A bequest arrangement made by Robert “Ken” Hedrick, a member of Maxwell’s 1976 MPA class, which will eventually fund the Walter F. Huxley and Robert K. Hedrick Endowed Scholarship, has begun benefiting students today, thanks to a special provision of the new Invest Syracuse initiative.

The Huxley/Hedrick Scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students enrolled in the Maxwell School, while giving preference to first-generation college students. Its mission is to ease the financial burden of a college education, so Maxwell can continue to train and educate future generations of civically engaged leaders. The fund honors Hedrick’s late spouse, Walter Huxley.

Through the University’s Invest Syracuse scholarship initiative, a donor who establishes a named undergraduate scholarship via planned giving is rewarded with the naming of a second scholarship for five years in honor of a person of the donor’s choosing. This provision allows donors to see the immediate impact their scholarship will have on the lives of Syracuse University students.

Maxwell’s first Walter F. Huxley Invest Syracuse Scholar, named earlier this semester, is Brielle Valenza. Valenza, a double-major in political science and psychology with a minor in philosophy, hopes to pursue a career in law or criminal justice. She currently serves as a political analyst on student TV, a volunteer at the local Syracuse Rescue Mission, and a member of Tri Delta Sorority. She is a Renée Crown Honors Scholar and maintains a 3.8 GPA.

Hedrick’s motivation for establishing the scholarship, which is meant to help alleviate income inequality through education, draws heavily, he says, on his own experience. Both Hedrick’s parents attended college, but they relied heavily on post World War II federal assistance. He hopes that the Huxley/Hedrick Scholarship will provide students with the same sorts of opportunities that education provided for him and his family. 

11/13/18