THE PATRICIA S. GUSTAFSON ’56 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

HISTORY
Patricia Scheiderick Gustafson was born in 1938 to a family of modest means. After first attending Merritt Elementary and West Junior, Patricia Gustafson graduated from Denfeld High School in 1956. While in high school, Patricia was a cheerleader, first chair clarinet and member of the choir.

Both in high school and later in college, Patricia was an active and popular student excelling both in and out of the classroom. She also enjoyed wide friendships and respect from her classmates where she was elected class officer and a member of the “queen’s court” as well as class valedictorian. After finishing high school, Patricia was awarded a James Wright Hunt scholarship and continued her education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Although attending UMD was not easy financially or logistically, Patricia persevered and thrived in the college atmosphere, finishing with a cum laude degree in English.

Her passions in life included education and from the very beginning, she expressed the desire to become a teacher. She always demonstrated an outstanding work ethic and ambition to succeed in life. Following college, she married James F. Gustafson, her college sweetheart, and together they raised a family of three children – Eric, Stephen and Jill, all of whom graduated from the Marshall School. Patricia dedicated herself to raising her children, but did return to teach part time as her children grew more independent. She died in 2004 at the young age of 66.

PURPOSE
The purpose of the Patricia S. Gustafson '56 Memorial Scholarship is to honor the memory of Patricia Gustafson by awarding a renewable college scholarship to a graduating female senior from Denfeld High School or the Marshall School who exemplifies the characteristics and life exhibited by Patricia Gustafson.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Application for this scholarship is available to young women who:

• will graduate from Denfeld High School or Marshall High School
  
• plan to attend either the University of Minnesota Duluth, Lake Superior College or the College of St. Scholastica
  
• have a high school grade point average of 3.4 or higher
  
• are active participants or leaders in school activities
  
• have some measure of financial need

NUMBER AND VALUE OF AWARDS
There shall be one scholarship awarded annually. Initial awards from this scholarship will be $800 per year. This amount may grow as the fund increases. In even numbered years the award will be made to Denfeld graduates and in odd numbered years the award will be made to Marshall graduates. If no student qualifies for an award, no funds will be awarded.

APPLICATION INFORMATION
Denfeld and Marshall will announce the availability of the scholarship through an efficient means of communication. Application forms will be available at both schools in their respective years. Applications must be submitted by a date determined at the school and late applications will not be considered. In addition to the completed application, candidates are required to submit a personal statement answering the question “Considering what you know of Patricia Gustafson, why do you think you would be a worthy recipient of a scholarship honoring her memory?”

DETERMINATION OF AWARDS
Recipients shall be selected by a committee appointed by the school principal or head of school. The committee will base their decision on the following criteria in level of priority:

• the student’s ability to live a full life following the example of Patricia Gustafson
  
• the student’s contributions to her school
  
• the student’s high academic achievement
  
• the student’s potential and intention to make contributions in the field of education
  
• the student’s high level of moral character
  
• the student’s level of financial need
  

AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT
When possible, awards from this scholarship fund will be announced at the respective school’s spring honor ceremony.

PAYMENT
The award is co-payable to the institution and the recipient.

APPLICANT/RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• The majority of communication between applicants/recipients and the scholarship administrators will take place via email. Applicants/Recipients are required to have and regularly check their email and notify the Community Foundation of any changes to their contact information.
• All recipients of Community Foundation administered scholarships are expected to acknowledge acceptance of the award promptly. In most cases, this acknowledgement will take two forms, completion of an Acceptance Form provided by the Community Foundation and secondly, a thank you letter/card to the founder of the scholarship fund. The Community Foundation will provide names and addresses as needed. If unable to accept the scholarship, the committee should be given that information and a reason in a prompt manor.
• A recipient must complete enough credits to be recognized as a full-time student in each semester an award is made.
• If the student receives funds from the college due to non-completion of a term or not attending full time, these funds are to be returned to the scholarship committee. If the college requirements are not met, but there is no refund, the scholarship grant will be forfeited for the next term.
• Recipients understand that the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation may use scholars’ names, photographs and any portion of application essays for use in scholarship publicity, such as broadcast media, websites, newspaper, radio, etc.
• The DSACF Scholarship Committee hopes that recipients recognize and appreciate the contributions their award has made to their futures. It further anticipates that, in the years to come, recipients find some way to give back to the community that provided them with these opportunities.

RENEWAL
This scholarship is a “first and last scholarship”. Like many scholarships, the initial award will be granted for use in the first post-high school semester. The second award, however, will not be granted until the recipient’s final semester of her undergraduate degree. The first award will follow standard DSACF award procedures, but in order to claim her second award, the recipient should submit a DSACF Scholarship Renewal Form. It is recommended that this be done at least two months prior to her last full-time semester of university or college. At that time, the recipient must submit an official transcript to confirm the following renewal requirements:

• she is on track to graduate following the upcoming semester
  
• she will complete an undergraduate degree at either UMD or St. Scholastica within five years of initial college/university matriculation (Students who start their postsecondary work at Lake Superior College must transfer to UMD or CSS for completion of their degree.)
  
• she has maintained a GPA of at least 3.0
  

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