The Akron Press Club in conjunction with the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund annually awards scholarships of $5,000 each to journalism and public relations college students.
The Akron Press Club scholarships honor the legacy of Russ Pry and Ludel Sauvageot. Five scholarships are available.
Russ Pry died in 2016 while serving as Summit County executive. He supported the Press Club through his annual State of the County address. Summit County continues to support scholarships.
Ludel Sauvageot was a long-time Press Club member who died in 1996. She was a journalist, author and educator who created the first public relations department for an Ohio hospital.
Additional Press Club scholarships are made possible through the generous support of Dr. Aileen Thong and Elizabeth Bartz.
The John S. Knight Memorial Journalism Fund annually awards five scholarships to university students studying journalism, public relations and communications. Knight, who died in 1981 and for whom the scholarships are named, was editor and publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal and founder of Knight Newspapers, later Knight Ridder Newspapers. He and his brother, James, founded the Knight Foundation.
To be eligible for these scholarships candidates must:
- Be a student majoring in any facet of journalism, public relations or communications.
- Have a permanent address or attend a school in Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit or Wayne counties in Ohio.
- Maintain the status as a full-time student until at least December for the year in which the scholarship is awarded.
The scholarships are awarded each spring at a lunch sponsored by the Akron Press Club.