Southern Wesleyan University has bestowed full tuition scholarships to the four daughters of DePayne Middleton-Doctor, one of the nine victims in the Charleston massacre.
Middleton-Doctor worked at the university and received her Master’s degree in management from the institution in 1994.
“Right now, more than anything, we want DePayne’s children to know we love them,” the university’s president, Todd Voss, said in a statement. “We want to honor DePayne’s service to SWU and her belief in Christian higher education as an important element in Gracyn, Kaylin, Hali and Czana’s future success.”
Chad Peters, SWU’s Vice President for Enrollment Management, told NBC’s Candace King that the scholarship recognizes Middleton-Doctor’s service at the university and would cover the entire enrollment tuition for each child.
Currently, the total cost for enrollment at SWU is $31,490 per year.
“As a community we are deeply saddened by the loss of a valued employee who faithfully served and ministered to adult and graduate students in Charleston,” Peters said. “We realize the scholarships won’t ease the pain of loss that the children are dealing with now and in the future; however, it is our desire as a community for each of them to know we care about them.”