Howard Munson Family Scholarship for Students in Education

Howard Munson established the Howard Munson Family Scholarship for Students in Education with the WSU Foundation. The scholarship will benefit students in their senior year who are majoring in education. It is important to the Munson family that recipients of this scholarship share Howard’s commitment to personal achievement through work and dedication. It is their hope that the scholarship will help facilitate the student teaching experience when working is often prohibitive. They appreciate the financial problems students face today and value hard work and dedication and want this scholarship to assist students who are employed, working a number of hours to cover their college costs; a student with a strong work ethic that is working through spring break and summers to save money for their college expenses.

Criteria

Each recipient must be an undergraduate student enrolled full-time at Winona State University (minimum of 12 credits per semester) OR completing their student teaching and degree requirements. Note: If the student is completing their student teaching and graduating within a single semester, their award should be half, or an amount determined by Howard and/or his family.
Each recipient must be a student accepted into the College of Education
Each recipient must be a senior OR completing their student teaching requirement
Each recipient must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.2
Each recipient must demonstrate a high financial need as demonstrated through the WSU Financial Aid office
Each recipient must be employed or have a history of employment
Each recipient must demonstrate promise in their field

Biography/Motivation

It was at the University of Minnesota – Duluth, in 1948, that Howard completed his Bachelors degree, with academic work in biology, geography, and the social sciences. He continued his education at the graduate level at Macalester College, Washington State University, and New York University, completing a Masters degree in 1953 and a Doctorate degree in 1959 in the fields of science education and curriculum and instruction.
Howard was the recipient of two Fulbright awards. In 1974, he studied teacher education in Germany and in 1986, he was a consultant to the Ministry of Education in Cyprus. He was also selected by the United States Office of Education to complete a year of post-doctoral study at New York University.
Howard is now retired and lives in Winona with his wife, Anah. Together, they have 12 grand children and four great-grand children. He enjoys photography and natural history, especially bird life and native orchids. Howard’s name is mentioned frequently as a favorite professor and while he is often remembered for his work with the Phelps School, his work to advance the academic quality of the institution and ensure a well rounded education may be his most valuable contribution to the university.

Howard and his family are lifelong learners placing a significant value on higher education. They have a desire to help students into the education profession. They appreciate the financial problems students face today and value hard work and dedication and want this scholarship to assist students who are employed, working a number of hours to cover their college costs; a student with a strong work ethic that is working through spring break and summers to save money for their college expenses. Education has been the cornerstone of their professional careers and they care deeply about making a difference in the lives of students.