James and Veronica Shipp Scholarship

HISTORY:
James E. Shipp received his bachelor’s degree in education from Western in 1964. Shipp began his
career in 1964 in the Juvenile Justice System for the State of Illinois, and later with the City of Chicago.
Four years after graduating from WIU, he was selected to participate in the first National Urban Fellow
class and was assigned to fieldwork with the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in Brooklyn,
NY. Shipp eventually became vice president of the Bed-Stuy Corporation until 1979. In addition to his work with the Restoration Corporation, he also served as a director of several city, state and national organizations focused on urban development issues.. In addition to serving as president and CEO of Shipp
Enterprises, LLC in White Plains, NY, Shipp has maintained a commitment and dedication to public
service by continuing to serve on such boards as the South Bronx Overall Economic Development
Corporation, the Mid Bronx Desperados Community Housing Corporation and the Gillen Brewer School
for children with disabilities.

While a student at WIU, Shipp was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and was a record-setting,
conference champion and national finalist wrestler. Shipp was inducted into the WIU Athletic Hall of
Fame in 1997 and received the WIU Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1996. Shipp also received an
honorary Doctorate from WIU in May of 2018. He remains an active member of his alma mater as a
member of the WIU President’s National Advisory Board.

CRITERIA:
• African-American incoming freshmen student
• Preferably first-generation college student
• Minimum 2.75 GPA
• Major in the university’s STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) programs. (A change in majors terminates their eligibility for funding from these resources.)
• Students must submit an essay describing their interest in the major selected.
TERMS:
Award amount is $4000 per year. Amount will be applied to the student’s university account, half
Fall and half Spring. When accumulated income is sufficient for more than one scholarship, two or
more recipients may be selected.

Automatically be eligible for funding for the next three years if they maintain a 2.75 for each
academic year.