Resources & Scholarships in Philosophy & Religion

Eligibility:

• Full-time student
• religious studies major

Application process:

• There is no application process. Faculty select outstanding religious studies student.
  
  

About Joel and Marion Blass

The Drs. Lawhead (Pam and Bill) established the Joel and Marion Blass Religious Studies Award in honor of Pam's parents.

Joel Blass (1917-2012), a native of Clinton, MS served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1953-1960. In 1965, he became a professor of law and director of research at the University of Mississippi School of Law, later serving as associate dean.

He was named Outstanding Teacher at University of Mississippi School of Law in 1969. He was appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court serving from 1989-1990 and was a supporter of the academic study of religion.  Judge Blass touched all parts of the legal profession – lawyer, law professor, legal scholar and judge - much admired "for his civility, integrity, honesty, forthrightness, and intellect."

His wife, Marion (Merritt) Blass (1922-1998) was active in planning & building the first Catholic church in Stone County, MS, organized the 'Lenten Luncheon' series in Oxford, MS in the 1960's, and was very involved in many other civic and community activities.

About Drs. Bill and Pam Lawhead

"Over the years we have had a number spectacular students who were both delightful and exciting to teach," said Dr. Bill Lawhead, former professor and chair. "Consequently, we wanted to give special recognition to the outstanding students in each of the department’s disciplines."

Dr. Pam Lawhead received an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Mississippi as well as a Ph.D. in Computer Science. She taught computer science here from 2002 to 2012. She had a reputation for being a challenging and demanding teacher as well as a caring mentor who gave of her time to her students’ academic and personal problems. Her commitment to students was recognized when she was the first faculty member to be given the Thomas Frist Student Service Award for 'unwavering dedication and service to students.'

"Nothing is more exciting," Pam said, "than to see a young adult mind grasp a very big idea. My favorite part of teaching was watching their eyes as they came to understand a difficult concept for the first time."

Besides her work in the classroom, Pam excelled in research, having earned the Engineering Faculty Research Award. However, even her research benefited students as many of them were employed doing research for her grants from IBM, Pearson Publishing, and a $15,000,000 NASA grant.

For many years, the Lawheads provided a departmental Grove tent on football weekends. They fed faculty, undergraduate majors, starving graduate students, and the occasional curious, drop-in visitor who had never talked to a real philosopher before.  Members of the department are still carrying on this tradition.

Eligibility:

• Full-time student
• religious studies major

Application process:

• There is no application process. Faculty select outstanding religious studies student.
  
  

About James and Cecelia (Fisher) Lawhead:

The Drs. Lawhead (Pam and Bill) established the James and Cecelia Lawhead Philosophy Award in honor of Bill's parents.

"Over the years we have had a number spectacular students who were both delightful and exciting to teach," Bill said. "Consequently, we wanted to give special recognition to the outstanding students in each of the department's disciplines."

James Lawhead (1919-1995) was a pharmaceutical chemist, first at Merck, and then at G.D. Searle in Illinois. In his research at Searle, he helped develop many well-known products, including Dramamine (for motion sickness) and the artificial sweetener that was marketed as Equal. Eventually, he left the laboratory and occupied many positions in management over the years. In 1969 he was appointed President of Searle of Puerto Rico and served there until his retirement in 1979. Although he was the most comfortable with the precision and certainty of the quantitative sciences, he always enjoyed a good philosophical discussion.

His wife, Cecelia (Fisher) Lawhead (1917-1978) taught school for a number of years and, later, served as a volunteer in various community organizations.

About Dr. Bill Lawhead

Dr. Bill Lawhead started teaching philosophy at the University of Mississippi in 1980. In 2005 he was appointed Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion and served in that position until his retirement in 2012. For his dedicated teaching, he was awarded the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher Award and Mississippi's 2002 Humanities Teacher Award. 

Speaking about his teaching, Bill said, "For me, teaching is a high adrenaline activity because of the frequent unplanned, spontaneous, and intense moments. I love it when a student interrupts my lecture with a penetrating question or to challenge my ideas. I know a class has been successful when I leave the classroom with some hard thinking to do, because of my engagement with my students."

For many years, the Lawheads provided a departmental Grove tent on football weekends. They fed faculty, undergraduate majors, starving graduate students, and the occasional curious, drop-in visitor who had never talked to a real philosopher before.  Members of the department are still carrying on this tradition.

Eligibility:

• Full-time student
• philosophy major with potential to succeed in graduate school and bring a new or underrepresented perspective to the discipline of philosophy.

Application process:

• There is no application process. Faculty select outstanding philosophy major who best exemplifies goal of scholarship.
  
  

About Verena Erlenbusch:

Verena Erlenbusch is a philosophy professor at the University of Memphis, who, in 2014, donated her speaking honorarium at UM to help students in need.