Mary Chappell Scholarship
Mary Chappell, Director Emeritus of KU Recreation Services, dedicated her life to helping students have active and healthy lives. A member of the KU Recreation Services department from 1982 - 2017, she focused on serving the best interests of students her entire career. Mary often said students were at the forefront of her daily decisions. She enjoyed working with the 200 students in Recreation Services and for all students on campus so much she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Highlights of Mary’s accomplishments include receiving the student-nominated Citation for Leadership and Achievement in Student Success award; overseeing the construction and administration of the David A. Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center; and more than 30 years of participation in the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association. To honor her legacy, KU is seeking support to establish the endowed Mary Chappell Scholarship to benefit KU Recreation Services student employees in perpetuity.
Scholarship Information
Scholarships are like a set of keys, turning the promise of a KU education into opportunities that lead to transformation. As state funding for universities continues to decline, more than half of KU students rely on loans to finance their education — the average student debt is $24,000. Each year, scholarship support makes a KU education possible for thousands of deserving students. For students and families, scholarships ease the burden of the rising costs of higher education. For the university, scholarships are a means to attract and reward deserving students. For donors, scholarships provide the opportunity to leave a legacy that benefits generations of students. Many students who receive scholarships could not attend the university without this generous support.
Scholarships have the power to change students’ lives. We hope you will join in honoring Mary, and at the same time, contribute to her lifelong passion of helping students. The Mary Chappell Scholarship will pay tribute to Mary’s commitment to students and carry forward her love of recreation to the next generations. An endowed scholarship is invested as a permanent, dedicated fund. The principle of the gift remains intact, with a portion of the annual earnings providing a perpetual source of support for students.
The scholarship in Mary’s name will help KU Recreation Services student employees reach their goals far into the future. One-time gifts can be made online by visiting the KU Endowment. Please indicate that your gift will benefit the Mary Chappell Scholarship. Multi-year pledges or estate gifts can be made by contacting Dan Simon, senior development director at KU Endowment, 785-832-7378. All gifts are tax-deductible and will support the goals of Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas.
As a current student staff of KU Recreation Services, you are eligible to apply for the Mary Chappell Scholarship which can be used for conference attendance, preferably NIRSA (National Intramural Recreational Sports Association) conferences. Please fill out the scholarship application form (available upon request from Jason Krone). Once completed, return it to Jason Krone via email or drop it off in his mailbox in the Admin Office (Rm. #103) with the requested documents.