic fire that also claimed the lives of her husband, Bruce, and her son, Michael.

The Sabine District of the Texas Physical Therapy Association aided by donation from family and friends, established the Linda Lange Williams Memorial Scholarship in 1987 to honor and perpetuate her memory by aiding a student with financial needs to complete their education even as Linda herself was aided.

The Ruby Decker Professorship