New UPB Scholarship to Benefit Students Studying Sport Sciences

A new scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will benefit students pursuing careers in the sport sciences.

The Dr. Rebecca J. Mowrey Excellence in Sport Studies Scholarship was endowed by Mowrey, who served on the Pitt-Bradford faculty for 13 years, and by Dr. Holly J. Spittler, associate dean of student affairs, a colleague and friend of Mowrey.

“Pitt-Bradford is a special place, and I’ll always treasure my years and memories as a member of the faculty there,” Mowrey said. “I’m really happy to support Pitt-Bradford by establishing this scholarship.”

Mowrey began her professional career as an educator at Pitt-Bradford, where she worked with Dr. Carol Baker, then vice president of academic affairs, to establish the sport and recreation management and sports medicine majors on campus.

In 1996, Mowrey joined the faculty at Millersville University of Pennsylvania where she is professor of sport management in the Wellness and Sport Sciences Department. She is also director of the graduate sport management program and vice president of the faculty senate.

While her place of employment has changed, Mowrey has never forgotten the college where she began her professional career nearly 30 years ago. Over the years, she has followed and supported the growth and development of Pitt-Bradford while retaining ties with faculty, staff and students. Five Pitt-Bradford graduates have completed the master of education degrees in sport management under Mowrey’s mentorship at Millersville.

After hearing about the Agnes L. and Lewis Lyle Scholarship Challenge, which provides matching funds for scholarship gifts of $5,000 to $50,000, Mowrey and Spittler, along with Mowrey’s parents, the Rev. Drs. James and Thelma Mowrey, endowed a scholarship. The Mowreys served from 1979 to 1989 as pastor and associate pastor, respectively, of the First United Methodist Church in Bradford.

The scholarship is for a returning senior, junior or sophomore majoring in athletic training, sports medicine or sport and recreation management with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Spittler said, “This scholarship reflects Dr. Mowrey’s legacy as an outstanding educator who set high standards for her students and herself. Over the years, she has talked about a desire to establish a scholarship at Pitt-Bradford, and the Thomas Scholarship Challenge made it possible.”

In addition to her teaching duties, Mowrey is active in her church and in her community, as a trained restorative justice mediator with the Lancaster County Center for Restorative Practices.

She is past president of the international Sport and Recreation Law Association and the national Sport Management Council. In 2007, she was selected and trained by Habitat for Humanity International to serve as a Global Village team leader and last summer led a team to Auckland, New Zealand. She serves as faculty advisor to the campus Chapter of Habitat at Millersville.

For more information, on the Mowrey Scholarship or the Thomas Scholarship Challenge, contact the Pitt-Bradford Institutional Advancement Office at (814)362-5104 or Joelle Warner, manager of donor services, at jaw104@pitt.edu.

(Photo by Olan Mills)