Townsend Memorial Scholarship

Each year the Alumni Association of UMHB awards the Townsend Memorial Scholarships to needy and deserving students. The scholarships are preferably but not exclusively for children and relatives of alumni and former students. Scholarships are awarded for a full academic year: re-application is required for renewal.

A standing committee appointed by the Alumni Association president reviews the applications, determines the number of scholarships to be given for that particular year, decides the amount of each scholarship and names the recipients. The committee works with the Financial Aid office to determine the needs of the applicants.

The scholarships are made possible by a trust left in the will of E.G. and Elli Moore Townsend. Dr. Townsend served in various positions as vice president, dean and head of the religion department of the university from 1901 until 1947. Mrs. Townsend, an 1879 graduate of Baylor College located at Independence, was the founder of the Alumni Association and of the Cottage Home System which sought to provide means for needy young ladies to work and study. Ely Pepper Dormitory was the first permanent structure in that system, housing girls who worked at jobs on campus to earn their room and board. Mrs. Townsend was a crusader for education for women when that idea was not popular, as well as a leader in raising scholarship funds when education was considered a luxury for the well-to-do. She advanced the cause of Christian education by decades.

Applications shall be submitted no later than January 13, 2012.