LSSU Scholarships

Larry Regan Smart stated his desire was to help LSSU students attain a college degree. Through his trust he named LSSU as a residual beneficiary and upon his death in 2013, his legacy gift is the largest contribution and biggest bequest in Lake Superior State University’s history. A conversationalist who was known for his great wit, Smart was a keen observer of world events, and an astute investor. Throughout his life, he believed in the importance of education, and as he was finalizing his trust, he knew naming LSSU would make a tremendous difference to Michigan’s smallest public university — a difference that would create an everlasting legacy and change lives. Smart’s desire was to make the scholarship criteria as easy as possible for students to apply. Recipients may major in any course of study with a minimum 3.0 GPA and financial need.

This endowment was established through the estate of Dorothy Bell to honor her son Lawrence, a Sault High graduate and mechanical engineer for Dow Corning Corporation. Dorothy was a graduate of the Marquette Beauty Academy in Marquette, Mich. where she received her certificate in Cosmetology. She owned and operated a beauty shop on Seymour Street in Sault Ste. Marie for over 27 years. This merit scholarship is awarded to an engineering student with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Selection is based on the recommendation of the LSSU Engineering faculty.

Grant Lawson established this scholarship in recognition of his daughter and granddaughter’s education accomplishments and to express his gratitude for the wonderful educational experience they received while attending at LSSU. This scholarship benefits two senior students with a minimum 3.0 GPA majoring in 1) Nursing and 2) English Literature or English Literature with a Creative Writing emphasis.

This endowment was established by the family of Leah Marie Bollin (who was killed in an automobile accident in August 2001) with the hopes that other students who have epilepsy will embrace the spirit that made Leah the remarkable young woman she was. She never let her epilepsy hold her back from anything she wanted to do. She made sure that people knew she had epilepsy and that she was accepted or rejected on those terms. The way she led her life was both inspirational and educational to all those around her as she fought to foster understanding about her condition and the learning disabilities that many times accompany it.

The purpose of this award is to benefit an LSSU student who has epilepsy or other seizure disorder (including Multiple sclerosis, Cerebral palsy, Muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease to help with educational costs and move forward with their lives despite a potentially debilitating physical condition.

A successful candidate must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum GPA of 2.0
• Financial need is a consideration
• Registered with the LSSU Accessibility Services
• Candidates are recommended by a scholarship selection committee based on review of the questionnaire and three letters of recommendation

Click here for the online application

This scholarship was established to honor Leslie Opolka who was a senior student in the business administration program and employed at the LSSU Physical Plant at the time of her death in 1992. Employees of the Physical Plant, family and friends established her named scholarship to benefit a Detour High School student majoring in any course of study with a minimum 3.0 GPA and financial need.

Sherry, CPA graduated from LSSU with a bachelor’s of accounting and an MBA. She served as president of the LSSU Alumni Association Board of Directors as well as on various committees for the Alumni Association and LSSU Foundation. Her daughter, Lisa, RN graduated from LSSU with a BSN. She worked as an emergency room nurse at War Memorial Hospital before continuing her education at the University of Delaware to obtain a MSN/NP. This named scholarship was established by Sherry to honor her daughter’s extraordinary accomplishments and to recognize the generosity of the scholarship donors who provided her financial assistance. Successful candidates must be a student of junior status with a minimum 3.0 GPA majoring in the LSSU nursing or accounting program.

Dorothy Weinreich established this scholarship in honor of the three sisters. All were longtime residents of Sault Ste. Marie, and were very active in the community. Throughout their lives, Lottie, Florence and Dorothy were devoted to each other. It was only fitting when Dorothy bequeathed an endowment to LSSU that she would stipulate that her sisters receive equal recognition. Selection is based on academic excellence.

This scholarship was created by the LSSU Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) and funded through a special fund raising drive. Donors are alumni and related robotics companies that have an interest in creating a new work force using the tools of robotics. The purpose of the scholarship is to benefit incoming students who are pursuing an undergraduate engineering education and have demonstrated academic success and interest in the robotics specialty curriculum.

Established in 1986 by the LSSU Foundation Board of Directors, this scholarship is awarded to high school seniors, community college graduates and current LSSU students. Selection is based on academic excellence.

Founded in 1946 by Professor Emeritus C. Ernest Kemp, the Geology Club is considered one of the oldest established clubs at the University. The club’s purpose is to foster personal and professional growth through geology-related activities. Established in 1982, the scholarship is funded by proceeds from the sale of a geology lab manual written by Professor Lew Brown and LSSU geology students.

Jim Smith and Tom Wiles are both graduates of Bedford High School (1972) and classmates at Lake Superior State College. Upon their retirement, they returned to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. “Our experiences as students at Lake Superior State College in the 1970s to our present stage of life, have been the foundation for our desire to fund an award for an incoming freshman and a science scholarship to a current student. They have issued their recipients a challenge: To apply all the knowledge that you have/will learn for the benefit of generations present and future.

The science scholarship is given to a student of sophomore status with a minimum 3.0 GPA who is seeking a career path as a scientist. The hope of the future lies not in curbing the influence of human occupancy – it is already too late for that – but in creating a better understanding of the extent of that influence and a new ethic for its governance. ― Aldo Leopold, Game Management

The Joseph and Bonnie Halvorsen Memorial Endowment was established by the Halvorsen’s five children to honor their parents and to provide financial assistance to a sophomore student pursuing a career as a park ranger for the State of Michigan or National Park Service. Joseph and Bonnie were married in 1952 shortly after Halvorsen began his career with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Between 1963 and 1977, Halvorsen managed F. J. McLain State Park in Hancock, Grand Haven State Park, Brimley State Park, and Tahquamenon Falls State Park until his retirement in 1991. Despite all these accomplishments, Halvorsen always felt his advancement was curtailed because he lacked a college degree. He spent the last years of his career training people who would go on to surpass him, always willing to assist and provide advice because of his love and commitment for the job.

Professor Emeritus Raymond Chelberg and his wife Marian were one of the original faculty families at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology, Sault Branch in 1946. From that time until he retired in 1970, Professor Chelberg was chair of the Chemistry Department. He was a dedicated teacher for more than 44 years and was remembered for his personal, caring and effective approach to teaching. Marian taught music appreciation at Lake State and was one of the founders of the Musicale. She was choir director at Central United Methodist Church and was one of the first women invited to join the Rotary Club. Together, Raymond and Marian significantly enhanced the scientific, athletic and cultural aspects of Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding community. The Chelberg scholarship is awarded to a natural science major, with a minimum 3.0 GPA, who demonstrates leadership abilities and contributes significantly to the success of the athletic team on which he or she is a letter-winner.

This named endowment was established by Mary Lubs Thomsen to honor her late husband, Viggo. Both were long-time residents of Sault Ste. Marie and former employees of LSSU. Mary was director of Public Relations and Viggo served for 27 years as a faculty member of the Biology Department. The scholarship provides financial assistance to LSSU students majoring in the biological sciences, pre-pharmacy, pre-medical and/or pre-dental programs.

This scholarship honors Michael Della-Moretta, a 1977 alumnus and Navy pilot killed in 1981 while serving aboard the USS Independence off the coast of Iran. He once said the happiest years of his life were at Lake Superior State University. The award is given to an Eastern U.P. resident with an interest in biological science or lab science major (including math and computer science) who has achieved academic excellence.

This scholarship was created in 2006 by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science faculty as a tool to retain highly qualified students at LSSU. Successful recipients must be a major in mathematics or computer science or pursuing a degree in math education with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

This endowed scholarship was established to honor one of the charter faculty of Sault Branch of Michigan College of Mining and Technology. Franklin spent 30 years (1948-1978) as a mathematics professor and was the University’s first faculty athletic representative, serving 12 years during the early development of the Laker athletic program. He was instrumental in the development of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). In 1999, Franklin was posthumously inducted to the LSSU Athletic Hall of Fame for his invaluable contributions to the Laker athletic program. Wanda was a homemaker who was very active in her church, the LSSU Faculty Wives’ organization, and a strong supporter of the University and of her husband’s participation in a wide range of academic and athletic interests. The recipient must be a sophomore mathematics or computer science major with a minimum 3.0 GPA in their major courses.

This scholarship was established in 2001 by Galen Harrison (1938-2022) to provide financial assistance to math and computer science majors. Harrison was a long-time LSSU Professor of Mathematics who taught at Lake State from 1963 until his retirement in 1996. Mr. Harrison believed in the importance of higher education and understood that many students need financial support while working towards their educational and career goals.

This endowed scholarship was established by Galen H. Harrison (1938-2022), a graduate of Pickford High School and LSSU Professor of Mathematics (1963-1996). Mr. Harrison believed in the importance of higher education and understood that many students need financial support while working towards their educational and career goals. Successful candidates must be an incoming freshman who is a Pickford High School graduate with a minimum 3.0 GPA majoring in biology, chemistry, geology, nursing, mathematics, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental chemistry, or environmental science.

This endowed scholarship was established by LSSU professor emeritus Gerald Samson (1928-2022). During his career at LSSU, Professor Samson received the LSSU Distinguished Teacher award in 1974 and Emeritus Status in 1990. He could recite a plethora of poems he learned in grade school, remember all the words to the songs he loved from the 30s and 40s (anything after 1950 wasn’t music), solve complex math equations just for fun, read books, books, and more books from the classics, to science, to mysteries and was known as a crossword puzzle aficionado. He loved the phrase “look it up” and spent much time doing just that about any topic that interested him. Selection is based on the recommendation of the LSSU mathematics and computer science faculty.

This scholarship honors Michael Della-Moretta, a 1977 alumnus and Navy pilot killed in 1981 while serving aboard the USS Independence off the coast of Iran. He once said the happiest years of his life were at Lake Superior State University. The award is given to an Eastern U.P. resident with an interest in biological science or lab science major (including math and computer science) who has achieved academic excellence.

This endowment was established by Catherine Gianakura Rogg to honor her parents, Peter and Georgia. At the time of her high school graduation, Georgia was planning to attend Michigan State University to become a mathematics teacher until her father became ill. She made the choice to care for her father and attend to the needs of her family. Longing for a career as a photojournalist, Peter was unable to pursue his education due to his commitment to his father’s business, The American Café, and to his family. In honor of her parents who sacrificed their education and career dreams for the care and well being of their families, Catherine created two scholarships to be granted annually to a student who is seeking a career in Journalism and to a student who is pursuing a degree in Education with a major in Mathematics.

A founder of the Chippewa County Employees Credit Union and a longtime Sault High School math teacher, Rosa Grout, enlightened more than 2,000 students on the beauty and precision of math. “I still hear from many of them who thank me for the structure and discipline that geometry instilled into their lives,” she recalled shortly before her death in 2004 at the age of 95. Grout’s spirit of education carries on in the form of a math, science and technical studies scholarship endowment she created in 1992. The student recipient is a major in engineering technology, mathematics, or computer science. Selection of the award is based upon high school GPA, ACT score and high school class rank.

This scholarship was established to honor William Gregory, former president of Edison Sault Electric Company. He served as a member of the LSSU Board of Trustees, the LSSU Foundation Board of Directors, and received LSSU’s Distinguished Citizen Award in 1986.  LSSU President Robert Arbuckle once stated, “Bill Gregory has actively supported the University with his talent and treasure for over 25 years. No one in this region is more devoted to Lake State.” Successful candidates must be a junior majoring in engineering, mathematics, business, biology or fisheries and wildlife management with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

This endowment was established by family and friends in memory of Chris Reinke, a natural resources technology (NRT) student, 1986-88. Chris was known as a free-spirited, independent young man who had a great love for the outdoors. It was because of his love for the woods and water that he chose the natural resources program at LSSU. His untimely death in 1988 left an indelible mark on Lake State students and to all who knew him. One of his friends, Cindy (Nocerini) Dingell, commented that Chris lived by the old phrase, “live each day like it was your first and every minute like it was your last.” This award assists a sophomore NRT student with a minimum 2.0 GPA who has a sincere dedication to the NRT field. Selection is based on the recommendation of the NRT faculty.