Knowlton Endowed Scholarships

Knowlton Endowed Scholarships

The endowed scholarships listed below are awarded annually. Faculty in each section review candidates at the close of each academic year and select recipients based on specific scholarship criteria, academic performance, and/or financial need.

All active Knowlton students in good academic standing are reviewed. Although no application is required, students are encouraged to submit the FAFSA by the university's priority deadline of February 1. Student recipients are typically notified in late July of awards for the upcoming academic year. Many of the scholarships are one-time awards; some awards may be renewed.

Alpha Rho Chi Demetrios Chapter Scholarship

Established in 1968 with gifts made by alumni and friends of the university to provide a scholarships to an undergraduate architecture students enrolled in the Knowlton School.

American Institute of Architects of Ohio Foundation Scholarship

An annual scholarship provided by the American Institute of Architects of Ohio Foundation in an effort to facilitate the connection between the profession of architecture and future leaders.

Architecture Class of ’63 Endowed Fund

Established in 2018 with gifts from the Architecture Class of 1963 and friends, this fund is used to support one or more renewable scholarships for graduate or undergraduate students enrolled in the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture.

Herbert Baumer Memorial Fund in Architecture

The Herbert Baumer Memorial Fund in Architecture was established March 4, 1977, by the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University with gifts through The Ohio State University Development Fund from colleagues, friends, and relatives in memory of Professor Emeritus Herbert Baumer, late of Columbus, Ohio.

William A. Behnke ’51 Associates, Inc. Minority Scholarship

Established in 1986 by William A. Behnke (BA Larch 1951) and friends to provide a scholarship for a student who intends to major in landscape architecture or who has at least one year remaining in the program and is a member of an officially recognized minority group.

Carl F. Bentz ’35 Scholarship

Established in 1998 by an anonymous donor to honor Carl E. Bentz (B Arch 1935), former architect and engineer for the state of Ohio, to provide a scholarship for an architecture student who best represents the Knowlton School and who shows desire and pursuit of great architecture.

Joseph N. Bradford 1878 Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1943 with gifts from graduates of the architecture program in memory of Professor Bradford, B Eng 1878 and first head of the Department of Architecture at Ohio State. The scholarship is traditionally awarded to the top second-year architecture student with the best academic record.

Michael B. Cadwell Endowed Scholarship

Created with a gift from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation in 2021, the Michael B. Cadwell Endowed Scholarship is awarded to students studying in the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture who are members of official Ohio State organizations that are open to all members but whose mission is to advance the needs of populations historically underrepresented in higher education.

Jot D. Carpenter Scholarship

Established in 2000 by family, friends, colleagues, and students in honor of Professor Carpenter’s 28 years of service to the School and devotion to his students, the School and the profession. The scholarship supports a landscape architecture student in the Knowlton School based on merit and need.

Robert E. Cassell ’51 Memorial Scholarship

Established in 2006 by Charlene Cassell, family, friends, colleagues, and students in memory of Robert Cassell. This merit or need-based scholarship is intended to further diversity with attention to third, fourth, or graduate-level architecture students.

Ethel Roe Caulkins and Earl F. Caulkins Scholarship

Established in 2003 by the estate of Migg Caulkins Urban in memory of her parents, Ethel and Earl Caulkins, the fund provides undergraduate and graduate scholarships for an Ohio resident from any section within the School. Scholarship winners must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and are chosen primarily for academic merit and their exhibit of enthusiasm and motivation to succeed in the profession.

John and Betsy Corkill Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2015 with gifts from John F. Corkill (B Arch 1967), the scholarship is awarded to two undergraduate architecture students with financial need. Preference is given to students who excel in practical architectural studies.

Design Group, Inc., Minority Scholarship

Established in 1991 to provide a need-based scholarship for an outstanding black American student enrolled in the Knowlton School's architecture program.

Wayne and Waneita Dipner Family Endowed Scholarship

Provides one or more need-based scholarships to students in the architecture section.

Robert S. Davis and Martha Garland Scholarship

Established in 2006 by Robert Davis and Martha Garland, the scholarship is awarded to a deserving architecture student.

Wilbur J. Garmhausen ’95 Scholarship

Established in 1996 by Wilbur J. Garmhausen (BSLA 1995) to provide a scholarship for a landscape architecture student who, at the end of the sophomore year, best represents excellence in landscape architecture with a particular knowledge of landscape plants and professional communication skills.

The Robert S. and Katheryn J. Green Scholarship Fund in Welding and Architecture

Established in 2008 with a gift from Robert S. Green, Knowlton School Professor Emeritus, to provide scholarships for undergraduate students majoring in architecture.

C. Richard Hays ’55 Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1988 with gifts from the family and friends of C. Richard Hays (B Larch 1955) to provide a scholarship for an undergraduate landscape architecture student.

Charles W. Hinson Scholarship

Established in 2006 with gifts from friends, colleagues, and family, in memory of Charles W. Hinson. Mr. Hinson was an accomplished leader in retail design noted for his imaginative concepts and attention to detail. The scholarship is awarded to undergraduate architecture student who has financial need, strong academic performance, and talent for interior and commercial design.

Harold D. Keller Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship supports minority graduate students in the City and Regional Planning program with attention to students who are studying housing and community development.

James T. and Marjorie L. Kienle Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2015 with gifts from James (B Arch 1967) and Marjorie (BS 1971) Kienle. The fund provides one or more scholarships for architecture majors. Preference to students with an interest in preservation. Academic merit and financial need are also considerations.

Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarship

Established in 2010 with a gift from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation to support undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in the Austin E. Knowlton School. Preference is given to candidates from Ohio.

Mr. Austin E. Knowlton, also known as “Dutch”, was the owner and Chairman of the Knowlton Construction Company, an organization started in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1937 and whose predecessors dated back to 1906. Mr. Knowlton, through his company, was responsible for over 600 major and significant construction projects throughout Ohio and the Midwest, including school buildings, hospitals, libraries and post offices. Mr. Knowlton was a 1927 graduate of Bellefontaine High School in Logan County, Ohio and The Ohio State University, class of 1931, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering. He became an avid sportsman with a 50-year interest in saddlebred horses, an original founding partnership of the Cincinnati Bengals where he served as Chairman, a major ownership interest for many years in the Cincinnati Reds, and a trusteeship of the Little Brown Jug Society for harness racing in Delaware, Ohio.

Knowlton School Alumni Society Scholarship

Established in 2005 by the Knowlton School Alumni Society to provide a scholarship to an undergraduate or returning graduate student in architecture, city and regional planning, or landscape architecture based on financial need, demonstrated leadership skills, and future promise to be an alumni leader.

Suzanne Kolarik Underwood Scholarship Fund

The Suzanne Kolarik Underwood Scholarship Fund is used to provide an annual scholarship award to a student entering the fourth-year architectural design studio who has demonstrated superior ability and talent in the third-year architectural design studio.

The fund was established in 1989 by William Michael Kolarik (B.S.M.E., ’79), William James and Helen Marie Kolarik, Max Underwood, and the family and friends of the late Suzanne Kolarik Underwood (B.S.Arch. ’77). 

Awards are based on demonstrated academic excellence in architectural design.

Kontogiannis Scholarship in Architecture

Established in 2019 by George J. Kontogiannis, the scholarship provides support to a graduate student who is studying in the Knowlton School who demonstrates financial need and has shown a commitment to community service and has received their undergraduate degree in architecture from The Ohio State University.

Merle Robert Maffit ’23 Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1963 with gifts from friends, associates, and family of Merle Robert Maffit (BS Eng 1923) to provide a scholarship for a student in the architecture section. Traditionally, the scholarship is awarded to a second-year undergraduate student who demonstrates a talent for design and a strong academic record.

Bronson Roy and Mary Faye Magee Scholarship

Established in 2004 with a gift from the estate of Betty Magee Baird in memory of her parents, Bronson Roy and Mary Faye Magee, to provide a scholarship based on financial need for an undergraduate architecture student from Cleveland or Zanesville, Ohio, who has attended completed at least one undergraduate year of a Knowlton School degree program, and has maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average.

Carl F. Mayer ’09 Scholarship

Established in 1999 with gifts from Charles Mayer in honor of his father Carl F. Mayer (B Arch Eng 1909), who served as a University staff architect for 19 years. The fund provides a scholarship to a student in the architecture section who is at the end of his/her sophomore year who shows marked talent for architectural design, has maintained at least a 3.5 grade point average, and demonstrates financial need.

Juanita Kathryn Melsop Scholarship

Established in 2003 with a gift from J. William (B Arch 1964) and Sandra Melsop in memory of Juanita Kathryn Melsop, mother of J. William and grandmother of Susan Melsop-Bonn (BS Arch 1987). The scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate architecture student who has achieved academic excellence in the study of architecture and has financial need.

The J. Michael and Jana K. Milligan Family Scholarship

Established in 2011 with a gift from James (BSArch 78) and Jana (BS Bus. Admin. 79) Milligan. The fund provides scholarships for undergraduate students with a significant, unmet financial need who are majoring in architecture and have completed a minimum of one year in the architecture program. Preference is given to students who are working to pay a portion of their educational expenses, have actual field construction experience, exhibit good character, and/or are from rural areas of Ohio.

R. M. Harpham, Moody/Nolan, Spencer & Spencer Minority Scholarship

Established in 1989 from the design fees for the renovation of the Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center to provide a scholarship for a black American student entering their first year of architectural study. The award is based upon financial need and the likelihood that he/she will complete course work in architecture and enter the profession.

Michael and Martha Passe Scholarship

Established in 2003 with a gift from Knowlton School Professor Emeritus Michael Passe and Assistant Professor Emeritus Martha Passe to provide a scholarship for a student in the architecture section who demonstrates academic excellence and financial need.

Harry E. Phillian ’38 Scholarship

Established in 1985 with gifts from friends of Professor Emeritus Harry Phillian (B Arch 1938), who taught at the School from 1948 to 1977, to provide a scholarship for a student in the architecture section. This scholarship is traditionally awarded to outstanding third-year students.

Ransom Family Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund

The Ransom Family Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund was established November 7, 2014 with a gift from Buss Ransom (B Arch 1961). The fund provides scholarship support for students enrolled in the master of architecture program at the Knowlton School.

Ransom Family Scholarship Fund

The Ransom Family Scholarship Fund was established February 1, 2013 with gifts from Buss (B Arch 1961) and Eric Ransom, long-time friends and supporters of the Knowlton School. The fund supports Ransom Scholars who are majoring in architecture at the Knowlton School.

James T. Rector ’66 Scholarship

Established in 2004 with a gift from John F. Corkill (BS Arch ’67) in memory of his classmate James Rector. Rector was part of a group of classmates who were first generation students working their way through school. The scholarship is awarded to an architecture student with financial need.

Howard Dwight Smith 1907 Scholarship

Established in 1956 with gifts from friends of Howard Dwight Smith (B Arch Eng 1907 and the University Architect from 1929 to 1956) to provide a scholarship for a student in the architecture section. Mr. Smith also taught at the School from 1918 to 1921 and 1929 to 1956. Traditionally, the scholarship is awarded to a student who has active leadership qualities, with preference to those with financial need.

Richard Scott Smith ’33 Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1981 with gifts from family and friends of Richard Scott Smith (B Arch 1933) to provide a scholarship for one or more students in the architecture section with demonstrated financial need and leadership qualities.

Lajos and Wilhelmina Szabo Architecture Scholarship

Established in 1986 by Lajos and Wilhelmina (MA Education 82) Szabo to provide a scholarship for one architecture student who has completed the junior year of study, and who shows outstanding professional merit and a financial need.

Paul E. Young, Jr. Scholarship

Established in 2002 by the family of Paul E. Young, Jr. to honor his 33-year teaching career in the School of Architecture through The Foundation. Scholarships support architecture students who exhibit a deep understanding of and a strong commitment to architecture’s role in e enhancing everyday life.