A scholarship honoring the first chair of UTMB’s Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department became fully endowed summer 2003. The Ruth Morris Endowed Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance to eligible CLS students, is a major boost to the department and its students, according to Dr. Vicki S. Freeman, chair of the department, which is located in the School of Allied Health Sciences. “I’m thrilled we’re going to be able to offer more scholarships to students through this endowment,” Freeman said. “A lot of students are working to support themselves through school, so they will certainly appreciate it.”

Students qualify for the Morris scholarship after receiving nominations from CLS faculty in September. A recipient is announced during a fall awards ceremony.

Renie Gustafson, a retired CLS assistant professor, was as much elated as she was relieved to learn the Morris scholarship had been endowed. “I’ve been wanting that scholarship endowed for years and years,” said Gustafson, who retired in 1990. Gustafson was one of the first to contribute to the scholarship and helped in the initial drive to establish it soon after Morris stepped down as chair of the CLS Department in 1987, after holding the post for 19 years.

Morris said she is pleased the scholarship is now a fully funded endowment, meaning it will be able to provide financial assistance to students in perpetuity. “I’m happy to see the completion of this scholarship and hope that it can continue to grow to serve many deserving students in the future,” she said.

Added Dr. Charles H. Christiansen, SAHS dean, “Ruth Morris is an important figure in the history of the School of Allied Health Sciences, and I am delighted that her contributions to our school are commemorated with the establishment of this scholarship endowment. We need to continue to build its value so it can help as many aspiring clinical laboratorians as possible.”

Morris joined UTMB in 1967, the same year the UT System Board of Regents approved the establishment of SAHS. Medical Technology (the predecessor of CLS) was one of the school’s five charter programs and the first academically based medical technology program in Texas and the Southwest. Morris retired in 1990 and is currently a professor emeritus.

Return to the list of CLS financial aid

For more information on the types of financial aid available and the financial aid process at UTMB:

• Visit Enrollment Services (under Current Students, Financial Aid)
• View an explanation of the tuition and fee schedule (for CLS)
• Estimate your tuition and fees (for CLS)