For the second year, students are invited to apply for the Jon & Tina Lynch Family Promoting Civility Scholarship fund, designed to inspire MSU students who want to give back to their communities. And this year they have twice the chance to receive a $1,500 scholarship as the Lynch family doubled the number of scholarships they will give.
The Lynch Family Scholarship was born of memories of when Tina and Jon Lynch were dating as undergraduate students at Michigan State University, they used to wander along the banks of the Red Cedar River and talk about their future and how they would give back to the university where they met.
“Back then we would take walks in the neighborhood across the street from Rather Hall and along the Red Cedar, dreaming about what life had in store for us. Even then we hoped to one day give back to the place that had given so much to us,” Tina said. “For our family, Michigan State is more than a school - it’s our home.”
More than 30 years later, the Lynchs, both College of Social Science alumni and residents of Midland, fulfilled that dream when they endowed the Jon & Tina Lynch Family Promoting Civility Scholarship fund in 2023. For 2024, the family has expanded the program to two scholarships of $1,500 each.
The funds are used to support students who are engaged in their community and as a way to promote civil discourse, Jon explained.
“This endowment aims to support research, education, training, or community engagement activities that promote and emphasize civility in public discourse by helping undergraduate students in the college develop the courage to take responsibility for inventing the future. The goal being to amplify their effectiveness by promoting and engaging in civil discourse on important and sometimes divisive topics,” Jon said.
Spartan green runs strong in the Lynch family. Their fourth child graduated from MSU this spring making six alums in the family: Jon David, Class of 2017; Taylor, Class of 2019; Stefanie, Class of 2021; and Connor, Class of 2023.
The first recipient was awarded in the spring of 2024 to then-senior Liz Armstrong. Armstrong graduated with a degree in Political Science with minors in Law, Justice, and Public Policy. She is currently in her second year of the Linked Master of Public Policy program.
“We’re delighted to have Liz as part of the Linked BA-MPP program. Her commitment to community engagement and building inclusive, healthy communities through policy aligns with the values of the Lynch Family Scholarship – informed, caring, and involved,” said MPP Program Director Erika Rosebrook.
This year, the deadline to apply for the scholarship is Nov. 17, 2024. For more information, please go here.