James and Darlene Shea of Indiana have made a gift to ϳԹ's Sutton Scholarship. The Sutton Scholarship is for students who show strong academic qualifications (high school grade point average and SAT scores) and is funded by the Foundation for IUP and gifts from alumni, friends, and employees of IUP.
The $25,000 donation from James Shea, a 1956 graduate of IUP, and Darlene Shea is the couple's second gift to IUP. The scholarship will be named in their honor in recognition of their ongoing support to students.
“We have always been proud of the accomplishments of the university,” James. “We value all of the lifelong relationships we have formed with many of the faculty and staff at IUP, and we want to support a place that has given us and the region a lot of opportunities. Students that receive Sutton Scholarships are some of the best and brightest at IUP.”
The award, offered to incoming freshman, is a renewable scholarship and has been in place for five years. Total awards through the course of a student's enrollment can be up to $16,000.
The Sheas have decided to earmark their gift for students who are members of the IUP golf team. The couple has gotten to know players from the IUP team and believes in the quality of students the coaches recruit.
“Former coach Fred Joseph and current coach Dan Braun have done an amazing job recruiting quality players for the team,” James said. “We want to offer our help to those students while they are here at IUP.”
The James and Darlene Shea Sutton Scholarship is part of IUP's $75-million Imagine Unlimited Campaign, which will enable IUP to step forward as a national leader by transforming the student experience through scholarships, program enhancements, and new and modernized facilities. Currently the campaign has gifts totaling almost $71 million.