Dr. W. T. McElheny Memorial Endowed Scholarship

This endowed scholarship was established to honor the memory of Dr. W.T. McElheny. During his 33 years at UNA, he made a lasting impact on countless young men and women. “Dr. Mac” and his wife came to Florence, Alabama in 1950, he was the Director of Student Personnel for what was then Florence State Teachers College. He retired in 1983 as Vice President for Student Affairs. In the intervening years, his accomplishments included establishment of the counseling center and placement service, bringing Greek organizations to campus, and development of the Summer Orientation and Advance Registration (SOAR) program. He helped plan and design the “Towers” complex- Rivers and Rice men’s and women’s dormitories and their cafeteria- Bennett Infirmary, the first apartments for married students, and the Student Union Building. His responsibilities encompassed all aspects of student life, including residence halls, student government, food services and campus organizations. During his tenure at UNA, Dr. Mac received numerous professional honors. In addition to the Outstanding service Award, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters and Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 1983.
Recipients of this scholarship shall be graduates of the UNA College of Education, who attended the College of Education for all or substantially all of their undergraduate courses while maintaining at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and shall be enrolled full-time in the College of Education as a first-year graduate student.