Smucker family is tripling size of scholarship fund

05/17/2016

Wayne College students


In a move that continues its legacy of generous support for higher education in Wayne County, the Smucker family has announced it will increase the size of a scholarship that benefits students at The University of Akron’s Wayne College to $1 million dollars.

Paul H. Smucker

Paul H. Smucker


The Paul H. Smucker Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of the former chairman of The J.M. Smucker Company. Paul H. Smucker helped lead efforts for the creation of a UA branch campus in Wayne County in the late 1960s. The scholarship fund is devoted to helping full-time Wayne College students who show academic promise and financial need.

“My parents were very pro-education, and they fully understood the financial burdens faced by many college students and their families,” said Susan Smucker Wagstaff. “We feel making more scholarship dollars available to deserving students is a wonderful way to honor their memory.”

“The generosity of the Smucker family and their longtime commitment to education have made a difference in the lives of countless UA students,” said UA President Scott L. Scarborough. “These additional scholarship dollars will continue to impact the lives of students and thereby positively contribute to the quality of life in our community.”

Susan and H. Reid Wagstaff, Richard and Emily Smucker, and Timothy and Jenny Smucker are providing the additional scholarship dollars. The families’ past contributions to Wayne College include The Paul and Lorraine Smucker Learning Center and The J.M. Smucker Multipurpose Room at the Wayne campus.