The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship

The purpose of The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship is to provide:

tuition, fees , book assistance and/or summer work stipends

for an undergraduate student in his or her junior or senior year or a graduate student enrolled in the Gerontology Certificate Program.

The director of the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology, in consultation with the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology Curriculum Committee and the approval of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will select The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship recipient, who must be a citizen of the United States of America, based on academic merit and a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career working with older adults.     

Mrs. Nixon and her late husband, Harold E. Nixon, are the proud parents of two adult children and three grandchildren.

FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS

Anne T. Nixon established The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship endowment fund on the 2nd day of June, 2005 with a gift of $25,000.00.  Additional contributions to The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship endowment fund are welcome and shall be placed in the corpus of the fund, unless specified by the donor.  The funds shall be held by The University of Akron Foundation and administered according to the Foundation investment and spending policies and procedures, which at present provide that 5% of the average fiscal year-end market value of your fund over the last three years will be distributed annually.  This distribution will be made from your fund each year and will be made from the fund principal when the current value of the fund is less than the original gift value.

RECEIVING AGENT

Contributions to The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship endowment fund are to be directed to and managed in an account with The University of Akron Foundation, Akron, Ohio, 44325-2603, which administers gifts and endowments in support of The University of Akron.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact Dr. Jennifer Stanley for further information.

The Dr. Harvey L. Sterns Scholarship

The Dr. Harvey L. Sterns Scholarship was established in 2021 by colleagues and friends of Harvey L. Sterns, Ph.D., to honor his distinguished 50-year career with The University of Akron and as part of UA's We Rise Together Campaign. The scholarship reflects Dr. Sterns' passion for his field and for the UA students to whom he dedicated his career.

Dr. Sterns retired from UA in 2017 and participated in the Transition After Retirement Program for 3 years. In May 2021, he stepped away from his role as Director of the Institute for Life-Span Development & Gerontology (which he founded) and transition to Director Emeritus and Life Fellow of the Institute. Sterns also served UA as a faculty member in the Adult Development and Aging and Industrial/Organizational Psychology graduate programs, and has chaired the specialization in Industrial Gerontological Psychology. In addition, he has been a research professor of gerontology in Family and Community Medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. 

Dr. Sterns received his A.B. in biology and psychology from Bard College in 1965 and his M.A. in experimental psychology from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1968. He earned his Ph.D. in life-span developmental psychology from West Virginia University in 1971, with additional training in gerontology at the University of Southern California and Pennsylvania State University.

Since joining UA in 1971, Dr. Sterns has become nationally and internationally recognized for his work in the psychology of adult development and aging, industrial gerontology, and research on cognitive intervention and aging. For five decades, he has addressed issues related to training and retraining, career development, retirement, and age discrimination in the workplace. He served as Co-Chair of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education Committee on Business and Aging, and served as Chair, Task Force on Accreditation and Member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Gerontology and Higher Education. He currently is President of the Board of Governors, Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council.

Dr. Sterns is a licensed psychologist in Ohio and a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, and Association for Gerontology in Higher Education. He has served as president of Division 20 Adult Development and Aging of the American Psychological Association, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and Sigma Phi Omega National Academic and Professional Society in Gerontology. He is a past board of trustee member of the American Society on Aging. He has served or serves on the editorial boards of International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Gerontology and Geriatric Education, Developmental Psychology, Psychology of Aging, Experimental Aging Research, The Gerontologist, Research on Aging, and Women and Aging.

He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Direction Home and the Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities. He chairs the city of Akron’s Senior Citizen Commission to the Mayor and City Council and has served as President of Jewish Family Services, as well as Chair and Trustee of Mature Services, Inc. (now Vantage Aging). His many accolades include being honored by Menorah Park Center for Senior Living with The Dr. Arnold L. Heller Memorial Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations in Northeast Ohio for their compassion, competence, and devotion to the field of gerontology.

Dr. Sterns has published extensively on cognitive intervention, work and retirement, career development, training and retraining, and self-management of career and retirement. He is the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters and has co-edited three books related to gerontology and geriatric education.

Candidate Requirements and Selection

The Dr. Harvey L. Sterns Scholarship is open to University of Akron undergraduate students pursuing a certificate in gerontology in the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology. Candidates must be in good standing with the University, have demonstrated need, and may be enrolled full or part time. The scholarship is renewable if the recipient continues to meet the above-stated criteria.

Selection of the recipient will be made by the University's Scholarship Committee.

Funding Arrangements

The Dr. Harvey L. Sterns Scholarship is funded through contributions from alumni, colleagues, friends, family, and organizations. The first scholarship will be distributed in fall 2022. The number of scholarships, as well as timing and amounts, will be determined by the candidate’s need and availability of funds.

Contributions

Additional contributions to The Dr. Harvey L. Sterns Scholarship are welcome, and all contributions shall be subject to the terms of this agreement. To donate to The Dr. Harvey L. Sterns Scholarship, click here to give online or contact Dr. Jennifer Stanley at 330-972-8376.

Scholarship History

The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship fund was established in 2005 by Anne T. Nixon, who graduated from The University of Akron with a Masters in guidance and counseling, a Bachelors in Comprehensive Social Studies, and an Associates in Political Science and Government while raising her family. 

Mrs. Nixon is a strong advocate for higher education and older adults.  She grew up on East Buchtel Avenue in what is today the shadow of The University of Akron's Guzzetta Hall and the Goodyear Polymer Science Center, attended Spicer Elementary School, Central High School and Hammel Business College, all of which were located near the University. This close proximity to academia helped drive Mrs. Nixon;s desire for learning. Her interest in and dedication to the betterment of life for older people was sparked by helping her parents as they became elderly.  The experience made her vividly aware that ensuring a better life for older adults, including her and her husband, was a critical need.

Since 1976, Mrs. Nixon has worked to affect positive societal change for senior citizens at local, state and national levels.  She is described as exhibiting tireless dedication and service as a leader and supporter of aging issues for older Americans. 

In recognition for her work, Anne T. Nixon was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame by Governor Robert Taft and the Ohio Department of Aging (2005), honored as the "Outstanding Advocate of the Year" by the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging (1999), inducted along with her husband, Harold E. Nixon, into the Area Agency on Aging 10B Hall of Fame (1995), received the "Outstanding Senior Citizen Award" by the Ohio Department on Aging (1987), and has been privileged to be recognized with many other prestigious awards from AARP, the Senior Citizens Commission of Akron, the Ohio Area Agencies on Aging, and other organizations. 

Three consecutive Governors of the State of Ohio (1988-2003) appointed Mrs. Nixon to The Ohio Department on Aging's Advisory Council and, in 1995; she served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging.  Looking ahead to her 85th birthday in 2006, Mrs. Nixon continues to be an advocate for older adults. 

She is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Area Agency on Aging, 10B, Inc., where she is on the Executive, Elder Rights, Nominating and PASSPORT committees.  Mrs. Nixon also serves as the Community Representative on Summa Health Systems Akron City Hospital's Ethics Committee and is Secretary of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church parish council. 

In the past, Mrs. Nixon has also held positions of leadership in her local and state AARP Chapters, including being appointed as the AARP Area 5 Vice President, where she guided the work of field, program and legislative volunteers in the five Great Lake States. 

Recognizing the importance of nurturing others who share a similar passion in advocating the needs of older adults in the community, as well as the desire to give back to her Alma Mater, Mrs. Nixon created The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship at The University of Akron. 

The Harold E. and Anne T. Nixon Scholarship also recognizes the work of Dr. Harvey L. Sterns, director of the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology.

Mrs. Nixon and her late husband, Harold E. Nixon, are the proud parents of two adult children and three grandchildren.