Retiring NSU professor establishes endowed scholarship in counseling

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Dr. Kenny Paris, a professor in the Northeastern State University Department of Psychology and Counseling, has established the Dr. Kenny Paris Endowed Scholarship for Counseling in honor of his retirement after 28 years of dedicated service.

Paris, along with his wife Tammie, established the endowed scholarship for counseling in March 2024. The scholarship is meant for future counseling students seeking a master’s in counseling. 

“The reasoning behind this scholarship was to be able to continue to have a positive influence on the graduate students that come through the graduate counseling program of which I have been a part of for the past 28 years,” Paris said. “I worked diligently to make a positive contribution to the program and to the field of mental health in Northeast Oklahoma over this time.”

Since joining the NSU Department of Psychology and Counseling in 1996, Paris has been an integral part of the counseling program. During his tenure, Paris served as the vice president and president of the NSU Faculty Association from 1999-2003 and as the psychology and counseling department chair from 2013-2016. In 2017, Paris was named an NSU Centurion.

“The financial cost of a graduate degree is higher than it has ever been nationwide,” Paris said. “Hopefully, this scholarship provides a slight modicum of relief from the financial burden of a master’s degree.”

Paris hopes the department of psychology and counseling can use the scholarship as a recruitment tool. He said he wishes that this scholarship will inspire others associated with the graduate counseling program to support the scholarship, or consider establishing one of their own.

“We offer numerous assistantships for our graduate students and this will be another incentive for them to come to the NSU Counseling program,” Paris said.

Dr. Vanessa Anton, Dean of the College of Education, said there is a critical need for counselors. She said this scholarship will help NSU support students so they can continue to provide highly qualified counselors to their communities.

“This scholarship will provide financial support to full-time graduate students enrolled in the NSU Counseling program on the Tahlequah campus,” Anton said. “This will be especially helpful to students who are completing their internship hours—a program requirement that often makes working full-time very difficult.”

For more information about scholarships available at NSU, visit scholarships.nsuok.edu.

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