Dr. Kenneth Swan of Paragould has provided a major gift to Arkansas State University to endow a scholarship fund for outstanding high school graduates entering ASU from three Northeast Arkansas counties.

In 1995, Dr. Swan established the Mary L. Swan Memorial Scholarship in memory of his wife of nearly 40 years, Mary L. (Haynes) Swan.

Since that time, Dr. Swan has provided annual gifts to support the scholarship fund. The recent gift raises the fund to endowment level.

Mrs. Swan was a graduate of Walnut Ridge High School and a 1963 graduate of ASU (then Arkansas State College). She served as an elementary school reading teacher for most of her career, at Pocahontas and at St. Charles, Mo.

The couple was married for almost 40 years before Mrs. Swan passed away in 1994.

"Over the years, my wife and I discussed many times what we could do for education," Dr. Swan said. "We decided to provide a scholarship program for talented young people who might not otherwise qualify for assistance."

Dr. Les Wyatt, president of ASU, cited Dr. Swan’s foresight and generosity in designating his gift to help students entering the field of education.

Dr. Swan, a Lawrence County native, was a career educator and school administrator. He taught in Walnut Ridge and Pocahontas early in his career and later was an elementary school principal at St. Charles for 20 years.

The Mary L. Swan Memorial Scholarship is available in the Department of Teacher Education, College of Education, for elementary or secondary education majors. Preference will be given to elementary education majors.

Financial need of applicants is a major consideration, since the intent is to assist students not eligible for other top academic scholarships. The award is available to students from high schools at Walnut Ridge, Pocahontas, Hoxie, and others in Lawrence and Randolph Counties, and from the Highland School District in Sharp County.

The award is available to incoming freshman students for two semesters. Then it is automatically renewed though completion of the undergraduate degree or six additional semesters, whichever occurs first. The recipient must continue pursuing an elementary or secondary education degree, be enrolled full-time during the academic year of the award, and maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.



Dr. Kenneth Swan (third from left) of Paragould accepts a certificate of commendation from Dr. Les Wyatt, president of Arkansas State University. Others present for the scholarship endowment announcement included (from left) Dr. Deborah Turner, director of planned giving; Dr. John Beineke, dean of the College of Education; Steve Owens, vice president for university advancement; and Dr. John Ponder, representing the Department of Teacher Education.

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