A new scholarship fund will provide scholarships for legal studies students in perpetuity, thanks to a generous gift to UCF.
Pamela Kirby, who retired last week as an associate dean in the College of Health and Public Affairs, recently donated $25,000 to the university to establish the “Robert and Pamela Kirby Endowed Scholarship for Legal Studies.” The new scholarship was announced at a retirement reception held in her honor on June 29.
Associate Dean Kirby established the scholarship in memory of her late husband, Robert Brandt Kirby, and in appreciation of the couple’s opportunity to serve UCF as faculty members. Beginning in 1995, both taught courses in the legal studies program after retiring from the U.S. Army, where they served as commissioned officers and attorneys in The Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
In addition to teaching for more than 13 years at UCF, Robert Kirby was in private practice in Winter Park, Fla., specializing in estate planning. Pamela Kirby went on to serve in the college’s dean’s office.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to UCF students majoring in legal studies, with a preference for students who are veterans, dependents of veterans or actively enrolled in ROTC.
“Dr. Kirby’s generosity is not surprising given that she and her husband contributed so much to UCF and Legal Studies over the years,” said James Beckman, chair of the Department of Legal Studies. “The endowment of the Kirby scholarship ensures that deserving students will continue to benefit from their generosity for many years to come.”