Morgen Miller, a current undergraduate social work student, has been named the first Blakely Scholar, a scholarship funded by the Dr. Eleanor H. BlakelyPay It ForwardScholarship Fund. Miller, of Waynesburg, Pa., will graduate in December and enter the Master of Social Work program in January.

WVU social work professor Eleanor Blakely passed away last February, but her contributions to the profession of social work and her desire to help others continue to live on.

To honor his late wife, GeraldJerryBlakely, a faculty member in the WVU College of Business and Economics, established the scholarship fund. The endowed fund will provide scholarships for graduate students in the Division of Social Work and will also be available to students who are in need of an emergency grant in order to meet unexpected personal needs.

Recipients of the scholarship must demonstrate academic promise and reflect some or all of the characteristics exhibited by Eleanor Blakely: leadership, enthusiasm for academic work, pride in the social work profession, potential for professional involvement, compassion, and generosity of spirit.

Even months later, as we continue to grieve, those of us who worked with Ellie, or were privileged to attend her class, know that she was an amazing human being,said Division Chair Ginny Majewski.She will be remembered as a tireless advocate for those in poverty, as well as her pride in being a social worker.

The scholarship also has uniquepay it forwardcomponent. Upon receipt of a scholarship or emergency funds, students will be provided with a statement about the origin of the fund and a request to donate an amount equal to their award into the fund within ten years of the completion of their degree.

Eleanor Blakely joined the Division of Social Work in 1989. Her primary teaching and research dealt with issues relating to poverty. She served as president of the West Virginia chapter of the National Association of Social Workers from 2002 to 2004. She was also involved in several social services organizations, including the West Virginia Coalition on Food and Nutrition and In Touch and Concerned, serving as Board president for both organizations.

The Division of Social Work is part of the School of Applied Social Sciences in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University. For more information about the scholarship, contact Majewski at 304-293-3501, or at Ginny.Majewski@mail.wvu.edu