Collins Family Scholarship

What began as a rather mysterious award in 1986 ultimately turned into a challenging opportunity for biology and chemistry majors at CLU. Originally the award was created by a person who modestly preferred to remain anonymous. But that attitude changed, and then there was another change. The award, which had begun as as a fellowship for a graduating senior, became a scholarship for an undergraduate student’s senior year of college.

CFS—those initials were part of the mystery. Some guessed the letters were a loved one’s initials, and they guessed correctly. Dr. Barbara Collins, a member of CLU’s biology faculty since 1963, loved and revered her parents so much that she chose to fund a scholarship to pay tribute to them and to the educational opportunities they had given her.

Barbara’s father’s name was Cornelius Frelinghuisen Schenck (our mysterious CFS). Mr. Schenck was a civil engineer, a graduate of Columbia University in New York. He was from a long line of Dutch Reformed ministers. Mrs. Schenck was a teacher. The couple both had a great love of music that they passed on to their children. They were always interested in the advancement of science education. Barbara’s brother was a math major and became a mechanical engineer.

Barbara herself was interested in many areas of science. As an undergraduate she had majored in chemistry and mathematics. In her graduate studies she pursued a doctorate in geology. And after she had earned that degree, she discovered her love of biology, specifically botany. So she pursued yet another graduate degree. It was just hard for her to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up!

In 2013, as Barbara prepared to retire, she renamed the scholarship the Collins Family Scholarship. Now that the award is given to the top biology or chemistry student for the senior year, the competition has intensified. Barbara specified one other criterion: Recipients must have completed both their sophomore and junior years at CLU.

In creating this scholarship, Dr. Barbara Collins succeeded not only in honoring her parents but in heightening interest in biology and chemistry as areas of study for CLU undergraduates.