Opportunities for Giving Back to the Department

The Department of Geography always welcomes donations from alumni and friends of the department. To give to the Department, follow these simple steps:

To make a donation using your credit card, visit www.ohio.edu/give/.

• Enter "Gift Amount"
• Scroll down the page to "Please list other gift designation here:". In this box, please indicate Department of Geography.
• Under "Special Instructions:" you may choose to specify the focus of your donation. Below are specific options.
• Complete the personal information section as requested, press the "add to cart" button, then the "check out" button, enter your credit card information.

You may choose to give by sending a check, making a pledge, or by payroll deduction.

• Details about these options are available at www.ohio.edu/development/makeagift.cfm. Please specify that you are giving to the Department of Geography and indicate one or a combination of any of the below options you choose.

STUDY ABROAD FUNDING

 Beginning this year, the Department established "study abroad" awards for our majors, to help defray the costs of this valuable experience.  If you wish your contribution to the Geography Department to be "earmarked" for this purpose, please notify us (e-mail is fine), and we will make sure the funds help realize this great opportunity for our Geography majors.

You may donate to any of the five named scholarships that have been established to support both undergraduate and graduate geography majors:

• The Regina L. Bloemer Scholarship in Geography
  The Regina L. Bloemer scholarship was established by Emeritus Professor H. L. (Hugh) Bloemer in honor of his mother. The Bloemer scholarship is awarded annually to the top sophomore or junior geography major based on that student's grade point average. While all geography majors are eligible, preference will be given to students with a specialization in Cartography/GIS.

• The Bloemer Geography Scholarship
  Dr. Hugh Bloemer joined the faculty of the Department of Geography in 1971; he retired in 2009.  During his tenure at Ohio University, Hugh served as Director of the University Cartographic Center, was Chair of the Department from 1993-1998, and Chair of the Faculty Senate from 2001-2004.  In 1985 he was named a University Professor for excellence in teaching.  Hugh established this scholarship to provide a significant portion of each recipient's tuition.

• The Olive Emler Ross Scholarship in Geography
  The Olive Emler Ross Scholarship is awarded annually to the top five junior and senior geography majors based upon grade point average.

• The Hubert and Constance Wilhelm Geography Scholarship
  The Hubert and Constance Wilhelm Scholarship was established by a number of benefactors in honor of longtime Geography faculty member Hubert Wilhelm and his wife, Constance. This award is given annually to a student majoring in geography with a minimum of 45 credit hours completed and a minimum grade point average of 3.35. While all geography majors are eligible, preference will be given to students with a specialization in cultural geography.

• The Elizabeth Llewellyn Robe Memorial Scholarship
  The Elizabeth Llewellyn Robe Scholarship was established by Dr. and Mrs. T. Richard Robe in honor of the Elizabeth Llewellyn Robe family. The scholarship is awarded in alternate years to an Appalachian student of merit majoring in Geography and Geological Sciences who graduated from a high school in one of the federally designated Appalachian counties of Ohio. Awardees must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 at Ohio University or, if newly enrolled at Ohio University, a high school rank of upper 10%.

• The Isaac Sindiga Memorial Fund
  The Isaac Sindiga Memorial Fund for Geography was established in honor of the late Dr. Isaac Sindiga, who received his master's degree from the Department in 1981. The Sindiga award is given annually to a graduate student to conduct research in completion of their degrees and may be used for such expenses as travel expenses, software, or other items related to the research. Recipients must have completed a minimum of 45 hours of graduate coursework and should have Departmental approval of his/her proposed thesis research. Recipients are chosen by the Graduate Committee based upon the merits of a formal proposal, demonstrated need, and faculty recommendations.

• Margaret Boyd Research Scholarships
  Named in honor of Margaret Boyd, Ohio University's first female graduate (of the class of 1873). This scholarship is intended to support applied geographic research in Ohio, or elsewhere in the U.S.  Open to undergraduates, but preference is given to graduate students.

• The Carl Ross Endowed Chair in Geography
  The Carl Ross endowment was established through a very generous gift from the late Carl Ross, longtime benefactor of the Department, to fund a named chair in Geography. Funds from the endowment will be used to bring a top scholar in the field to campus on a shortterm basis to teach seminars, give colloquia and conduct research. The Department plans to appoint the first Ross Chair for the 2009-2010 academic year. Further details on the Ross Chair will be outlined in a newsletter early next year.

Currently Non-Endowed Scholarships:

• The Hugh Bloemer Memorial Scholarship Fund
  Funds will be awarded to Geography students majoring in geographic techniques (cartography, GIS, remote sensing)
• The Joe Ferguson Memorial Scholarship Fund
  Named in honor of Joe Ferguson, who received his Masters degree in Geography in 1987.  While a student, he was awarded a National Geographic Internship, and after graduation began an outstanding career as a public educator in geography, eventually serving as director of the National Geographic Society's Geography Education Outreach Program.  On September 11th, 2001, Joe and his colleague Ann Judge, along with three sixth-grade students from Washington DC, were traveling on an educational trip to California as part of a NGS program, when their plane was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon.  This award in Joe's honor seeks to reward graduate and undergraduate students with similar promise and commitment to geographic education, broadly defined.

• Geography Scholarships
  For Geography majors at the Athens campus, to  be used toward tuition, room & board, textbooks, and other educationally-related expenses