The Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) Sables has selected West Virginia University as the first institution to offer its SCIF Sables C.J. McElroy Hunting Heritage Scholarship Fund.
Sables representatives worked with faculty in the Division of Forestry of WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and the WVU Foundation to establish the fund.
It has been a pleasure working with the volunteer members of SCIF in crafting the scholarship agreement,said Joseph McNeel, director of the Division of Forestry.We are pleased and proud to have the Sables and C.J. McElroy names tied to WVU in this permanent and prominent way.
The fund will provide at least one undergraduate scholarship per academic year. Scholarship recipients will be selected by officials of the Davis College in consultation with the Division of Forestry and the WVU Office of Student Financial Aid, in accordance with the selection criteria specified by the SCIF Sables.
The amount and number of scholarships in any year will be subject to the growth of the fund, although Davis College officials hope to increase the number of recipients in the coming years through further efforts with the Sables organization. The 2004-2005 scholarship will be awarded in the amount of $1,000 to a student in the Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Program in the Davis College Division of Forestry.
Founded in 1984 by the women of SCI , the SCIF Sables organization is committed to continuing our outdoor heritage. Sablesmembers volunteer their time to raise funds to promote the positive role of hunting, through the creation and support of wildlife and conservation educational programs. To learn more about this organization, visit their Web site athttp://www.safariclubfoundation.org/sables.
In 1965, C.J. McElroy founded Safari Club International. Over the next 30 years, McElroy launched SCI Chapters and educational hunting programs worldwide. In 1977, McElroy established the first American Wilderness Leadership School for teachers. The schools curriculum, along with SCI Chapter workshops, have helped countless outdoor enthusiasts gain a better understanding of the role hunting plays in wildlife conservation.
McElroy passed away in March 2002, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge and respect for the sport of hunting and its benefits to society. Through his estate, McElroy donated $25,800 to the Sables division of Safari Club International to be developed and offered as scholarships to wildlife management students at a university that promotes wildlife education. WVU was chosen as the recipient of McElroys donation and is honored to offer this scholarship in his name.
The Division of Forestry wishes to express its thanks to the late C.J. McElroy, the Sables division of Safari Club International and the Safari Club International Foundation for such a generous investment in the future of West Virginia Universitys wildlife management students,said McNeel.
The scholarship was set up through the WVU Foundation, a private non-profit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of WVU .