October 7, 2016
The Mary Baker Emerick Scholarship was established to ensure that Montana Western art students have access to a quality fine arts education.
Mary Baker Emerick served as an art professor at the Montana State Normal School and later at Western Montana College (now the University of Montana Western) from 1925 to 1968.
She earned her education from Montana State Normal College, the University of Washington, and Teachers College at Columbia University.
During her tenure at Montana Western, Emerick helped students develop an art club and later founded a chapter of Kappa Pi Omicron, a national fine arts fraternity. This group organized art shows, hosted guest speakers, and arranged field trips. Under her guidance, a student gift shop was established to generate funding for art scholarships.
Upon her retirement, she was awarded the title of professor emeritus of art.
When she passed away in 1981, trusts totaling over $800,000 were willed to Montana Western from Emerick’s estate. One of the trusts was designated for annual art student scholarships, while others were directed toward books and equipment to support campus art programs.
Emerick’s generous gift remains the largest donation ever given to the university.
All Montana Western art students are eligible to receive the Mary Baker Emerick Scholarship. Scholarship applications are due by February 1. Applications received after that date will be considered for freshmen on a first-come, first-served basis as long as scholarship funds are still available.
To apply for scholarships at UMW, visit https://umwfoundation.awardspring.com.
For more information about the scholarship, please contact Montana Western’s Admissions Office at [email protected] or 1-877-683-7331.
