Scholarships

Scholarship Information
Physical Therapy Scholarships
Within the Department, there are several annual scholarships managed and awarded by the Scholarship and Awards Committee of the Department of Physical Therapy. These scholarships are awarded annually for second- or third-year students, depending on market status and available funds.
▼ The Shirley & Eugene Panus Scholarship
The purpose of this scholarship, established in 1995 by alumnus Dr Peter Panus – the
2012 inductee into the College of Allied Health Professions Alumni Hall of Fame, is
to provide financial assistance for Physical Therapy students who are interested in
and who have demonstrated strong interest in and potential for pursuing a career in
academic Physical Therapy to include both teaching and research. Eligible students
must be enrolled in the professional component of Physical Therapy, must be in good
academic standing. Since the first award in 1996 the scholarship has been awarded
to a student in the final year of the Physical Therapy program. Physical Therapy faculty
members nominate students for this award.
▼ The McCoy-Archambault Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 1996 and is administered by the Scholarship and
Awards Committee of the Department of Physical Therapy. The fund supporting this
scholarship originated from donations from the Physical Therapy Class of 1994, in
memory of a classmate, Allison Melinda McCoy, and donations made in honor of a former Department Chair, Rosemary Archambault Norris upon her departure from the University. These funds were combined in 1996 to support
awarding of an annual scholarship. It will be awarded to a student who has completed
the first year of the professional component of the Physical Therapy program. In
addition, eligible students must be in good academic standing (> 3.0 overall GPA).
Once the call for applications is given, interested students must complete an application
form and submit it during Spring Semester of the first year of the program. The committee
will then determine the recipient, as well as the amount and semesters of the award,
which will vary depending on funds available.
▼ The Walter Gault Scholarship in Physical Therapy
This scholarship, named in memory of the first Chair of the Department who died in
1998, was developed through donations from faculty, current students, and department
alumni. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has completed the first
year of the professional component of the Physical Therapy program. Nominations are
made by the faculty with consideration for financial need, overall GPA, GPA from PT
courses, and extracurricular leadership and service. Students who are nominated by
faculty will be asked to complete an information form for the scholarship committee.
▼ Anne Harrison Petty PT Scholarship
This scholarship was developed in 2004 in honor of Anne Harrison Petty, a physical
therapist since 1977, and the department Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
from 1989 to 2004. The fund was developed through faculty, student and alumni donations,
and it is awarded annually to a student who has completed the first year of the professional
component of the Physical Therapy program.
▼ The Charles P. Gray PT Scholarship
Dr. Fell and the faculty established this scholarship in 2008 to honor Dr. Gray upon
his retirement after nearly 33 years of service to the Department of Physical Therapy.
From 1976 when he taught the very first PT class at USA through 2008, Dr Gray amazingly
taught Human Anatomy, functional anatomy and goniometry/muscle testing among many
other topics to 893 individuals who now practice PT across the country. The scholarship
was further developed through donations from faculty, current students especially
the DPT Class of 2007, and department alumni reaching the target corpus in less than
one year. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has completed the
first year of in the professional component of the Physical Therapy program based
on academic performance in Human Anatomy I & II, overall PT GPA in the first year
and recommendations from the faculty.
▼ The James C. Wall and George Turnbull PT Scholarship
This developing scholarship was initiated in 2009 to honor Dr. Wall upon his retirement
from the department in December 2009. Dr Wall, educated in the U.K. with a background
in Biomechanics and Engineering, taught at Dalhousie University and then at USA for
21 years. His expertise in gait analysis was recognized around the world including
terms as Editor for the international journal Gait and Posture. The scholarship was renamed to include Dr George Turnbull in April 2012 upon Dr
Turnbull’s death at his home in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dr Turnbull was Chair of the
PT department from 1991-1992 and maintained many friendships in our department after
moving back home. The scholarship is still accumulating funds.
▼ The Bud and Dot Phillips PT Scholarship
The "Bud and Dot Phillips PT Scholarship" was instituted in 2014 through a donation
by Dr and Mrs Dennis (Noel Phillips) Fell, Nathan and Elana Fell, and Hannah Fell.
The scholarship is named in memory of Noel's parents, Mr and Mrs Milton Anthony (Dorothy
Simons) Phillips, Jr, both lifelong residents of Bay St Louis, MS. Bud, a small business
owner on Main Street, and Dot, a registered nurse at Gulfport Hospital, and home health
and an ostomy nurse, were both huge supporters of the USA physical therapy program.
In Dorothy's fun-loving nature, she often referred to a physical therapist as a "sizzical
spigarius" :-) . They were both frequent and effective, but informal, recruiters
for our PT program from along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The scholarship was instituted
to memorialize the perpetual generosity of Bud and Dot, and their loving nature as
parents and grandparents "Pere" and "Mere". Once fully funded the scholarship will
be awarded annually to a graduate student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
▼ The Thomas and Norma Fell Endowed PT Scholarship
The "Thomas and Norma Fell Endowed PT Scholarship" was instituted in 2015 through
a donation by Dr and Mrs Dennis Fell (Chairman of the Department), and his siblings
Dr Thomas W (Susan) Fell, Judy (Gilbert) Fell Burnham, David (Wanda) Fell, Danny (Michelle)
Fell, and Kim Fell (Brian) Feagin, and the Fell grandchildren. The scholarship was
established in memory of their parents Thomas W Fell Sr (“Wix”) and Norma Boldt Fell,
longtime residents of Mobile, AL, who were both recipients of caring physical therapy
provided by alumni of the PT Department. Dr Dennis Fell, their son, was Chair of
the PT Department for over 15 years, daughter Judy was Director of the USA Biomedical
Library, and Mr and Mrs Fell had three children and three grandchildren who attended
and graduated from the University. The scholarship was established to assist and
encourage future students in the process of becoming excellent physical therapists.