Scholarships
The College of Charleston has transitioned to an online portal for all scholarship award applications - the Cougar Scholarship Award System (CSAS). Students can access the portal at cofc.academicworks.com/opportunities with their Cougar login information, and search for any scholarship currently available at the College. One easy application - multiple financial opportunities. With one application submission, CSAS will search for additional opportunities that the applicant is eligible for in the Department of Communication, other campus departments, and foundation-awarded scholarships. An application process made easy!
To see details on the scholarships available through the Department of Communication, scroll through the list below for scholarship names, descriptions. Links to complete the applications will be added when the scholarships open each semester. Keep an eye out for info from the Department Chair, or announcements in the Monday Morning Memo (MMM).
Questions? Email the Department of Communication, and we will be happy to assist you!
Communication Scholarships:
Select any of the scholarships below to view the description and access a direct link to the CSAS application.
- Lindner Family Scholarships (first year students, only)
- Charlie Hall Memorial Scholarship (first and second year students, only)
- Jennifer Demyan Memorial Scholarship (out of state students preferred)
- The Charleston Advertising Federation / Ken Adkins Memorial Scholarship (first and second year students, only)
- John and Kathleen Rivers Foundation Scholarship (advanced students)
- Kendall Soistman "Soaring Above the Clouds" Endowed Scholarship
- Karen Avenoso Award
- South Carolina Cable Television Foundation Scholarship (South Carolina residents, only)
Lindner Family Scholarships
The Department of Communication is proud to announce the establishment of the Lindner Family Scholarships. S. Craig and Frances Lindner established these scholarships in honor of their daughter, Christine, a 2012 graduate of the Communication program. With one scholarship for students in each year of study in the program, the Lindners proudly support one of the College's top strategic priorities. Students at all levels of the Communication curriculum, with interests in every area of the field, will benefit from the generosity of the Lindner family.
First-Year Student: This scholarship is available to a student entering their first year at the College with a stated interest in Communication. Qualified applicants will demonstrate strong promise for a successful career in Communication. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to renew this scholarship each year they are with the communication program.
Charlie Hall Memorial Scholarship
(First and second year students, only.)
This scholarship is available to incoming freshmen who have a strong interest in the field of communication. With some variations from scholarship to scholarship, this award is based on academic merit.
Collateral materials are accepted but not required. Transfer students with 35 or fewer hours also can be considered when the Hall scholarship is available. The Hall scholarship is renewable and may not be available for the next academic year.
Jennifer Demyan '21 Memorial Scholarship
The Jennifer Demyan '21 Endowed Memorial Scholarship was established by her parents Bret and Carolyn Demyan and her friends. Jennifer "Jen" Demyan was a loving and caring daughter, sister and friend who will be deeply missed. She will always be in the thoughts of her family and friends and forever in their hearts. Jen had the biggest heart and cared for so many. She was an energetic and vibrant member of the college and the community. As friends describe her... "Jen is the embodiment of light and laughter." Jennifer was born and raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania but once she visited Charleston and the College, she was hooked on the southern charm. Jen graduated with a major in Communications and a minor in Psychology. During her college years, she was most involved taking care of small children. She worked for several years as a teacher’s assistant at the Sundrops Montessori school and always had great stories about the kids. Her first post graduate job was working at a local law office as an assistant. She was hoping to learn as much as she could to perhaps pursue a law degree.
The Charleston Advertising Federation / Ken Adkins Memorial Scholarship
(First and second year students, only.)
The Charleston Advertising Federation/Ken Adkins Memorial Scholarship has been formed to honor the memory of James Kenneth (Ken) Adkins Jr. Ken was truly a student of the broadcasting industry. Born in Tennessee in 1955, he graduated in three short years from The University of Tennessee with a major of Broadcasting Management from the College of Communications.
After a series of positions in advertising sales at local radio and television stations in the Carolinas, he became an account executive at Katz Televisions in Charlotte, and later Atlanta, working with advertising and spot sales on the national level. After a fast start to a successful career, Ken decided it was time to settle with his family in a city he loved dearly—Charleston, South Carolina.
He accepted a position as General Sales Manager with local station WCIV, an NBC affiliate. He immediately became an active member of the local advertising community by joining the Charleston Advertising Federation. He was elected to its board and later became its Treasurer, looking forward to many years of service to an organization he truly loved. On July 19, 1989 at the age of 34, Ken was killed in the crash of United Air Lines Flight 232 while returning home from an NBC sales meeting in Breckenridge, Colorado. Ken is survived by a wife, Lea Ann, and two sons, Jeff and Andy Adkins.
At the time of his death, Ken’s family wanted to honor his memory in a meaningful way—an honor that could offer benefit and opportunity to others while giving his life and its memory a presence in Charleston for years to come. A scholarship for a deserving student at the College of Charleston is the finest way to memorialize this person who loved his career and all the opportunities it afforded him, in a place he considered a little piece of heaven on earth.
The recipient of this scholarship should always remember the dedication Ken gave to his own education, as well as his well-ordered outlook on life that allowed him to fully enjoy his work, his family, and his many accomplishments—even at such a young age. He was very proud of his community and his profession, and his enthusiasm for both was evident in all he did.
John and Kathleen Rivers Foundation Scholarship
(Advanced students - typically juniors or seniors.)
The John and Kathleen Rivers Scholarship was established by the Ingram, Lewine, Patton and Rivers Families to recognize and honor his leadership and accomplishments in the communication profession. Mr. Rivers, a College of Charleston Alumnus, began his professional career in broadcasting in 1937 when he became president of the South Carolina Broadcasting Company. Among his many contributions and accomplishments to the field of communication is the endowment to establish the John Rivers Communication Museum at the College of Charleston. It is the only communications museum recognized both by the Antique Wireless Association and the Smithsonian. His interest helped support the initiation of the Communication major at the College of Charleston. The scholarship goes to a declared Communication major with a strong record of leadership and good citizenship, and strong record of academic achievement who has demonstrated excellence/service outside the classroom.
This scholarship is generally awarded (but not limited to) to juniors or seniors, and is renewable.
Kendall Soistman "Soaring Above the Clouds" Endowed Scholarship
Fran Soistman has established this gift in honor of his daughter Kendall Soistman ’22 on the occasion of her graduation from the College of Charleston. Kendall majored in communication and enjoyed the many amazing course she took while earning her degree. She believed that this field helped her develop the skills necessary to thrive inside and outside of the classroom and wants to give other students that same experience.
Karen Avenoso Award
This award was created so that Karen Avenoso's memory might inspire students to set their sights high and to enable them to experience - and afford - opportunities that could actualize their dreams.
Karen dreamed of becoming a writer from the time she was ten years old. Although her studies directed her toward Victorian Literature – at Dartmouth College and then at Oxford University - she never wavered from her dream. Her first opportunity to realize that dream came through an internship at The Post and Courier in 1991. Through the contacts she made there, and the on-the-job education she got here in Charleston, she was able to move on to the New York Daily News, and, ultimately, to The Boston Globe, where she served as the Education Reporter.
During the 'in-between' times, she never wavered in her ambitions; she free-lanced at major publications such as Glamour Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, Newsday, Elle Magazine, and others. Writing was her passion, and she was determined to succeed through hard work and perseverance. Students with professional interests in journalism and a passion for writing are encouraged to apply for this award.
This award is made to a student with junior or senior standing in the Communication major.
South Carolina Cable Television Foundation Scholarship
(South Carolina residents, only.)
The South Carolina Cable Television Foundation Scholarship is awarded to a top Communication major from the state of South Carolina. Entering and continuing students are eligible for this scholarship.
The contents of this Web page are subject to change without notice. More specific descriptions of these scholarships and awards are available from the Department of Communication. Some scholarships and awards are not available during every academic year. New scholarships and awards may be added to this list during the academic year.
Visit this page for funding opportunities for internships, study abroad, research presentations, etc.