West Virginia student leaders are invited to apply for the Hazel Ruby McQuain Scholarship, which aids students pursuing a graduate degree. (WVU Foundation File Photo/Garrett Cullen)
Emerging leaders dedicated to bettering West Virginia are invited to apply for the 2023 Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship.
Established in honor of Hazel Ruby McQuain and her legacy of service to the state, the scholarship provides $20,000 annually to outstanding West Virginia residents pursuing a graduate degree. The West Virginia University Office of Graduate Education and Life administers the scholarship; however, recipients may attend any accredited higher education institution within the U.S.
Full eligibility requirements and other details are listed on the scholarship webpage. Among other requirements, applicants must:
- Be a graduate of a West Virginia high school or college/university.
- Be committed to scholarly study or professional work that may potentially address the greatest needs of West Virginia and its residents.
- Have a record of leadership and public service.
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Eligible applicants must complete the online application form by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 19. A graduate school/program acceptance letter, resume or curriculum vitae, academic transcripts and a personal statement are required as part of the application. Three letters of recommendation must also be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 23.
Questions about the Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship can be directed to HRMgraduatescholarship@mail.wvu.edu.
Six Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship recipients were selected in 2022, including three students pursuing graduate degrees at WVU. One honoree, Cassandra Stewart, was recognized for her leadership and drive to succeed by President E. Gordon Gee during his annual State of the University address.
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 shifted 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.