Spectrum - Volume 17 Issue 17 January 26, 1995 - Education Scholarship established

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Education Scholarship established

By Sandy Broughton

Spectrum Volume 17 Issue 17 - January 26, 1995

A scholarship to assist non-traditional female students in educational administration has been created by Bob and Cheryl Chambless of Munfordville, Ky., for the College of Education.

Established in honor of the late Virginia Tech President James D. McComas, the McComas-Chambless Scholarship reflects the Chambless' and McComas' dedication to improving educational leadership development for women.

The McComas-Chambless Scholarship gives preference to non-traditional female students, so that women who have been in the workforce or involved with family obligations will have the opportunity to pursue full-time graduate study in educational administration. The first recipient of the scholarship is Jennifer K. Stuart, a former elementary-school principal, now a doctoral candidate in educational administration. "This scholarship gives women who have been in the workforce the chance to resume their study and research--something we might not otherwise be able to do. I appreciate Bob and Cheryl Chambless making such a meaningful contribution to Virginia Tech and the College of Education." Stuart earned a B.S. in library science and a M.S. in guidance from Radford University. She holds a certificate of advanced graduate studies from Virginia Tech. Stuart is a native of Pulaski.

Stuart was selected for the scholarship by a committee of College of Education Educational Administration faculty members, chaired by Joan Curcio. Committee members included Glen Earthman, Claire Vaught, and Kern Alexander.

Cheryl Chambless, director of admissions at Western Kentucky University, is a 1993 Ph.D. graduate of Virginia Tech in education administration. McComas served on her dissertation committee. McComas, Tech's 13th president, was active in the field of education since he began teaching in West Virginia public schools in 1951. He continued to be involved in the field of education at Virginia Tech as a faculty member in the College of Education, student advisor, and founder of the Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. McComas retired on Jan. 1, 1994, and died of cancer shortly thereafter.

Bob Chambless, chairman of the board of the Hart County Bank and Trust Company, served as a member of the board of regents at Western Kentucky University, and shares his wife's interest in improving public schools.