Columbia Southern University Awards Special Scholarship

Oct. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- CSU is proud to announce Lori Stoney, the first and only female fire lieutenant with Homewood (Ala.) Fire and Rescue Service, as the winner of the Forney Howard Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship.

The scholarship honors CSU graduate and former fire chief at Orange Beach Fire Department Forney Howard.  Howard retired recently with more than 40 years of service in the fire service industry. The scholarship is for the spouses and children of active-duty public safety personnel (firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs and dispatchers) and military men and women. Stoney is married to Andrew Stoney, a firefighter/paramedic in Irondale, Ala.

Stoney received the online scholarship based on her entry in the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship essay contest sponsored by CSU. The scholarship covers tuition for up to 24 months for one specific degree program.

She was honored to have been chosen for this scholarship. “It is a humbling thing to be extended such an opportunity,” Stoney added.

She plans to use the scholarship to pursue an online master’s degree in business administration with a focus on public administration.

“I would like to end my career as a fire chief. I was the first female fire fighter in the Homewood Fire and Rescue Service, the first female lieutenant, and would like to end up as the first female fire chief. This degree will help prepare me for the challenges of that position,” she said.

She explained that the Hero Behind the Hero scholarship will help her stay competitive in her career. “More importantly, it provides me an avenue of educational opportunity that can be shared with my coworkers,” Stoney said. “Hopefully, my example will encourage them to seek out educational opportunities for their personal and professional advancement.

CSU offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in various fields including criminal justice, fire science, occupational safety and health and business administration.

To learn more about the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship, please call 888-785-3006 or send an email to hero@columbiasouthern.edu. If you would like learn more about CSU, please visit http://www.ColumbiaSouthern.edu.

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One of the nation’s first completely online universities, Columbia Southern University was established to meet the demand for alternatives to the traditional university experience.