SAME increases UAH scholarship endowment

Dean of the College of Engineering Shankar Mahalingam, left, and scholarship chair Charles Joyner hold a check representing a $15,000 endowment increase in the Society of American Military Engineers - Huntsville Post scholarship. UAH electrical engineering major Connor Brown, center, is the recipient of the 2017-18 scholarship.

Michael Mercier | UAH

A recent gift of $15,000 from the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) – Huntsville Post has increased the SAME scholarship at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to a $25,000 endowment.

"SAME desires to be the engineering society of choice," says Charles Joyner, SAME Huntsville Post scholarship committee chairman. "As we strive to meet that goal, it is important to SAME to further the engineering profession. The Huntsville Post established the endowed scholarship at UAH to further that goal."

Connor Brown, a UAH senior majoring in electrical engineering, is the recipient of this year’s scholarship. The scholarship was established in 1995, and is awarded to one or more full-time juniors or seniors, with preference given to students majoring in engineering.

"I was honored and grateful to know that I received the SAME scholarship that would help me pay for my education in my senior year," says Brown, who is from Athens, Ala. "Both my parents and I are very proud of the hard work that I put into succeeding in my classes. Getting the SAME scholarship encourages me to know that hard work can be rewarding."

The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) is an organization dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of engineering support for national security by developing and enhancing relationships and competencies among uniformed services, public and private sector engineers, and related professionals. The organization seeks to be a premier global engineering organization leading the professional and personal growth of all members in support of military readiness and development of solutions to national security challenges.

"The College of Engineering is very grateful to the Huntsville Post of SAME for providing scholarships to our deserving engineering students," says Dr. Shankar Mahalingam, engineering dean. "These scholarships can make the difference between graduating on time or delaying graduation by a semester or a year for a student trying to make ends meet. Furthermore, the scholarship reduces their dependence on part- or full-time jobs, enabling them to be more successful academically."