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Beckett, William Endowed Scholarship in Engineering

The William Beckett Endowed Scholarship in Engineering was established by William H. Beckett in 2011 and revised in 2017 and 2024. Mr. Beckett grew up in West Akron and attended Buchtel High School and ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ. He graduated from ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ in 1956 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and began his career with General Motors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 1960, he went to work for RCA/General Electric (GE) in Moorestown, New Jersey. Mr. Beckett remained with GE until his retirement in 1993. During his career, he was involved with a line of work that included three phases: development of guidance systems for Intercontinental missiles, design of radar servo control systems used in tracking missiles and spacecraft, and development of computer software that was part of a naval ship weapons system. Now a resident of New Jersey, Mr. Beckett desires to assist University of Akron students pursuing engineering degrees.

The William Beckett Endowed Scholarship in Engineering will be awarded annually to full-time students enrolled in ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ's College of Engineering and Polymer Science. The students must be pursuing a B.S. degree in either Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering and be members or plan to become members of the Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) and/or the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Applicants also must:

• be a U.S. citizen,
• possess a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater,
• have attended at last one year (2 semesters) of full-time study at ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ, and
• have financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Aid.

First preference will be given to graduates of an Akron Public High School, second to graduates from any Summit County, Ohio high school, and third preference to all other applicants meeting the previously stated criteria.

The College of Engineering and Polymer Science Scholarship Committee will be responsible for administering the scholarship.

Each year, all money distributed from the ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Foundation endowment account to the University award account shall be completely spent on scholarships before the start of the fall semester. Any money not awarded by the start of the fall semester shall be returned to the ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Foundation endowment account. The University award account will always have a zero balance at the start of the fall semester. 

To make a tax-deductible gift to this scholarship, please visit ÐãÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ’s . Select “A different designation” from the drop-down menu and enter “William Beckett Scholarship” in the text box. Thank you!