The Department of Library and Information Studies in the Dewar College of Education and Human Services is excited to announce the Merryll Penson Scholarship is expected to continue as long as funds are available. Merryll Penson is the retired Executive Director of Library Services in the Office of Instructional and Information Technology in the University System of Georgia. This scholarship is made possible by many generous donations made in honor of Merryll Penson on the occasion of her retirement from the University System of Georgia.

A. Eligibility

  1. Register for a minimum of six (6) credits of MLIS courses for the subsequent fall semester

  2. Have documented indication of financial need in the form of a current FAFSA on file in the VSU Office of Financial Aid at the time of application

  3. Have a Valdosta State Graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher

  4. No MLIS course grade lower than a B(3.0)

B. Submitting an application

  1. MLIS candidates meeting eligibility standards 1 through 4 may apply for the Merryll Penson Scholarship in the Spring semester.

  2. Deadline for submitting applications is February 12.

  3. Write a letter of application including a brief profile of your career goals and your progress towards those goals so far. Include in your application letter a statement that you can document financial need because you have a FAFSA on file with the VSU Office of Financial Aid. Your academic advisor needs to review the letter.

  4. Complete the MLIS Program of Study form. Your Program of Study form must include a list of the courses you have completed as well as those you are planning to take, grades for all the courses you have completed, and you and your academic advisor’s signatures. The blank Program of Study form is located on the MLIS Academic Advising webpage under Program of Study Forms: https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/education/master-of-library-and-information-science/student-resources/advising.php

  5. Have your application letter and signed Program of Study form ready and fill out the MLIS Award/Scholarship Online Application Form.

C. Selection

  1. The MLIS Awards and Scholarship Committee will review the application.

  2. All applicants will be reviewed in the Spring semester; the awards will be applied to the following Fall semester.

  3. Each scholarship recipient will receive an award letter prior to the beginning of the semester in which the scholarship will be applied.

D. Disbursement

Each semester, awards will be applied to the students’ bursary account prior to the fee payment deadline. Any university fees or expenses beyond the amount of the scholarship award will be the responsibility of the student.

Recipients of a Merryll Penson MLIS scholarship must be willing to submit a photo of themselves and a brief quotation of what the scholarship award means to them. This material will be forwarded to the University System of Georgia, Inc. Foundation and used in publicity related to the scholarships. By providing this material the recipients allow the USG Foundation to use them in their publications.