INDIANA, Pa. — C. Edward Keller of Beaumont, Texas, formerly of Waynesboro, Pa., and a 2019 Indiana University of Pennsylvania Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, has been honored by the Beaumont Foundation of America with an additional $60,000 gift for a scholarship at IUP named in Keller’s honor.
A first-generation college student from Waynesboro, Keller graduated from IUP in 1974 with a degree in criminology. While a student, Keller worked in campus security and interacted with Pennsylvania State Police troopers who encouraged him to consider a career in law enforcement. Keller credits the IUP criminology program for aiding his career as a state trooper.
Keller spent 28 years in law enforcement, beginning his career with the Maryland State Police and retiring from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an agent. During his tenure, he received numerous honors and awards for outstanding investigative work and supervisory leadership skills. He also successfully completed Executive Management training at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
After retiring in 2003, Keller has continued to cement his legacy of service as the president and CEO of the Beaumont Foundation. The organization’s mission at that time was to provide computer equipment to schools, churches and non-profit organizations such as The Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Club of America, thereby creating more opportunities for the underprivileged.
In 2006, the Beaumont Foundation began supporting foster care homes and food banks in Texas. The foundation provides clothing stipends to foster care children, scholarships for both teachers and students, and grants in support of health care and social services programs. Since 2002, more than $183 million in grants and scholarships have been awarded.
In 2015, the Beaumont Foundation of America established the C. Edward Keller Scholarship for Criminology and Criminal Justice at IUP in Keller’s honor.
To date, IUP has received more than $500,000 in scholarship funding from the Beaumont Foundation.
Since the creation of the scholarship, $375,000 has been awarded to deserving students, with another $52,000 to be awarded this academic year.
The C. Edward Keller Scholarship for Criminology and Criminal Justice is an endowed scholarship, meaning scholarships will be available for many, many more years.
The C. Edward Keller Endowed Scholarship in Criminology and Criminal Justice provides support for tuition, fees and books to full-time criminology majors who demonstrate academic excellence and have standardized test scores predicting high academic success at IUP.
Preference is given to first-generation students and those with financial need. The recipients of the scholarship are selected by the appropriate scholarship committee within the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, in consultation with the honoree.
The 2024 C. Edward Keller Scholarship for Criminology and Criminal Justice recipients are:
- Samantha Bainey from Philipsburg, a criminology and psychology double major and magna cum laude May IUP graduate.
- Amanda Gwinn of James Creek, who will be a senior criminology major at IUP in fall 2024.
- Kylie Nease of Greensburg, who will be a second-year criminology major at IUP in fall 2024.
- Madison Shafron from Latrobe, who graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA from IUP in May and will begin studies in the criminology master’s program at IUP in fall 2024.
- Haylee Svidron from Monroeville, who will begin her studies at IUP in criminology in fall 2024.
- Freeman Wilson of Harrisburg, who will be a second-year criminology major at IUP in fall 2024.
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This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: Foundation honors native of Waynesboro and IUP alumnus with addition to scholarship
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