Pictured, from left to right, is Emma Brandenburg pictured with Fred R. Ross. Brandenburg is the 2024 recipient of the Fred R. Ross Scholarship Endowment. Photo courtesy Morehead State University.
The Morehead State University Foundation is honored to announce the second Fred R. Ross Scholarship Endowment recipient.
Emma Brandenburg is from Felicity, Ohio, majoring in agricultural sciences. She focuses on animal science, a subject familiar to her thanks to her family’s ownership of a farrowing barn that raises show-quality pigs and piglets. Ross presented Brandenberg with her scholarship at her high school awards ceremony.
“I’m honored to be the recipient of Mr. Ross’s generosity,” Brandenburg said. “From the day of my first visit, I immediately fell in love with MSU. It feels like home, and I am grateful for the support I will be receiving on this journey.”
Fred R. Ross (Class of 1967, 1970), a long-time resident of Clermont County, Ohio, came to Morehead State in the fall of 1963 as a first-generation college student. He graduated in 1967 with an undergraduate degree, followed by a graduate degree in 1970. He spent his career in education as a teacher, assistant principal, assistant superintendent, financial consultant for the Ohio Department of Education, and later, adjunct professor at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
After a successful career, Ross felt a calling to give back and help other students enjoy increased access to education. He established the Fred R. Ross Scholarship Endowment to support students attending MSU from his hometown of Clermont County. The scholarship generously provides a $10,000 annual renewable annual award for up to four years. Ross’s first recipient, Lillian Wildey, graduated from MSU in May 2024, and Ross attended her graduation ceremony.