All scholarships require full-time attendance (12 hours for undergraduate; 6 hours
for graduate) unless indicated otherwise.
All scholarships require a 3.0 cumulative GPA unless indicated otherwise.
All scholarships are for fall and/or spring semester only (summer not included) unless
indicated otherwise.
All scholarship recipients are recommended by the department, with final approval
by the ECU Foundation Scholarship Committee.
Any exceptions must be approved by the department chair and the Foundation Scholarship
Committee.
DONALD AND BETTIE BLACK MASS COMMUNICATION SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded at the discretion of the department. The Blacks are
both ECU alumni who have established this scholarship in order to reward excellence
in the area of Mass Communication.
BRILES SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded based on need and a minimum 2.5 GPA. Originally established
as a part of the Federal Student Loan Program, this scholarship was transferred to
the ECU Foundation in 1995.
DONNA CALLISON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded to a junior or senior within the Mass Communications
Department. Preference will be given to a non-traditional student. The recipient
should be an active participant in the department and seen as an "excellent" student.
SAMANTHA DILLEHAY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Established in memory of Mass Communication Professor Samantha “Sam” Dillehay who
taught at ECU from 2012 until her untimely passing in 2017. Sam's love of film, art,
and creativity inspired her students both inside and outside the classroom. Coming
from a rural background, Sam believed in the power of education and understood the
importance in having access to education to achieve one's dreams regardless of income,
class, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. This scholarship will be awarded based on
financial need to a student from a smaller school system. A minimum 2.0 GPA is required
and recommendations of recipients will be made by the Mass Communications department
with the help of Ms. Natalie May.
HIGGINBOTHAM FAMILY MASS COMMUNICATION SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded to a student with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Dorothy Higginbotham
was an ECU alumna who understood and recognized the value of higher education and
established this scholarship as part of her estate planning.
EDWARD AND ARITA POKORNY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded at the discretion of the department.
BILL AND BILLIE THRASH MASS COMMUNICATION SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship will be awarded to full-time students with a declared major of Mass
Communication. The recipient must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. Bill and Billie Thrash
are long-time supporters of ECU and established the Thrash Television Studio inside
the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center.