Elizabethtown College is in the process of establishing the W. Wesley McDonald Memorial Scholarship to commemorate Dr. W. Wesley McDonald, an Elizabethtown College professor in the political science department who passed away on Sept. 9 of this year.

According to Director of Major Gifts Marty Thomas-Brummé, the scholarship is “not [entirely] developed at this point.” He said that in most cases, donors have the power to decide what the qualifications of an applicant must be in order to receive the scholarship.  However, he said that this situation is an exception, since there will be many different donors.  Instead, the plan is that those developing the fund will consult with McDonald’s wife in order to figure out exactly how a student will qualify.  “We would develop that after [the funds are raised],” Thomas-Brummé said. He did, however, mention one concrete prerequisite for applicants, namely that they must demonstrate financial need.  There is also the consideration that a certain amount of money needs to be allocated to a fund in order for it to be an official scholarship fund. According to Thomas-Brummé, the minimum amount for establishing one tends to be $25,000, four percent of which goes directly to the recipient of the award. Potential donors currently are being identified and contacted.  Thus far, several donors have shown enough interest to cover roughly half of that minimum amount.

McDonald’s obituary, which is published on Lancaster Online, requests funds for the scholarship instead of flowers.  It also lists the College’s Office of Development as the address for the donations.  In addition, any individuals who want to donate to the scholarship can also access an online form at the Office of Institutional Advancement’s page via the Elizabethtown College website.