Two West Virginia University Reed College of Media online graduate students have
been awarded scholarships from the College's newly-established General IMC
Scholarship Fund.
The competitive scholarship, established in 2017 by College of Media alumni and
employees Catherine and Chad Mezera, is for students enrolled in the College’s
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and Data Marketing Communications (DMC) graduate programs. The Fund is the first and only scholarship dedicated
to online graduate students in the College of Media.
“The College is near and dear to our hearts as Cathy and I met in Martin Hall
while working together on the American Advertising Federation (AAF) competition team,” said Chad Mezera (’00, ’02),
who also serves as the College’s assistant dean of online programs. “Our
graduate students are typically young professionals just starting out in their
careers – and any financial support can be extremely meaningful.”
Adelyn Nottingham of Gaffney, South Carolina, and Amanda Schneider of Omaha, Nebraska are the inaugural recipients of the IMC scholarships.
Nottingham is a program coordinator with AmeriCorps VISTA, working with United Way of the Piedmont to alleviate poverty in Cherokee County, South Carolina. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, she lives at the poverty line in order to empathize with her clients and makes only a small living stipend.
Schneider is a marketing associate at the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, a nonprofit public health research institution, where she assists with marketing communications and design. Schneider is passionate about making a difference in her community and says that this scholarship will help aid her financial burden so she can continue to focus on her nonprofit work.
The Mezeras hope IMC graduates, instructors and industry partners will also contribute to the Fund so the scholarship can continue to grow and support more students. Scholarships will be awarded each fall.
“Now that the IMC General Scholarship Fund is established, Chad
and I hope others will join us in supporting our online students,” said
Catherine Mezera (’00, ’02) who is also a teaching assistant professor at the
College. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to help the College continue
to impact the lives and careers of these young professionals.”
The Mezeras’ contribution to the WVU Reed College of Media was made in
conjunction with A State of
Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University. The $1 billion
comprehensive campaign being conducted by the WVU Foundation on
behalf of the University runs through December 2017.
Alumni and friends who would like to make a donation to the WVU Reed College of Media should contact Director of Development Tiffany Samuels at tdsamuels@mail.wvu.edu or visit the College’s website.