Scholarships

The purpose of this scholarship, established in 1995 by alumnus Dr Peter Panus – the 2012 inductee into the College of Allied Health Professions Alumni Hall of Fame, is to provide financial assistance for Physical Therapy students who are interested in and who have demonstrated strong interest in and potential for pursuing a career in academic Physical Therapy to include both teaching and research.  Eligible students must be enrolled in the professional component of Physical Therapy, must be in good academic standing.  Since the first award in 1996 the scholarship has been awarded to a student in the final year of the Physical Therapy program. Physical Therapy faculty members nominate students for this award.

This scholarship was established in 1996 and is administered by the Scholarship and Awards Committee of the Department of Physical Therapy.  The fund supporting this scholarship originated from donations from the Physical Therapy Class of 1994, in memory of a classmate, Allison Melinda McCoy, and donations made in honor of a former Department Chair, Rosemary Archambault Norris upon her departure from the University.  These funds were combined in 1996 to support awarding of an annual scholarship.  It will be awarded to a student who has completed the first year of the professional component of the Physical Therapy program.  In addition, eligible students must be in good academic standing (> 3.0 overall GPA).  Once the call for applications is given, interested students must complete an application form and submit it during Spring Semester of the first year of the program.  The committee will then determine the recipient, as well as the amount and semesters of the award, which will vary depending on funds available.

This scholarship, named in memory of the first Chair of the Department who died in 1998, was developed through donations from faculty, current students, and department alumni.  The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has completed the first year of the professional component of the Physical Therapy program.  Nominations are made by the faculty with consideration for financial need, overall GPA, GPA from PT courses, and extracurricular leadership and service.  Students who are nominated by faculty will be asked to complete an information form for the scholarship committee.

This scholarship was developed in 2004 in honor of Anne Harrison Petty, a physical therapist since 1977, and the department Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education from 1989 to 2004.  The fund was developed through faculty, student and alumni donations, and it is awarded annually to a student who has completed the first year of the professional component of the Physical Therapy program.

Dr. Fell and the faculty established this scholarship in 2008 to honor Dr. Gray upon his retirement after nearly 33 years of service to the Department of Physical Therapy.  From 1976 when he taught the very first PT class at USA through 2008, Dr Gray amazingly taught Human Anatomy, functional anatomy and goniometry/muscle testing among many other topics to 893 individuals who now practice PT across the country.  The scholarship was further developed through donations from faculty, current students especially the DPT Class of 2007, and department alumni reaching the target corpus in less than one year.  The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has completed the first year of in the professional component of the Physical Therapy program based on academic performance in Human Anatomy I & II, overall PT GPA in the first year and recommendations from the faculty.

This developing scholarship was initiated in 2009 to honor Dr. Wall upon his retirement from the department in December 2009. Dr Wall, educated in the U.K. with a background in Biomechanics and Engineering, taught at Dalhousie University and then at USA for 21 years.  His expertise in gait analysis was recognized around the world including terms as Editor for the international journal Gait and Posture.  The scholarship was renamed to include Dr George Turnbull in April 2012 upon Dr Turnbull’s death at his home in Nova Scotia, Canada.  Dr Turnbull was Chair of the PT department from 1991-1992 and maintained many friendships in our department after moving back home.  The scholarship is still accumulating funds.

The "Bud and Dot Phillips PT Scholarship" was instituted in 2014 through a donation by Dr and Mrs Dennis (Noel Phillips) Fell, Nathan and Elana Fell, and Hannah Fell.  The scholarship is named in memory of Noel's parents, Mr and Mrs Milton Anthony (Dorothy Simons) Phillips, Jr, both lifelong residents of Bay St Louis, MS.  Bud, a small business owner on Main Street, and Dot, a registered nurse at Gulfport Hospital, and home health and an ostomy nurse, were both huge supporters of the USA physical therapy program.  In Dorothy's fun-loving nature, she often referred to a physical therapist as a "sizzical spigarius" :-) .  They were both frequent and effective, but informal, recruiters for our PT program from along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.   The scholarship was instituted to memorialize the perpetual generosity of Bud and Dot, and their loving nature as parents and grandparents "Pere" and "Mere".  Once fully funded the scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduate student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

The "Thomas and Norma Fell Endowed PT Scholarship" was instituted in 2015 through a donation by Dr and Mrs Dennis Fell (Chairman of the Department), and his siblings Dr Thomas W (Susan) Fell, Judy (Gilbert) Fell Burnham, David (Wanda) Fell, Danny (Michelle) Fell, and Kim Fell (Brian) Feagin, and the Fell grandchildren.  The scholarship was established in memory of their parents Thomas W Fell Sr (“Wix”) and Norma Boldt Fell, longtime residents of Mobile, AL, who were both recipients of caring physical therapy provided by alumni of the PT Department.  Dr Dennis Fell, their son, was Chair of the PT Department for over 15 years, daughter Judy was Director of the USA Biomedical Library, and Mr and Mrs Fell had three children and three grandchildren who attended and graduated from the University.  The scholarship was established to assist and encourage future students in the process of becoming excellent physical therapists.