MCU’s Briana Blackwelder Scholarship Fund
MCU’s Briana Blackwelder Scholarship Fund
MCU believes that all individuals who seek midwifery education should be able to access it. Unfortunately, too often, this is not a reality, and midwifery education, along with the midwifery profession at-large, suffers without diverse communities and representation. We want to continue to be the change we wish to see in the midwifery community; therefore, we have created an initiative to advance social justice, anti-racism, anti-oppression and equity efforts within our college and the midwifery profession at large.
Briana Blackwelder is an MCU graduate and friend of MCU who left this earth at the tender age of 28. Listen and learn from Briana as she shares her own philosophy about birth. In honor of Briana’s wisdom and personal philosophy, MCU offers two scholarships that provide tuition relief:
- Social Justice and Health Equity Scholarship; and
- Equal Access Scholarship.
With these scholarships, MCU strives to advance our goals by ensuring inclusive representation and support of diverse social identities and locations in midwifery education.
Recipients of Full award scholarships will receive three semesters of tuition relief (i.e. tuition waivers) per year with the option for continuation of the scholarship, based upon continued eligibility, for up to four years of tuition relief. Recipients of Single-Term award scholarships will receive tuition relief for a single term and is not renewable.
These scholarships are designed to provide relief for the obtainment of either the BSM degree, or can be applied toward progression in the MSM program. Members of the MCU faculty, staff, and board are ineligible for consideration for MCU scholarships.
Applications
Applications (both new and renewal) will be accepted annually between September 1st and November 1st of every year. All scholarships are subject to the availability of funds. Current matriculating MCU students are eligible to be awarded a full scholarship which covers up to twelve terms during their time at MCU. All students, including newly enrolled students, are eligible to receive single term awards and can be awarded a maximum of three single term awards, not to be awarded consecutively, during their tenure with MCU. Applications must be received by the deadline as published in order to be reviewed within the awarding period by MCU’s Scholarship Committee. Applicants will receive an “Acceptance” or “Denial” email no later than 45 days after the application deadline. If the student is denied, they may reapply for the next open award period.
In order to create an equitable and fair scholarship, all applications for MCU scholarships will be scored based on the scholarship rubric.
All decisions by MCU’s Scholarship Committee are final, and any attempts by applicants or others outside of the committee to lobby or persuade the committee during the process will result in immediate disqualification of the student to receive scholarship funds for the term applied. Any MCU staff member found attempting to lobby or persuade the committee will be found in violation of MCU’s Code of Conduct and will be subject to sanctions, up to and including termination.
Awarding
- All awards are subject to available funding levels, which may change during MCU’s fiscal year. The awarding process may occur throughout the fiscal year.
- MCU scholarship(s) are awarded by a committee. In most cases, eligibility is determined from institutional data contained in admission records, financial aid records, academic records, demonstration of financial need, personal statement(s), etc.
Eligibility
New Applicants
- Full award: Open to matriculated MCU students who have successfully completed at least two trimesters with a minimum average of 6 completed credits per trimester for that last two trimesters, not including trimesters wherein a student was on a timeout or a leave of absence
- Single Award: Open to all matriculated MCU students including those newly enrolled.
- All applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. Newly enrolled students must show evidence of a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 in either their high school or most recent post-secondary transcripts.
New Applicant Materials:
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Statement of Financial Need
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Personal Statement (200 word minimum – 500 word maximum, double-spaced): detailing students goals as a practicing midwife and how they plan to impact marginalized populations.
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Academic plan detailing expected program completion.
Renewal Applicants
- Must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5.
- Must maintain a minimum average of 6 completed credits per trimester, not including trimesters wherein a student was on a timeout or a leave of absence.
Renewal Applicant Materials:
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Personal Statement of Progression (800 word maximum limit, double-spaced) detailing:
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What they’ve learned thus far in the program
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How that will translate to positively impacting marginalized populations
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Graduation Plan detailing time to completion, expected graduation, etc.
NOT Eligible
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Current MCU Board of Directors and employees or family members of Board of Directors or employees are ineligible to receive scholarship funds.
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Students who have failed to comply with MCU’s policies and procedures, including but not limited to multiple violations (2 or more) of the Code of Conduct and Academic Misconduct will not be considered.
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The student must not currently be nor have been on academic probation in the previous 90 days of the application.
Scholarship Application Rubric
Eligibility
- New Applicants: Meets ☐ Does Not Meet* ☐
- Full award: Open to matriculated MCU students who have successfully completed at least 2 trimesters with a minimum average of 6 completed credits per trimester, not including trimesters wherein a student was on a timeout or a leave of absence.
- Single Award: Open to all matriculated MCU students including those newly enrolled.
- All applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. Newly enrolled students must show evidence of a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 in either their high school or most recent post-secondary transcripts.
- Renewal Applicants: Meets ☐ Does Not Meet* ☐
- Must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5.
- Must maintain a minimum average of 6 completed credits per trimester, not including trimesters wherein a student was on a timeout or a leave of absence.
*=If applicant does not meet eligibility criteria, please do not proceed with scoring/ranking beyond this page. The student will be notified their application was not reviewed because it does not meet the eligibility minimum.