Spring Scholarship News: 100% of Applicants Receive Scholarships, Hiebing Establishes Chancellor’s Scholarship

J-School Awards Undergraduate Scholarships to 100% of Applicants

Abby Moeckler (BA’21) received the Cedric and Ethel Parker Scholarship. The scholarship has no living donors, so Abby wrote a thank you letter to the J-School.

Earlier this year, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication announced the winners of its undergraduate scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year. In total, 178 students applied for scholarships ranging from $500 to $18,000. This year, the School was able to award scholarships to 100% of students who applied. The J-School awarded a total of $210,800 to students, who received an average of $1,184.27 in scholarship support.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication has a variety of scholarships available to undergraduate students, funded by generous donors including alumni, friends of the school and other partners. The School offers both merit- and need-based scholarships, which are awarded based on financial need, academics, study area and involvement.

One scholarship winner, senior Abby Moeckler, received the Cedric & Ethel Parker Scholarship. Abby is a transfer student from Illinois, a fourth-generation Badger and the vice president of the Association for Women in Sports Media. Since the scholarship has no living donors, she wrote a letter to the J-School to express her thanks for the support.

“The J-School encompassed all I was looking for in an academic program. While I’ve always had a passion for writing and sports, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would be able to intertwine my two interests. When the J-School created the Certificate in Sports Communication in 2019, I was ecstatic,” Moeckler said. “I am beyond grateful for this scholarship, which will assist me in beginning my first post-graduate job working for the Philadelphia 76ers & New Jersey Devils. This scholarship encourages me to push myself in my new position and I’m honored to have earned this.”

Hiebing Announces Chancellor’s Scholarship for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Amidst the calls for racial and social justice across the country, Hiebing, Madison’s largest marketing agency, had a critical question to answer: Were they doing enough to address racial inequity at their organization and in the marketing industry as a whole? Upon reflection, the leadership team decided unanimously the answer was no, and set out to make a change. Recognizing the importance of education as a pathway to opportunity, they decided to establish scholarships benefitting underrepresented populations to help attract and support aspiring marketing professionals of color. One of these scholarships is a UW-Madison Chancellor’s Scholarship for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Their contribution of $150,000 was matched by anonymous donors for a total of $300,000. “We hope supporting underserved students on their higher education journey will lead to fundamental change in the professional makeup of our own agency and Madison’s professional community as a whole,” said Dave Florin, CEO of Hiebing.