The wife of former OU President Joseph Champagne and other colleagues established the scholarship more than 30 years ago, with the goal of providing funds to help students experiencing financial difficulties achieve their educational goals.
“I am a single mom who has had several interruptions in my pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree due to life circumstances over the years,” said Karen Blair, Critical Difference Scholarship recipient. “The Women of OU Critical Difference Scholarship Committee has forever impacted my life. Their assistance has provided me the opportunity to graduate, obtain my degree and provide a better life for my son and I.”
Blair is in her final year at Oakland studying Occupational Safety and Health. She currently works as an intern on campus in the Environmental Health and Safety office.
“It truly is a labor of love,” said Rhonda Saunders, committee chair. “It is rewarding for the committee to see these students blossom and achieve success in their career endeavors through their education at Oakland.”
The following criteria must be met in order to apply for the Critical Difference Scholarship:
- Must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at OU and have completed 16 credit hours at OU or transferred 16 credit hours from any post-secondary institution.
- Must have maintained an overall GPA of at least 2.5.
- Must be a single head-of-household (male or female) as defined by the IRS tax code.
- College education must have been interrupted at some point for at least one year.
The deadline to apply for the Critical Difference Scholarship is March 30, 2013.
For more information and to apply for the scholarship visit the website at
oakland.edu/woudifference.
The Women of OU Critical Difference Scholarship Committee will be hosting “Golden Grizzlies Girls Night Out” on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends are invited to cheer on the OU women’s basketball team when they play Michigan State University. A pre-game reception will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Meadow Brook Art Gallery, located on the 2nd floor of Wilson Hall.
The Office of the President is sponsoring the event.
View the flyer for more details. Please RSVP to Jo Hairston at 248-370-3502 or by email at
hairston@oakland.edu no later than Friday, Nov. 16, to attend the reception and to reserve free tickets.
