Foundation

Founders Endowment honors NIRSA’s original members

New endowment will fund scholarships for professionals and students at Historically Black Colleges & Universities

The NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors is delighted that a Founders Endowment has been established in honor of the African American founders of the National Intramural Association (NIA), NIRSA’s predecessor organization formed in 1950.

The purpose of the endowment is to provide training and development funding for a NIRSA Professional Member and a NIRSA Student Member from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to attend the NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition, the National School of Recreational Sports Management, or any NIRSA, NIRSA Foundation, or NIRSA Services Corporation-sponsored symposia or institute. 

An HBCU is defined as “any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans.” There are more than 100 HBCUs officially listed by the White House, which include community and junior colleges, four-year colleges and universities, public and private institutions.

Scholarships will be awarded annually to both a NIRSA Professional Member and a NIRSA Student Member from an HBCU who best exhibits the attributes, character, vision and contributions of a specific Founder of the NIA/NIRSA. Scholarship recipients will only be eligible to receive the Founders Endowment Scholarship one time. The Founders Endowment Scholarship recipients will be recognized at the NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition. The number of scholarships awarded each year will be determined by funds available within the endowment.

In applying for the Founders Endowment Scholarship, both professionals and students will be asked:

• to specify which education/training event they would like to attend
• to verify employment in a recreational sports program at a Historically Black College or University
• to verify current membership with NIRSA
• to show representation of the ‘vision’ of the Founders through service and active participation in related activities, organizations, committees, training, or programs
• to provide an original essay of 250 words or less that outlines their service to NIRSA, how the scholarship will enhance their student/professional development, and the importance of preserving and celebrating the cultural history of NIRSA
• to submit one or more letters of support from a NIRSA Professional Member

Founding members of NIA/NIRSA who will have scholarships presented in their name are: William N. Wasson, Annette Akins, Armstead Pierro, Roosevelt Grattic, Rudolph Mathews, Dimples Lee, Juanita Pierce, Viggo Wallace, James Hawkins, Victor Kerr, Alfred Priestly, Hiram Workman, Ross E. Townes, Horace Moody, George James, Alvin Brown, Allen Weatherford, Grant Gray, and Cleve Abbott.

Colleges and universities represented at the first meeting of the NIA in 1950 were: Dillard University, Bethune-Cookman College, Texas State University, Xavier University, Wiley College, Southern University, Albany State College, Arkansas A&M, North Carolina College, Tillotson College, and Tuskegee Institute.

NIRSA Foundation scholarship applications will soon be available online.