Recipients of the John H. and Jane W. Donaldson Endowed Memorial Scholarship for Master of Arts in Teaching students were honored at a luncheon with the Donaldson family. Left to right, row 1: Myranda Creech, Rachel Bibb, Eileen Donaldson, Katherine Holland, Alena Carter; row 2: Kristi Whitehead, Leandra Cleveland, Melissa Minton, Susan Hinton; row 3: James Shields, Harry Donaldson, Katie Donaldson, Kelly Donaldson, John Donaldson. Not present: Melody Dickhut, Casey Fisher, Hayley Thrash.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Twelve students who have committed to a demanding teacher preparation program in the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions have received some crucial support, thanks to the generosity of a UA alumnus. The college hosted a luncheon recently to introduce recipients of the John H. and Jane W. Donaldson Endowed Memorial Scholarship to the Donaldson family.

A 1938 graduate of the college, Col. John H. Donaldson understood the importance of higher education to his later success. Before his death in 2002, he established the scholarship fund through an estate gift, saying that "The degree I earned from the university opened up a lot of doors for me, so I felt like I should do something for them."

The Donaldson Scholarship supports academically qualified students during their yearlong Master of Arts in Teaching internship. Since the master's program requires a full-time internship in the classroom with a teacher-mentor, in addition to graduate course work, students are unable to hold part-time jobs to meet tuition or living expenses. Because graduates of the Master of Arts in Teaching program are well prepared to succeed in the classroom, public schools from throughout Arkansas and surrounding states consistently recruit them as teachers.