Lorie Wyant, an alumna of Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications (SOJMC), has established the Lorie Wyant Scholarship for promising broadcast journalists through a specific bequest.The scholarship will support full-time undergraduate students who are juniors or seniors in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications within the university’s College of Arts and Media. Recipients must be in good academic standing with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
When asked why she decided to give back to Marshall students, Wyant said she wanted to show her gratitude for the education and support she received as a student.
“I feel that the education I received at Marshall prepared me for life, and for that, I am very grateful. I received an academic tuition waiver all four years, and that was a huge help to me. When my daughter attended, she received a donor-funded scholarship all four years, allowing her to graduate with minimal student-loan debt. We both appreciate the scholarship assistance we received, so I wanted to pay that forward. I chose to help students who exemplify the guiding principles of good journalism, so they can make a difference. As Marshall graduates, I hope they go out and improve the journalistic integrity of the broadcast news operations where they work,” Wyant said.
Wyant had advice for current students, who may face tough challenges in their academic careers. She says it doesn’t get easier once you graduate, but the most important thing is to view failure as an opportunity.
“You will fail. You will fall short of expectations. However, learn to cope with that and learn from it. Finding the resulting opportunity is an important skill in college and in life. Be resilient!”
Preference will be given to students with a major or an emphasis in broadcast journalism and whose work exemplifies the core principles of journalism: truth; accuracy and completeness; independence and objectivity; fairness and impartiality; and humanity and acountability as identified by the faculty of the SOJMC.
To learn about available scholarships in the SOJMC, please contact Janet Dooley, director of the SOJMC and associate dean of the College of Arts and Media, by phone at 304-696-2734 or by e-mail at dooley@marshall.edu.