Brehm Scholars Program grows at EMU

Published February 25, 2011

In 2002, alumna Delores Soderquist Brehm ('52), together with her husband William Brehm, provided a one million dollar endowed scholarship to annually benefit eight students preparing to become professionals in the field of special education. This is the ninth year of the Brehm Scholars Program, and to date, 54 students have become Brehm Scholars.

As the Brehm Scholar Program has continued to develop, the Brehms have made additional gifts to the Department of Special Education to fund the following scholar/faculty activities:

  • Annual Research Partnership Projects
  • Annual Special Education Summer Institute
  • Annual Brehm Scholars Research Planning Conference

These additional gifts support student and faculty research and have resulted in numerous presentations and publications. Diverse, creative research topics include, EMU Brehm Scholars in Their First Years of Teaching: Relationship Between Training and Service, Animals and Humans: the Relationship, Understanding Perspectives of Inclusion through Photo Voice, and, Expanding Recreational Activities to the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Across the last three years, nine Brehm Scholars have been involved in EMU's Undergraduate Symposium. Since 2004, nine Brehm Scholars have participated in EMU's Graduate Research Fair, and one of these Scholars received the Ronald W. Collins Outstanding Graduate Research award. Many Brehm Scholars have also received departmental honor awards at the time of their graduation.