

Contact:
John Adey at ABYC Contact: Dave Gerr at
Westlawn
(410)
990-4460, x117 207-853-6600, x50
jadey@abycinc.org dgerr@westlawn.edu

Westlawn Receives the Third-Year
Donation of its Most Substantial
Grant and Scholarship
Program Ever!
The Kathy & Jerry Wood Foundation Provide Generous
Financial Support
June
27, 2012, Annapolis, MD and Eastport, ME: The Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is pleased to
announce that we have received the third-year’s donation for the most
substantial grant and scholarship program the school has ever offered! For
qualifying U.S. students, tuition will be effectively reduced to levels last
seen since the early 1980s! All funds donated by the Wood Foundation for 2010
were expended in scholarships and grants for students before the end of that
year under the terms of the donation. We’re looking forward to assisting more
students again in 2012.
This
program has been made possible through the generous support of the Kathy & Jerry Wood Foundation, which has
awarded an extended grant of $90,000, at $30,000 per year over a three year period
(2010, 2011 and 2012), to provide tuition assistance for eligible Westlawn
students. Scholarships will be awarded on an ongoing basis until the grant
funds are expended for each of the three years.
Jerry
Wood dedicated much of his life to the support of boating and education. In
fact, he established the Annapolis Sailing School in 1959, which soon became
the largest commercial sailing school in the United States. With the able
assistance of his wife Kathy, they went on to create the first in-the-water
all-sailboat show, which revolutionized boat shows and led Kathy and Jerry to
create the United States Powerboat Show—also in Annapolis—two years later. Over
the years, the Wood’s businesses have employed over 3,000 young people and
young adults, helping to train and mentor them to prepare to move out into the
world to become well-rounded mature individuals.
Westlawn’s
parent company is The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC)
based in Annapolis, MD. ABYC’s headquarters is within walking distance of the
Annapolis Boat Show and is even closer to Kathy and Jerry’s former Annapolis
home.
“The
connections between Westlawn Institute, ABYC, and the history and goals of
Kathy and Jerry Wood, are remarkable,” said Sallie Hamrick, President of the
Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation. “Not only are both organizations dedicated to
boating and education, but also to enhancing boating safety and to encouraging
our nation’s youth to pursue the enjoyment of boating and careers in the
boating industry. We are particularly touched that Jerry and Kathy will
continue to serve the boating community by helping students learn to design
boats and yachts that will be joyfully used for generations to come.”
“Westlawn
is extremely grateful to the Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation,” noted Westlawn’s
Director, Dave Gerr. “The scholarships awarded through the Wood Foundation
grant will serve as a tremendous help to our students, and we are thrilled
knowing that we’ll be continuing the tradition that Kathy and Jerry Wood
established both assisting in education, while supporting recreational
boating.”
“ABYC
was instrumental in making the connections that resulted in the award of this
grant,” continued Gerr. “It’s a perfect example of how important it is to be
part of ABYC, and of the deep commitment that ABYC has to boating education and
standards.”
For
U.S. Citizens Only:
Under
the terms of the funding, scholarships from the proceeds of the Kathy and Jerry
Wood Foundation grant are restricted to U.S. citizens.
Grants
for Newly Enrolling Students:
All
students, who are U.S. citizens and who meet Westlawn admission requirements,
will be eligible for a $1,500 grant toward their tuition in Module 1 in the
full Yacht & Boat Design Program, or toward the tuition for the Elements of
Technical Boat Design course.
Regular
tuition for one module (U.S. students, 2012) is $2,950. Students enrolling with
a $1,500 Wood Foundation grant may either pay the entire tuition balance of
$1,450, or they may elect to enroll under the zero-interest monthly payment
plan as follows:
$690
initial payment followed by 10 monthly payments of $76.00 per month
Scholarships
for Academic Achievement
GPA
of 90% or Higher
Scholarships
will be awarded to current students, who are U.S. citizens, who are enrolling
in the next module of study at Westlawn. Students with a GPA of 90% or higher
will receive a $1,500 scholarship toward the tuition of their next module, upon
enrollment in that module.
Regular
tuition for one module (U.S. students, 2011) is $2,950. Students enrolling with
a $1,500 Wood-Foundation academic scholarship may either pay the balance of
$1,450, or they may elect to enroll under the zero-interest monthly payment
plan as follows:
$690
initial payment followed by 10 monthly payments of $76.00 per month
Scholarships
for Academic Achievement
GPA
between 85% and 89%
Scholarships
will be awarded to current students, who are U.S. citizens, who are enrolling
in the next module of study at Westlawn. Students with a GPA between 85% and
89% will receive a $1,000 scholarship toward the tuition of their next module,
upon enrollment in that module.
Students
enrolling with a $1,000 Wood-Foundation academic scholarship may either pay the
balance of $1,950, or they may elect to enroll under the zero-interest monthly
payment plan as follows:
$690
initial payment followed by 10 monthly payments of $126.00 per month
All
tuition payment amounts and terms will be adjusted to reflect any change in
tuition applicable to new enrollments.
The
scholarships granted for academic achievement with a GPA will be the “Wood
Scholarships,” and the recipients will be known as “Wood Scholars.”
Scholarships
and grants from funds donated by the Wood Foundation in 2012 may not be applied
retroactively, and may only be awarded for enrollments that occur after June
22, 2012.
Students interested in
taking advantage of the Wood-Foundation grants and scholarships should contact
Patti Schulte, Westlawn student services coordinator at: pschulte@westlawn.edu or telephone: (207) 853-6600, ext. 41.
Founded in 1930, the Westlawn
Institute of Marine Technology is the only nationally
accredited distance-learning school of small-craft design in the United States.
Westlawn is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council, in
Washington DC, and is listed as an accredited school by the U.S. Department of
Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As the
not-for-profit educational affiliate of the American
Boat and Yacht Council, the mission of the Westlawn Institute of Marine
Technology is threefold:
· To provide our
students with the skills and knowledge required to build a rewarding career in
the profession of yacht and small-craft naval architecture.
· To support continued
growth of the recreational and small-craft marine community through the
development of well-trained, safety-oriented, boat designers developing better
products for the benefit of the boating public.
· To provide continuing
education to marine-industry professionals.
To
learn more about Westlawn, please call (207) 853-6600 or visit the Westlawn
website at: www.westlawn.edu.