SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A scholarship dedicated to LGBTQ+ students has been set up at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. The school’s President Dr. Rodney Hanley and wife Sara announced the scholarship last week.

The $1200 scholarship, called the “Rodney S. Hanley and Sara Gunhus-Hanley LGBTQ+ Endowed Scholarship” will be awarded in the spring to a student who “exemplifies leadership and service within the university LGBTQ+ community, study, and research vis-à-vis LGBTQ+ issues and a commitment to supporting the progress of LGBTQ+ civil rights movements.”

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The scholarship was created to “provide financial assistance to students who excel in their contributions to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied community (LGBTQ+) at LSSU.”

This annually awarded scholarship is touted by the university as a “first of its kind at LSSU.”

Dr. Hanley, who along with his wife have committed $31,000 for the scholarship, said, “Sara and I are proud to be able to create this scholarship at LSSU. We both recognize the importance and responsibility of the university to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among faculty, staff, and students.”

He continued, “Every student should have equal access to learning and be treated fairly by the learning community. We’ve heard from our students that feeling valued and supported by their instructors and fellow classmates is important to them and reinforces that they are respected members of our campus community.”

Representatives from the student group SAGE (Sexuality and Gender Equality) were present during the signing ceremony. SAGE President Madeline Mazella said, “In today’s world, you find at times there isn’t much support. By establishing this scholarship, Dr. and Mrs. Hanley have demonstrated their acceptance of diversity for people who need it to feel safe, welcomed, and valued. This is a great step in the right direction for the community and especially on campus.”