Walden University Awards New Scholarships to Higher Education Professionals

MINNEAPOLIS, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University today announced the first recipients of scholarships created to help foster the next generation of higher education professionals. The scholarships include one named in honor of Dr. Terry O'Banion, president emeritus of the League for Innovation in the Community College and Walden's senior advisor for higher education programs. Dr. O'Banion, along with a coalition of national community college leaders, spearheaded the development of Walden's Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Community College Leadership program, the first online program of its kind.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110112/CL29101LOGO )

Laura Hope, dean of instructional support at Chaffey College's School of Instructional Support in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., is the first recipient of the $25,000 Terry O'Banion Leadership Scholarship, awarded to a higher education professional preparing students to be successful, contributing members of the 21st century workforce. She has enrolled in the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) with a specialization in Higher Education Leadership program in the Riley College of Education and Leadership.

For more than 20 years, Hope has held various roles as a teacher and an administrator at Chaffey College. She led the development of an academic support curriculum that anticipates students' learning needs and engages them in essential critical and creative processes that prevent failure. This model has promoted an approximate 20% increase in student success and graduation, degree completion, and transfer.

"As a product of the community college, I have a deep and permanent commitment to its mission and capacity to transform people's lives the way that it transformed my own," Hope said in an essay submitted for scholarship consideration. "Most of my influence as a leader and educator has been focused on the redesign of academic support structures that foster and honor the learning process in new ways."

Stuart Wasilowski, vice president of corporate and continuing education at South Piedmont Community College, Monroe, N.C., is the first recipient of the $10,000 League for Innovation in the Community College Scholarship, awarded to an applicant employed by a community college that is a member of the League and who is making an impact in community college education. He has also enrolled in Walden's Ed.D. with a specialization in Higher Education Leadership program.

Wasilowski provides college-wide leadership of all continuing education programs offered to nearly 15,000 students annually. This division serves a diverse clientele, with the majority enrolled in technical courses provided for companies and organizations. His previous experiences as a college administrator, bank officer, community activist and elected official have contributed to his ability to provide leadership at the community college.

"Over the past 12 years, I have been deeply involved with innovation, experimentation and discovery in the higher education institutions in which I have worked," Wasilowski wrote in his scholarship essay. He added that these initiatives have "resulted in expanded opportunities for learning, collaboration, registration and revenue generation."

Three $5,000 Higher Education Excellence Scholarships have also been awarded to higher education professionals who have created initiatives that have increased student success:

• Angela Brazeal, tenure track instructor, Northeast Lakeview College, Universal City, Texas, enrolled in the Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Community College Leadership program

• Shanetta Cathey, English professor, Mildred Elley, Albany, N.Y., enrolled in the Ed.D. with a specialization in Higher Education and Adult Learning program

• Annette Mileski, director of the Teaching and Learning Center , Southwestern Michigan College, Dowagiac, Mich., enrolled in the Ed.D with a specialization in Higher Education Leadership program

The scholarship programs were first announced in March at the 14th annual conference of the League for Innovation in the Community College. More information about these scholarships is available at www.WaldenU.edu/scholarships.

About Walden University

For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 46,500 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries are pursuing their bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 55 campus-based and online universities in 28 countries.

Walden offers more than 60 degree programs with more than 300 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.

SOURCE Walden University