The Wetzel-Hagaman Awards were established at Montreat College to prepare the next generation of Christian outdoor leaders and educators. Faculty members, Penny Hagaman and Jake Wetzel invested their lives in Montreat students over the years. The Outdoor Education/Outdoor Recreation Studies Program faculty established this award in their honor.
- Amount: Awards are for $2000 each ($1000 each semester) for incoming majors in Outdoor Recreation Studies. Awards are only for the freshman/first year of study at Montreat College.
- Number of awards: Up to ten awards will be given.
- Application criteria: An application form and essay are required for each applicant.
- Due date: The deadline for all applications and essays is April 1, 2024.
More information
The Wetzel-Hagaman Awards are named for Jake Wetzel and Penny Hagaman, founders of the Outdoor Recreation Department (now Outdoor Recreation Studies Program) at Montreat College. Jake also founded and directed the Discovery Wilderness Program from 1975-1984. After many years on the mission field in Bolivia, Ethiopia and Ireland, Jake and his wife Sarah settled back in the Montreat Cove. Jake still has great enthusiasm for the field of Outdoor Education and Recreation. He often stops by for visits in the department and you may see him out on his touring bike.
Penny Hagaman was a tenured professor in the Outdoor Recreation Department at Montreat-Anderson College (when it was a two-year college). She taught and coached volleyball, cheerleading and tennis from 1974 to 1981. She also worked as the Girls Camp Director (1979 – 1984) at Wheaton College’s Honey Rock Camp in Three Lakes, WI, where she served as a Vanguard/High Road wilderness learning instructor. Penny served in the 1980s as director of the southeastern United States region of Christian Camping International’s “Foundations for Excellence” camp certification program. Penny went to be with the Lord in 2008.
Penny Hagaman and Jake Wetzel invested their lives in Montreat students over the years. It was in that spirit that the Outdoor Education Department (former name of the program) established this award in 2005 as an investment in the next generation of Christian Outdoor Leaders.
Amount
Awards are for $2000.00 each ($1000.00 each semester). Awards are only for the freshman/first year of study at Montreat College. Awards will be withdrawn should a recipient decide to major in something other than Outdoor Recreation Studies since they are program/major-specific scholarships.
Criteria
Those eligible to apply must meet the following criteria:
- Be a freshman or transfer student majoring in Outdoor Recreation Studies and plans to enroll in Spring or Fall 2023.
- Selection will be based on an application and essay (described below).
- Student must declare the Outdoor Recreation Studies major in the first semester and continue as a major.
- Student must make no lower than a B in OREC 1110 (Fall Semester) to be awarded for the Spring Semester.
- Student must plan to continue in the major to receive the spring award.
To Apply
Complete the online application and essay. For any questions, contact Dr. Dottie Shuman, Professor of Outdoor Recreation Studies (dottie.shuman@montreat.edu). NOTE: The due date for all applications and essays is April 1st, 2023.