Winifred Gahan Scholarship
Applications accepted until June 6, 2021
Winifred Gahan, beloved member of Berwyn Presbyterian Church, donated monies to the Church for the establishment of a scholarship. The Gahan scholarship is a single award for one year. Applicants may re-apply in succeeding years but there is no guarantee that if an applicant applies that they will receive an award. For consideration for the forthcoming school year, all completed applications must meet the deadline listed on the application form.
The financial planning for education is a personal matter. In today’s technology, both online resources and schools offer college-planning seminars that cover a wide range of topics. It is surprising to some, that college tuition has increased dramatically and some families are not prepared to finance college expenses. So many students search for grants (which are usually sums of money that are not required to be paid back but may have certain requirements), as is the case with some scholarships (that come with standards of performance, whether academic, athletic, collegial, humanitarian, etc.) and loans (that may or may not have conditions but are usually paid back with and without interest depending on the terms of the loan).
The purpose of the Gahan Scholarship and its requirements are unalterable (Need/ Impact, Field of Study, and Relationship to Church); however, this overview may help explain how recipients are determined. At Berwyn Presbyterian Church, the Gahan Scholarship is awarded to individuals who meet the stated criteria and for the purpose of educational opportunities in higher educational institutions or Presbyterian Gatherings. Historically, the Finance sub-committee utilized the revenues of the Gahan Scholarship in order to maintain the corpus of the account. In recent years, the economic forecast has not yielded considerable gains on the principal of the grant and the church has awarded smaller grants amounts.
Winifred Gahan stipulated that there was to be special consideration for applicants who pursue degrees in Ministry. Whereas a person may have tremendous financial need, the church does not have the resources to fund their entire education. Schools within the state make financing easier on individuals and families. Commuting from home saves housing expenses. However, some fields of study may require travel to another state, thus increasing the need for further financing. Will there be an increased need for your field of study when you graduate? Most students change their major at least once during college and returning to college after you graduate is more difficult than researching in advance. What impact will our grant have on your ability to complete your degree and will your field of study have an impact on others in your community?
If a recipient receives a scholarship but is unable to use the scholarship or is not registered at another school within a reasonable amount of time of granting the scholarship, the scholarship may be rescinded and re-deposited to the Gahan Scholarship account. Continuing scholarships must meet several criteria and demonstrate adequate yearly progress. The decision of the Session based upon the recommendations of the Gahan Scholarship Committee is final. The Gahan Scholarship Committee chair prepares the final letters to applicants regarding the outcome of their applications and the Church Treasurer sends checks directly to the school indicated on the application.
The Application Process:
The financial planning for education is a personal matter. In today’s technology, both online resources and schools offer college-planning seminars that cover a wide range of topics. It is surprising to some, that college tuition has increased dramatically and some families are not prepared to finance college expenses. So many students search for grants (which are usually sums of money that are not required to be paid back but may have certain requirements), as is the case with some scholarships (that come with standards of performance, whether academic, athletic, collegial, humanitarian, etc.) and loans (that may or may not have conditions but are usually paid back with and without interest depending on the terms of the loan).
The purpose of the Gahan Scholarship and its requirements are unalterable (Need/ Impact, Field of Study, and Relationship to Church); however, this overview may help explain how recipients are determined. At Berwyn Presbyterian Church, the Gahan Scholarship is awarded to individuals who meet the stated criteria and for the purpose of educational opportunities in higher educational institutions or Presbyterian Gatherings. Historically, the Finance sub-committee utilized the revenues of the Gahan Scholarship in order to maintain the corpus of the account. In recent years, the economic forecast has not yielded considerable gains on the principal of the grant and the church has awarded smaller grants amounts.
Winifred Gahan stipulated that there was to be special consideration for applicants who pursue degrees in Ministry. Whereas a person may have tremendous financial need, the church does not have the resources to fund their entire education. Schools within the state make financing easier on individuals and families. Commuting from home saves housing expenses. However, some fields of study may require travel to another state, thus increasing the need for further financing. Will there be an increased need for your field of study when you graduate? Most students change their major at least once during college and returning to college after you graduate is more difficult than researching in advance. What impact will our grant have on your ability to complete your degree and will your field of study have an impact on others in your community?
If a recipient receives a scholarship but is unable to use the scholarship or is not registered at another school within a reasonable amount of time of granting the scholarship, the scholarship may be rescinded and re-deposited to the Gahan Scholarship account. Continuing scholarships must meet several criteria and demonstrate adequate yearly progress. The decision of the Session based upon the recommendations of the Gahan Scholarship Committee is final. The Gahan Scholarship Committee chair prepares the final letters to applicants regarding the outcome of their applications and the Church Treasurer sends checks directly to the school indicated on the application.
The Application Process:
- The Gahan Scholarship from Berwyn Presbyterian Church offers scholarships to individuals who satisfy the stated criteria on the first two pages with the final approval by the Session.
- Each scholarship is for one year. Scholarships are available for members of the Berwyn family only.
- A completed application received by the deadline does not guarantee a scholarship. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. (Be sure to include an unofficial transcript if you have already been previously enrolled in college as your application will be considered incomplete if it is not included.)
- Please retain a copy of your application for your own records.
- All applications are due on or before the deadline date of Sunday, June 6, 2021 at noon as listed on the applications. There are three ways to submit it: :
- All email applications must be submitted by e-mail to the e-mail address provided on the application form.
- Place the printed form in a sealed envelope, clearly labeled “Gahan Scholarship” and mail it to the church.
- Place the printed form in a sealed envelope, clearly labeled “Gahan Scholarship” and drop it off into the locked drop box by door #1.
- Applicants will receive an email confirmation as receipt of their applications. Please contact Cara Luther, Gahan Scholarship Committee Chairperson, at 301-237-7702 if you do not receive confirmation of your application within 2 days of submission.
- After the Gahan Scholarship Committee reviews the applications, recommendations will be forwarded to the Finance Committee.
- The Finance Committee will review the recommendations and barring no objections, the recommendations will be forwarded to the Session for a final approval.
- Upon the Session’s decision, the Gahan Scholarship Committee chair will verify student account information and the Treasurer will issue a check directly to the School noting the student account information supplied on the application.
- Each applicant will receive a letter stating the final decision.
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