By: Judith Erwin, MA CCC-SLP, Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation President

The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (TSHF) is currently accepting applications for the 2025 research, service, education, and scholarship awards. The application deadline is December 8. Awards will be presented at the 69th Annual Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) Convention, to be held May 1-3, 2025, in San Antonio. Visit the TSHF website's Foundation Awards section for application instructions and forms. 

Research Awards
The following funds support TSHF research awards:

• Lear Ashmore Research Endowment Fund was established in 1992 as a general research fund and was named to honor Lear Ashmore, past president of TSHA.
• Tina E. Bangs Research Endowment Fund was established by Tina Bangs in 1992 to support research in speech, language, and hearing disorders.
• Sandy Friel-Patti Research in Language International Travel Fund was established in 2004 by the family and friends of Sandy Friel-Patti, past president of TSHA and TSHF. This fund supports travel to present doctoral language research at an international venue.
• Presidents Research Endowment Fund was established in 1993 by 10 past presidents of TSHA. The fund supports research in speech, language, and hearing disorders.
• Elisabeth Wiig Doctoral Student Research Fund was established in 2014 for the advancement of research by speech-language pathology doctoral students who exceed expectations in scholarship and who advance the field of speech-language pathology regarding these categories, in this order of selection: (1) teenagers, adolescents, or adults; or (2) childhood language disorders. 

Questions about TSHF research awards can be addressed to Patti Solomon-Rice at tshfresearchawards@gmail.com.

Education and Service Awards
TSHF education and service awards recognize and support student loan reimbursement, professional clinical excellence, and student and professional leadership. The following funds support these awards:

• Cherry Wright Texas Educational Loan Support Trust was established in 2017 and supports the payment of educational loans for speech-language pathologists and audiologists employed in a school setting in Texas. Funds are to be used to pay for student educational loans accrued while completing a graduate degree in speech-language pathology or audiology at a graduate program accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
• Burtis-Vogel/Elkins Community Service Award was established in 2001. Awards given from this fund are intended to advance the work of speech-language pathologists who exceed expectations in providing services that benefit the community at large or who advance the field of speech-language pathology.
• TSHA Young Leadership Award was created in 2010 by the TSHA Executive Board to foster leadership within the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology. This award is intended for students or young professionals in the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology who have demonstrated leadership abilities and who show potential to become leaders of TSHA. 
• Judson Erik Mount Memorial Fund supports a speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is providing services to veterans of the U.S. Military Forces or is a speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is a U.S. Military Forces veteran or is currently serving in the U.S. Military Forces.

Questions about TSHF education and service award applications and nominations can be addressed to Michelle Mendietta at tshfserviceeduawards@gmail.com. 

Scholarships
TSHF scholarships support students enrolled in Texas university programs in communication sciences and disorders. Many of the scholarships are associated with a specific university or sponsoring organization. The selection process varies by universities and organizations. Applications for most of the scholarships are made directly to the university program or the sponsoring organization, e.g., El Paso Speech and Hearing Association (EPSHA). Contact the listed university if interested in applying. For scholarships marked with an asterisk, go to the TSHF website to download the application in the Foundation Awards section. 

Check the list below to see the university scholarships available through the Foundation for 2025:

• Any accredited Texas AuD Program: Larry Higdon Scholarship*
• Any Texas Doctoral Program: Donna Russell Fox Scholarship*
• Any Texas Graduate Program: Sara Haynes Scholarship*
• Abilene Christian University: Jon Ashby Scholarship
• Baylor University: Gardner Gateley Scholarship
• Our Lady of the Lake University: Elizabeth Carrow Woolfolk Scholarship
• Our Lady of the Lake University: San Antonio Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SASHLA) Scholarship
• Stephen F. Austin State University: Gil Hanke Scholarship
• Stephen F. Austin State University: Elnita O. Stanley Scholarship
• Texas A&M University-Kingsville: Sondra’s Money Scholarship
• Texas Christian University: TCU Communication Sciences and Disorders Scholarship Fund
• Texas State University: Empress Zedler Scholarship
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: Judith Keller Scholarship
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: Sherry Sancibrian Scholarship
• Texas Woman’s University: Jeanne Braniff Terrell Scholarship
• Texas Woman’s University (distance program Houston): Houston Association for Communication Disorders (HACD) Scholarship
• University of Houston: Margaret Crabtree Scholarship
• University of Houston: Thelma Zirkelbach Pediatric Scholarship Fund*
• University of North Texas: Frank Brister Audiology Scholarship
• The University of Texas at Austin: Anne Mauzy Scholarship
• The University of Texas at Dallas: Braniff Clipped B’s Scholarship
• The University of Texas at El Paso: Grace Middleton Scholarship (awarded by El Paso Speech and Hearing Association)
• The University of Texas at El Paso: Madeline Brand Scholarship (awarded by El Paso Speech and Hearing Association)

Questions about TSHF scholarship funds can be addressed to Dr. Katsura Aoyama or Melissa Whitaker at TSHFscholarships@gmail.com.

Please make a one-time or recurring donation to TSHF to support any of the awards mentioned above at www.tshfoundation.org. Every dollar makes a difference! Give a little; help a lot. Give a lot; help even more!

Like or follow the TSHF Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TSHFoundation for updates and information. The mission of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation is to improve the lives of people with communication disorders by supporting research, education, and service endeavors on their behalf.