Due to the economic climate, financial support is limited for students for their undergraduate career, but the amount of support lessens for those wanting to pursue a master’s degree.

This week, Donna Schenk and her husband Danny helped with that cause by providing $50,000 worth of scholarships to the Graduate School.

“Danny and I wanted to do something for MSU for a long time and when I inquired I found out that the grad student had very few scholarships and these are people who can really use extra help,” Schenk said.

Julie Owen, interim dean for the Graduate School, said additional support is beneficial to all students, but graduate students have needs not present at the undergraduate level.

The Graduate School, which offers 26 master’s degrees, offers only two scholarships especially for graduate students.

“While the Graduate School supplies a number of Competitive Merit Scholarships to the various graduate programs each year, it seems that the demand always exceeds the supply,” Owen said. “Generous donations such as the Schenk gift allow additional students to be awarded.

With such limited resources, Owen said a donation like this one can sometimes make the difference between a student behind able to complete a master’s degree and having to group out of the program.

“There are expenses for research as well as travel expenses to present the research at conferences,” she said. “Scholarships such as this one will allow us to recruit the top students into our master’s program.”

Schenk said her family has a strong relationship with Midwestern with her children’s grandfather being a former chairman of the Board of Regents and her husband attending the university as well.

“Midwestern is a very important part of Wichita Falls and the surrounding area,” Schenk said. “We need to support these students anyway we can. They are our future.”