The Department of English at West Virginia Wesleyan College is pleased to announce the 2004 McLaughlin Scholarships for the Study of Literature and Creative Writing. Sponsored by a generous gift from the estate of Nelle V. and M. Kathryn McLaughlin, two Pittsburgh (PA) educators and Wesleyan alumnae, four $3,000 scholarships will be awarded this year.

These scholarships are to be awarded on a competitive basis to outstanding student scholars and writers. Those interested in applying should provide the following: 1) A letter of recommendation from a high school English instructor, 2) A critical essay addressing a literary subject written by the applicant for a high school English class, 3) A high school transcript which indicates the student has an overall 3.25 Grade-Point Average (GPA) based on a 4.0 scale, and 4) If the student wishes to study creative writing, a portfolio of the student’s original poetry (six poems) or fiction or creative non-fiction (at least 5,000 words should be included).

McLaughlin scholarships are renewable for four years if the student maintains a 3.00 GPA at Wesleyan and is an active participant in department activities and events. Creative writing awardees will be expected to lend their talents to the production of the campus newspaper, The Pharos, the campus literary magazine, Vandalia, the college yearbook, Murmurmontis, The English Department Newsletter, and other campus publications.

Wesleyan’s English Department has a history of excellence and vitality. Providers of engaging and intelligent teaching, department faculty are known for their commitment to the classroom and are frequent recipients of outstanding teaching awards. The writing staff of the department includes two nationally recognized poets, Dr. Mark DeFoe, Department Chair and Professor of English, and Dr. Irene McKinney, Professor of English, Emerita, and West Virginia Poet Laureate, and the widely published novelist Richard Schmitt. In addition, each year the department brings to campus distinguished scholars and writers to share their knowledge with our majors.

English majors are strongly represented in the ranks of Wesleyan’s outstanding graduates. They are campus leaders and shapers of campus life. After graduation many go on to productive careers in education, law, and business or pursue graduate study in literature, writing and the performing arts. Each year, several students spend a semester of study and travel abroad, often in Ireland, site of the department’s guesthouse.

“We encourage exceptional students to apply for a McLaughlin Scholarship and to join us for four years of life-changing learning with Wesleyan’s Department of English,” remarked Wesleyan Director of Admission and Financial Planning Robert “Bob” Skinner.

All material should be postmarked by April 1 and addressed to:

McLaughlin Scholarship Committee
Office of Admission
West Virginia Wesleyan College
59 College Avenue
Buckhannon, WV 26201

For more information about West Virginia Wesleyan College or the Department of English, please visit www.wvwc.edu or www.wvwc.edu/aca/eng/engfront.htm.