by Calculated Risk on 12/18/2008 06:23:00 PM

From our very own bacon_dreamz:

I've established The Doris Dungey Endowed Scholarship Fund at Illinois State University . Donations to the fund will be used for two things: first, to purchase a bench on the ISU campus (we're hoping to have it placed in or near Milner Library, since Tanta liked to read so much) and second, to endow a journalism scholarship in Tanta 's name.

Once endowed, the scholarship will be awarded annually to a student with financial need that has demonstrated academic achievement and a passion for journalism. Tanta ’s work was obviously hugely influential, and I think a lot of people benefited both personally and professionally from her generosity, so for those who would like to give something back in her memory, I think this is a nice way to do it. I know I certainly gained a great deal from her work, but more than that she was also my friend, so I really hope she would be proud to have her name attached to this.

Donations can be made at the link below by entering "Doris Dungey Endowed Scholarship" in the Gift Designation box. Checks made out to the ISU Foundation with “Doris Dungey” in the memo can also be mailed to:

ISU Foundation
attention: Mary Rundus
Illinois State University, Campus Box 8000
Normal, IL 61790.
http://www.development.ilstu.edu/credit/credit.phtml?id=8000

I've copied the paragraph I had to write about Tanta below, along with the scholarship selection criteria. ... I'm going to be involved in the annual selection process, as will [Tanta's niece] Kate, who will soon graduate from ISU with a double major in journalism and Spanish.

The Doris Dungey Endowed Scholarship Fund
Illinois State University Foundation
Normal, Illinois
Administrative Agreement
The scholarship is given in loving memory of Doris Dungey—known as “Tanta” to her family, friends, and readers—who received her Bacherlor’s degree in English and Philosophy from Illinois State University in 1982 and her Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison . Tanta spent most of her career working as a mortgage banker, until 2006, when she was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer and began devoting much of her time and energy to writing for Calculated Risk, a finance and economics blog, which she continued doing until she passed away late in 2008. In this short time, she elevated the public discourse surrounding the collapse of the mortgage and housing markets by writing what became a widely read and referenced series of prescient articles explaining the “grim details” of how the mortgage industry functions, and by frequently challenging the rest of the media—often by skewering what she viewed as inept reporting--to dig deeper, ask the right questions, avoid prejudices and cheap moralizing, and above all get the story right. She always did so with humor, a passion for delving into the details, an understanding of people, a strong sense of human decency, and an instantly recognizable style filled with spirit, insight, and literary allusions, which continues to attract, inform, and entertain readers from a wide variety of backgrounds. She enjoyed interacting with her readers and was a generous teacher, touching many lives through her work.

I. Scholarship Candidate Qualifications Each candidate for a Doris Dungey Scholarship must be or have:

A. Accepted for enrollment or enrolled in good standing at Illinois State University .

B. Demonstrated academic achievement, as evidenced by accumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

C. Have a declared major in Journalism

D. Demonstrated financial need

E. Work experience, extracurricular or volunteer activities (special emphasis for work on high school newspaper, year-book, or related experience)

F. Used for educational expenses.

G. Sample of published writing or graded essay along with a brief description of why it was chosen.

H. Essay explaining why the applicant is interested in pursuing a career in journalism