From left are Dr. Daniel Filer, president of the Foundation for Frostburg; Joshua Trenum, the Foundation for Frostburg’s first scholarship recipient; FSU President Ronald Nowaczyk; and Frostburg Mayor Robert Flanigan.

Rising high school students from Frostburg, Md., now have another compelling reason to continue their education at Frostburg State University, thanks to a new scholarship from the Foundation for Frostburg, a nonprofit community organization established in 1995 to support the Frostburg community and its citizens.

The Foundation for Frostburg Scholarship at FSU supports Frostburg residents who choose to enroll at FSU, strengthening a long relationship between FSU and the city of Frostburg and acknowledging FSU’s contribution to the quality of life in the Mountain City.

“From its birth in 1898 as State Normal No. 2, this educational institution has been an economic driver and a center of culture,” the Foundation for Frostburg said in a letter to city residents. “There is no better way to express our community’s appreciation than to support the mission and well-being of FSU with this series of community-driven scholarships.”

First-year student Joshua Trenum, a Mountain Ridge High School graduate, was selected as the award’s first recipient in the fall of 2018, recognizing his deep familial roots with FSU and the city of Frostburg.

Joshua’s parents, Gary and Ann Trenum, are both residents and Frostburg alumni. Ann, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FSU, teaches third grade at Frost Elementary School. Gary works as a network administrator in the Office of Information Technology at FSU. Joshua’s maternal grandfather, John F. Roland, served as mayor of Frostburg from 1986 to 1992. Roland also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FSU.

The Foundation for Frostburg Scholarship supported four local residents as FSU students by 2021 – a first-year student, a sophomore, a junior and a senior.  Previous recipients will continue receiving the award for up to four years if they remain full-time FSU students and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.

The Foundation for Frostburg Scholarship supports full-time students who reside in the 21532 ZIP Code, have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and graduated from Mountain Ridge High School or Bishop Walsh School. Applicants must write one brief essay of 150 to 200 words, titled “Why I Love My Hometown of Frostburg.”