WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 6, 2019 — Liberal Arts majors at West Liberty University are eligible for growing scholarships and can count on expert faculty as mentors as they complete their degrees.
“Our students often are surprised to find that they qualify for financial assistance. We want them to know that the College of Liberal Arts cares about its students and continues to work hard to keep college affordable,” said Dr. Gerard NeCastro, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
“We work with the WLU Financial Aid Department and distribute many competitive awards every semester,” he added. “Many of these scholarships not only provide dollars toward tuition but offer internships and other career opportunities.”
Social Work scholarships for example are tied to placement for senior fieldwork and for some students, a guaranteed a position when they graduate. Social Work students can apply for scholarships and gain an internship that gives them hands-on experience with the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), pays for part of their tuition in their senior year, and guarantees them a position when they graduate.
“From where I sit, the greatest need we have as a college, is more money for scholarships and we at the College of Liberal Arts want students considering a major in one of our departments to know that we are here to help them not just with academics but with financial matters,” he said.
“Dr. NeCastro has done a great job supporting his students and helping them find financial assistance when needed and we work hard to be accessible,” Katie Cooper, director of Financial Aid. “We welcome one-on-one counseling.
The Financial Aid office is open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and is located in the Enrollment Center, Shaw Hall.
Some of the scholarships available to College of Liberal Arts students are:
- Cory Hewitt Memorial Scholarship, $500 tuition scholarship for a junior or senior Criminal Justice major.
- David T. Javersak College of Liberal Arts Scholarship Fund
- Five $500 yearly scholarships for students majoring in English, Criminal Justice, Social Science (concentration in History or Geography & Planning), and Social Work
- Kenneth B. McMillen Social Science Scholarship, $1,000 scholarship for a Social Science major’s third year and potentially fourth year.
- Kenneth R. Nodyne Scholarship, $2,000 scholarship payable over four years for a major in Social Science Education or a History concentration within the Social Sciences degree program.
- Nancy Smith-Harris ’36 Scholarship, $1,500 scholarship for an English major.
- Northwood Health Systems Tuition Payment Program, students pursuing a degree in Social Work work at Northwood while earning their degree, making them eligible for $15,000 in aid.
- Raymond G. Hughes Memorial Scholarship, awarded to one student majoring in English during his or her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th academic year. The award amount will change each year.
Majors in the College of Liberal Arts include Criminal Justice, English Education, Geography and Planning, Comics Study, History, Literature, Social Studies Education, Social Work, and Writing & Rhetoric. WLU also has an online master’s degree in criminology.
For more information, please contact Financial Aid at 304.336.8016 or Dr. NeCastro at 304.336.8061.
