APSU's Reagan Giving Circle awards eight scholarships
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – During a special luncheon on April 30, the Austin Peay State University Reagan Giving Circle presented scholarships to eight female APSU students. The scholarship recipients were Leah Grubb, Sarah Elliott, Caity Purcell, Hannah Evans, Ariana Jelson, Hailey Reeve, Lauren Maki and Alyssa Albright.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – During a special luncheon on April 30, the Austin Peay State University Reagan Giving Circle presented scholarships to eight female APSU students. The scholarship recipients were Leah Grubb, Sarah Elliott, Caity Purcell, Hannah Evans, Ariana Jelson, Hailey Reeve, Lauren Maki and Alyssa Albright.
The University established the Reagan Giving Circle in November of 2011 to honor the entrepreneurial spirit of Dr. Carmen Reagan, the first female dean of the APSU College of Business and an influential community leader, volunteer and philanthropist.
The purpose of the Circle is to cultivate women as philanthropic leaders, create new and substantial funding for the University via the support of women and identify opportunities emphasizing the educational enrichment of women.
Each year, APSU recognizes a local woman who exemplifies the spirit of the Circle by presenting her with the APSU Women in Philanthropy Award. This year’s award went to Hazel Irwin. For 20 years, Irwin served as Director of Business Services at APSU, where she saw first-hand how difficult it was for some students to pay for their education. When she retired in 1988, a grateful Business Office staff established the Hazel Irwin Presidential Emerging Leaders Scholarship, and she happily spent the next 30 years contributing to this scholarship.
When her husband, Dr. Edward Irwin, passed away in January 2013, she knew the best way to honor his memory was to support the students they both loved so much. She soon established the Dr. Edward Irwin Endowment, which would become the largest endowed scholarship within the APSU Honors Program.
Joan DeWald received the first APSU Women in Philanthropy Award in 2013, and Dee Boaz was presented with the award in 2014.
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Photo cutline: From left, Ginna Holleman, Kathy Ellis, Sarah Elliott, Caity Purcell, Hannah Evans, Dr. Carmen Reagan, APSU President Alisa White, Ariana Jelson, Hailey Reeve, Lauren Maki, Alyssa Albright and Niesha Wolfe. (Photo by Beth Liggett/APSU).