2023 Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship

APPLY HERE 

The Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship is designed to financially support outstanding West Virginia residents to pursue and complete a graduate degree from a West Virginia institution of higher education or an accredited higher education institution outside of the State, but within the United States. Moreover, the spirit of this merit award is to honor Mrs. Ruby McQuain’s legacy of service to the state of West Virginia by investing in residents who:

• Have a strong undergraduate and/or graduate academic record and the promise to succeed in a graduate program. 
  
• Are committed to scholarly study or professional work that may potentially   address the greatest needs of West Virginia and its citizens. 
  
• Have a documented record of public service. 
  
• Have demonstrated active leadership involvement. 

About Hazel Ruby McQuain

Hazel Ruby McQuain, a business woman and benefactor, was born Hazel Lera Robinson on March 22, 1909, in Coshocton, Ohio, where she grew up with six siblings. She graduated from Rosco High School at age 17, and three months later, she married John Wesley Ruby in 1926.

Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Ruby bought a small grocery store in Newcomerstown, Ohio, which she managed while he worked at Sterling Faucet Co. In 1940, they moved to Morgantown, WV, where J.W. Ruby was put in charge of the Sterling Plant. He became the owner after World War II and operated it until he sold it in 1968.

They soon became involved in numerous endeavors, including agriculture, mining, road paving, poultry processing, feed mills, and raising racehorses and miniature schnauzers. Hazel worked seven days a week when Mr. Ruby was beginning his business ventures. Mr. Ruby died in 1972. After his death, Hazel served as president of Ruby Enterprises, Inc. She later turned her interests toward community service. In 1981, she was remarried to J. Burl “Mac” McQuain.

Hazel Ruby McQuain was devoted to the community development of Morgantown and its surrounding areas. She was a member of numerous local organizations and was active in Wesley United Methodist Church. Her generous contribution provided funds to organize the Morgantown Hospice in 1983. A hybrid alumna of West Virginia University, Fairmont State College and Alderson-Broaddus College in Phillipi, she was a faithful and generous supporter of all three institutions.

Her donations to Morgantown and WVU established programs, recreational facilities, and university chairs. Due to her generous contribution to its development in memory of her husband, Ruby Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1988, is named in his honor. Her generosity also extended to Monongalia General Hospital. Late in life, Hazel was a benevolent supporter of the development of the riverfront. The riverfront park in the Wharf District bears her name.

Hazel Ruby McQuain died June 2002, in Morgantown. Her generosity and support of this community will forever be remembered and appreciated.

Award Information

The Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship will provide up to two years of financial support for master’s degree scholarship recipients and three years of financial support for doctoral degree scholarship recipients. The following benefits will be provided to scholarship recipients who enroll in a graduate program at a West Virginia institution of higher education or an accredited higher education institution outside of the State, but within the United States.     

• Annual scholarship in the amount of $20,000 will be payable to the higher education institution for the benefit of the scholarship recipient.  The annual scholarship will be payable in two equal installments (fall and spring) for those institutions which function on a semester system or three equal installments for institutions which function on a quarter system (fall, winter, spring). In no situation will the annual scholarship exceed $20,000 and/or a grand overall total of $40,000 over two years for master’s degree scholarship recipients and $60,000 over three years for doctoral degree scholarship recipients.

Applicant Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Exemplify the legacy of Hazel Ruby McQuain’s commitments of service to the people of West Virginia.
• Have a documented record of the public service
• Demonstrated active leadership involvement
• Be a US citizen or permanent resident
  
• Online and/or hybrid academic programs will not be considered. 
  
• Be a West Virginia resident, have significant ties to West Virginia, or be dedicated to the betterment of lives of West Virginia citizens. West Virginia resident is defined as individuals who a) graduated from a West Virginia high school or b) graduated from a four-year regionally accredited public or private higher education institution in West Virginia. 
  
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (undergraduate and/or graduate) from a regionally accredited higher education institution. Applicants applying for a master's degree scholarship cannot have previously earned a graduate degree.o Applicants applying for a doctoral degree scholarship must include their graduate academic transcript, if applicable, for consideration for the doctoral scholarship.
  
• Have applied and been accepted to an on-campus, full-time graduate degree program at a regionally accredited higher education institution within the United States.
  
• Professional doctoral degree programs (e.g., DDS, EdD, JD, MD, Pharm.D, D.PT., etc.) are not covered by this scholarship.
  
• A priority of the Scholarship is to both promote and support students who are new enrollees to a graduate program (beginning summer or fall semester/quarter).  Applicants currently or previously enrolled in a graduate program seeking a master’s degree scholarship will not be given priority.

 Application Process

Eligible applicants must complete the online application form by Sunday, March 19, 2023 no later than 11:59 pm. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to assure their recommenders submit letters by the recommender deadline. Applications lacking recommendations submitted by the deadline will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

Online applications will require PDF copies of the five items listed below: 

• Copy of graduate school/program acceptance letter
  
• Resume or curriculum vitae 
  
• Unofficial high school transcript, if available (official transcript will be required if applicant is selected for a scholarship)
  
• All unofficial college transcripts (official transcripts will be required if applicant is selected for a scholarship) Personal statement (no more than 500 words) that outlines the applicant’s qualifications for the scholarship with an emphasis on their record of public service and active leadership involvement, intended field of graduate study, their long-range professional goals, and specifically how their graduate program of study will contribute to the State of West Virginia for the betterment of West Virginians. 
  
• Personal statement (no more than 500 words) that outlines the applicant’s qualifications for the scholarship with an emphasis on their record of public service and active leadership involvement, intended field of graduate study, their long-range professional goals, and specifically how their graduate program of study will contribute to the State of West Virginia for the betterment of West Virginians.
  
• Three letters of recommendation (see below)
  

Three letters of recommendation: one must be from a faculty member, one must be from a community service organization the applicant served, and a third letter must be from an individual significantly qualified to address the applicant’s specific qualifications and characteristics for the scholarship. Each recommendation must detail how the scholarship applicant meets the scholarship overview, eligibility requirements, and specifically address the public service and active leadership involvement criteria. 

All recommendation letters must be formatted as PDF files and be directly submitted by the recommender to HRMgraduatescholarship@mail.wvu.edu by Thursday, March 23, 2023, no later than 11:59 pm. Completed and/or incomplete applications received after this date and time will not be considered. Incomplete applications include letters of recommendation submitted directly by the recommender received past the deadline.

Selection Process

Members of the Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship Selection Committee will review each application. This committee is comprised of faculty and administrative representatives from five different institutions of higher education in West Virginia. As the administrator of the Scholarship, West Virginia University Office of Graduate Education and Life will be one of the five representatives of the Selection Committee. Award selections will be based on the quality of the submitted information. The selection process is a holistic review of each applicant. 

Attention will be given to applicants’ undergraduate and/or graduate academic record, personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Special attention will be paid to applicants’ record of public service, active leadership involvement, and how the graduate program of study will contribute to the State of West Virginia for the betterment of West Virginians. All deadlines are firm and applicants should carefully examine the rules for submission detailed above and work with their recommenders to assure timely receipt of all application materials. The selection process will be completed during the first week of May, 2023 with notice provided to each applicant during the second week of May, 2023.