Nan Morrison Scholarship Endowment

The Nan Morrison Scholarship seeks to support incoming or first-year students in financial need, who show significant academic potential. The award is renewable up to three years as long as the student maintains a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and continues to major in English.

Initiated by Lynda Chafetz, several of Nan Morrison’s students, colleagues and friends created the Nan Morrison Endowed Scholarship for English majors to pay tribute to Nan and her many contributions. Dr. Nan Morrison spent more than 37 years teaching at the College of Charleston, from her first position as assistant professor in 1967 (only the second woman to join the faculty) until her retirement on December 31, 2004. During her tenure, she was promoted in 1972 to associate professor and to full professor in 1977. She served as chair of the Department of English from 1991 – 2002. In 1993 she helped establish the Department of Communication and became its first chair and held that position through 1999.

Dr. Morrison taught undergraduate, honors and graduate courses in literature and presented numerous papers in her areas of specialization: the Renaissance and Southern literature. She was regarded as an inspiring teacher, enthusiastic, energetic and unstinting in her dedication to working with students outside of the classroom.

Dr. Morrison received her B.S. degree in English from Troy State College and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English from the University of South Carolina.

In addition to the 1987 Distinguished Teaching Award, Dr. Morrison received a Governor’s Distinguished Professor Award in 1992 and was a finalist for the Governor’s Professor of the Year Award. In 1995 the College of Charleston Student Government Association chose her as the recipient of the Certificate of Achievement in Teaching. For the 2002, 2003 and 2004 academic years she was named Mary Belle Higgins Howe Chair in English. She is a member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Shakespeare Association of America.

Dr. Nan Morrison was the ultimate teacher, the one you “took” if you wanted to challenge yourself and raise the level of your own work. Her teaching inspired her students. The Nan Morrison Endowed Scholarship will ensure her name and spirit will remain at the College of Charleston indefinitely.