WVU's student leaders can apply for the Hazel Ruby McQuain Scholarship, which aids students in pursuit of a graduate degree. In this photo from Aug. 18, 2020, Matt Tenaglio, a law student, studies inside the WVU College of Law.
Student leaders committed to work that aids West Virginia and its residents are invited to apply for the 2022 Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship.
Established in honor of Hazel Ruby McQuain and her legacy of service to the state, the scholarship provides funding to outstanding West Virginia residents to pursue and complete a graduate degree from a West Virginia institution of higher education or an accredited higher education institution outside of the state, but within the United States.
Full eligibility requirements and other details are available from the West Virginia University Office of Graduate Education and Life, which administers the scholarship. Among other requirements, applicants must:
- Have a strong undergraduate and/or graduate academic record and promise to succeed in a graduate program.
- Be committed to scholarly study or professional work that may potentially address the greatest needs of West Virginia and its citizens.
- Have a documented record of public service.
- Have demonstrated active leadership involvement.
Eligible applicants must complete the online application form by 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 28. A graduate school/program acceptance letter, resume or curriculum vitae, academic transcripts, personal statement and three letters of recommendation are required as part of the application. Any applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Questions about the Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship can be directed to HRMgraduatescholarship@mail.wvu.edu.
The scholarship’s late namesake was a businesswoman and benefactor devoted to the community development of Morgantown, West Virginia, and the surrounding area.
She and husband John Wesley Ruby moved to Morgantown in 1940 and cultivated numerous business endeavors in the years to come, including agriculture, mining, road paving, poultry processing, feed mills, and raising racehorses and miniature schnauzers. After Mr. Ruby’s death in 1972, Hazel served as president of Ruby Enterprises, Inc., and later turned her interests toward community service. In 1981, she was remarried to J. Burl “Mac” McQuain.
Mrs. McQuain’s donations to Morgantown and WVU established programs, recreational facilities, university chairs and much more. Her generosity includes an $8 million gift toward the construction of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, which is named in memory of her husband. She passed away in 2002 at the age of 93.
Her gifts were made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.