Casey Crisp, a senior at Travelers Rest High School and a graduate of the university's Bridges program, is the first recipient of the Chandler-Huse Scholarship.

      The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded each year to a high school senior who has completed the university's Bridges to a Brighter Future program.  The scholarship, which is awarded on the basis of leadership, academic achievement and financial need, is to be used toward college expenses.

      Furman's Bridges to a Brighter Future is a year-round enrichment program for more than 60 Greenville County high school students who have displayed strong academic potential but may need assistance in realizing that potential.  Since the program began in the summer of 1997, more than 95 percent of the Bridges graduates have gone on to attend college.

      Crisp, the student body president at Travelers Rest High, hopes to attend Furman and become a teacher.

      The endowed scholarship is named in honor of Judith Babb Chandler-Huse, who became director of the Bridges program in 1988.  Under her guidance and leadership, the program has grown to serve 14 public schools and one charter school in Greenville County.  Chandler-Huse retired from the university in 2003.

      "The scholarship was created to honor Dr. Chandler and the tireless effort and commitment she put into the Bridges program," said Tobi Swartz, the current director of the program.  "She nurtured the students, and her efforts have made a lasting impact on the program."

      Anyone interested in supporting the Dr. Judith B. Chandler-Huse Scholarship should contact Swartz at 864-294-3135.

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8-27-04