DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Four master of public administration students at the University of North Texas are beginning their graduate education this fall with a $28,500 scholarship from the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation. The award is recognition of their civic engagement and leadership potential, and it will cover tuition and fees for two years.
The UNT recipients are:
- Abbey Heffner of Huntsville, Texas. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and child learning and development from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2012.
- Sean Jacobson of Houghton, New York. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Miami University in 2010.
- Chelsea Monty of Midlothian, Texas. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from Abilene Christian University in 2010.
- Patrick Ratliff of Memphis, Tennessee. He received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Auburn University in 2014.
- Julie Winkler of Los Alamos, New Mexico. She received her bachelor's degree in linguistics from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2012.
"As Hatton W. Sumners Scholars, these students will go on to make a world of difference in a world in desperate need of difference makers," said Robert Bland, endowed professor of local government and faculty liaison to the Sumners Foundation.
Throughout the past 40 years, more than 150 UNT students have been named Hatton Scholars.
UNT's Master of Public Administration program has been ranked eighth nationally by U.S. News and World Report in the area of city management. Throughout Texas, dozens of the program's graduates work in executive-level positions as city managers and nonprofit leaders.
About Hatton W. Sumners Foundation
The purpose of the Dallas-based Hatton W. Sumners Foundation is to encourage citizen engagement in government through an understanding of the principles of democracy and the essential role that citizens have in preserving self-government. The Foundation was established by Hatton W. Sumners who served as a member of Congress from Dallas from 1912 until his voluntary retirement from office in 1947.