Named scholarships & funds
When it comes to earning a college degree, the greatest obstacle can be funding.
For this reason, The University of Akron is pleased for the opportunity each year to assist talented, deserving students achieve their dreams, thanks to more than 1,300 named scholarships established through the kindness and generosity of thousands of °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ alumni and friends, corporations, and foundations.
Scholarships truly are the best way to ensure that today’s students persist to graduation. Scholarships allow students to enroll full time and remain focused on their studies; they also reduce drop-out rates, decrease the stress of student loans, and shorten the road to graduation.
If you are interested in making a significant contribution to student success, please consider a gift to scholarships. You may also establish a named scholarship at The University of Akron, which can be created to honor a living person, in memory of a loved one, or to contribute to the growth of an area of study.
To learn more, please contact the Department of Development at 330-972-7238.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
This is not the page to apply for scholarships.
Students who want to apply for scholarships should visit the scholarship page on the Financial Aid site. You can find the link for the online application here.
The Department of Development does not accept applications for or distribute scholarships. Scholarships are distributed through the University’s Office of Student Financial Aid.
Search for a Named Scholarship
Pakenham, Dr. Kenneth J. Memorial Endowed Scholarship
The Dr. Kenneth J. Pakenham Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in January 2020 by Pamela McCarthy in memory of her husband, Dr. Kenneth Pakenham. After teaching for three decades, Dr. Pakenham retired from The University of Akron in 2010 as Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of English, where he taught linguistics and English as a Second Language. He also served as director and an instructor for the English Language Institute.
Dr. Pakenham, a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) with master’s degrees from the University of Essex and the University of Leeds (U.K.), was the author of Expectations: Language and Reading Skills for Students of ESL (Prentice Hall), and three editions of Making Connections: Skills and Strategies for Academic Reading (Cambridge University Press). His wife, Pam McCarthy (1970, 1989), and twins, Michael (2011) and Kate (2011) Pakenham, are all University of Akron graduates.
With its inception in 2020, this scholarship commemorates The University of Akron’s 150th Sesquicentennial Anniversary.
The Dr. Kenneth J. Pakenham Memorial Endowed Scholarship is open to students majoring in English, with first consideration given to those pursuing a certificate in Linguistic Studies or Teaching English as a Second Language. Academic merit and financial need will also be considered. Scholarship assistance will be applied directly to the recipient’s student account and may be used to cover costs of tuition and fees. Recipients and scholarship amounts will be determined by the Department of English.
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