Don and Judy Silver have established a scholarship endowment for the benefit of Marshall University students who are pursuing degrees in the College of Science or the College of Information Technology and Engineering.
The couple spent most of their working years in West Virginia; Don Silver as an engineer at Ashland Oil and Judy Silver as a member of the mathematics faculty at Marshall for 30 years.
“We personally identify with Marshall University, because we have had an association with the institution since 1978 when Judy first began teaching here,” Don Silver said. “We set up this scholarship because we want to do our part to reduce the financial burden for students studying at Marshall, and we want to encourage more capable young people to choose careers in the STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] fields.”
Judy Silver said that, during her time as a mathematics professor at Marshall, she saw many students who were unable to do their best academic work because they had to work long hours while taking a full load of coursework. This endowment is given to address that need.
“What would we say to students? We would encourage them to use their time well in their college years,” she said. “Perseverance and organization during your higher education years will factor largely in your happiness later in life.”