Campus News
Awards Night 2020 Unveils Two New Scholarships Burman presented 96 scholarships and awards that totaled $181,740. Diane Southcott, director of donor and alumni relations, reports that two new scholarships were added to the roster this year: The Service Scholarship for Education Majors and the Edith Fitch Memorial Volunteer Scholarship.
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n mid-March, Burman University encouraged all students to return to their places of permanent residence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the annual Awards Night, recognizing student excellence, took place on March 26 as scheduled—only in a unique format. The entire program was run by live stream on the university website and was well-attended (virtually, of course) by students, faculty, staff, and community members.
President emeritus J. D. Victor and Gem Fitch established the Edith Fitch Memorial Volunteer Scholarship. This scholarship honours Victor’s sister Edith’s life of service through eight years of teaching in the public school system followed by 33 years in Adventist education.
The Service Scholarship for Education Majors, new this year, acknowledges and encourages volunteerism in the community as a habit of life and awards five students $1,000 each every year.
This annual $1,000 scholarship was established to recognize a student who, while pursuing fulltime studies, is actively involved in volunteer activities either on or off-campus.
The anonymous donor writes, “Contributing to the community results in increased skills, selfconfidence, and self-esteem. People who are active in their local community are known to experience positive physical and mental health benefits as they provide needed support for various causes. Each weekend Burman students faithfully serve in their churches, neighbourhoods, and schools. This scholarship acknowledges this selfless service.” Students applying for this scholarship must identify and describe the service projects they have been involved in. Those scoring highest in service will be the successful candidates.
President and Mrs. Fitch explain, “In addition to teaching, volunteering in the church and community was always integral to Edith’s life. After retirement, she volunteered for almost 20 years in the archives department of Burman University for a total of over 20,000 hours.”
“Awarding student excellence is a great honour. Each year our outstanding students receive the acknowledgement they deserve because of our many donors who have firmly committed to strengthen Burman’s mission. We are so very grateful for their generous and whole-hearted support.” President Loren Agrey Alumni—keep in touch at www.burmanu.ca Although presenters and recipients were separated by hundreds to thousands of miles, the annual Awards Night was carefully crafted to be a very personal event. Via the Zoom streaming service, awardees were recognized for both academic and service achievements with the added benefit of families and friends joining the festivities. 15
