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Four Morgan State University (MSU) engineering majors have been awarded full scholarships totaling a combined $296,856 from a prestigious program made available through the efforts of the Henry Luce Foundation. Marshaye A. Burley, Deborah O. Demuren, Paige J. Harvey and Jaynell S. Scott, all juniors on track to graduate in May 2018, were selected to receive Clare Boothe Luce Program (CBL) Undergraduate Scholarship grants that cover tuition and fees, insurance, room and board, books and conference travel for high-achieving young women in science, engineering or math (SEM) fields. An additional six MSU students received partial scholarship grants from the program this year.
“I have been honored just to facilitate this as Morgan’s program coordinator for the CBL scholarship,” says Monique Head, Ph.D., associate professor in Morgan’s Department of Civil Engineering. “These young ladies are exceptional and have promising careers to advance the state of practice and diversity in engineering.”
Morgan’s 2016 Luce Scholars are all bright, high-academic achievers as well as active participants in campus life and the community. Burley, from Landover, MD, is a dean’s list student in electrical engineering. She has held a part-time job to help fund her education since her freshman year and participates in a number of SEM-related extracurricular activities. Demuren is a Nigerian-American living in Bowie, MD, and is also on the dean’s list. She worked as an intern for Exelon Corporation last summer and has tutored students in math.
Harvey, a native of Springdale, MD, is a member of several professional engineering societies including Senator II for the Brink of Something Special (B.O.S.S) Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and webmaster for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (I.E.E.E). She is also a volunteer tutor for the Advancing Minority Interest in Engineering (A.M.I.E) program and a former teacher’s assistant for two introductory engineering courses at Morgan. Scott is an industrial engineering major from Rochester, MD, and conducts research in Morgan’s Physics Department as part of the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) Program. She is a member of MSU’s Chapel Choir, tutors in Morgan’s Academic Enrichment Program and is a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.
The Clare Boothe Luce Program has supported more than 1,900 women students in SEM since it awarded its first grants in 1989. According to CBL’s website, the program is “the single most significant source of private support for women in science, mathematics and engineering.”
“This is the third time Morgan students have received this prestigious award,” Dr. Head reports. Before this year, MSU had seven Clare Boothe Luce Program full scholars and 15 partial grantees.
Grace Mack, coordinator for recruitment and retention in Morgan’s School of Engineering, and Barbara Blount Armstrong, corporations and foundation officer in Morgan’s Office of Development, played large roles in the effort to secure the scholarships for Morgan’s students this year, Dr. Head says. “We also had an internal evaluation panel, which included a former recipient of the Clare Boothe Luce scholarship, to evaluate the applications.”
Through the CBL grants, Morgan State University has met the goal to increase the number of females who graduate with BS degrees in a SEM discipline and successfully compete to enter graduate programs leading to the doctoral degree or master’s degree in SEM disciplines.
The Morgan State University Foundation administers the scholarship funds awarded to Morgan students by the Luce Program.
Morgan’s 2016 Clare Boothe Luce Program Scholarship Recipients
Full Scholars
Marshaye A. Burley, Electrical Engineering
Deborah O. Demuren, Electrical Engineering
Paige J. Harvey, Electrical Engineering
Jaynell S. Scott, Industrial Engineering
Partial Grantees
Kalah Cross, Industrial Engineering
Favour Ihekweme, Industrial Engineering
Tiara Hinton, Chemistry
Nakiarah Johnson, Electrical Engineering
Sierra Johnson, Electrical Engineering
Avian Richardson, Industrial Engineering
