The School of Criminology and Justice Studies is pleased to offer five scholarships to Criminal Justice majors each year.

To apply for these scholarships use the General Application available in the Riverhawk Scholarship Portal at uml.edu/scholarship-search. The 2024-2025 application period is March 1 to March 27, 2024.

The Michael B. Shanahan Memorial Scholarship

The Michael B. Shanahan Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008 as the first dedicated scholarship for criminal justice students on our campus.

Michael B. Shanahan graduated Magna Cum Laude from our school in 1985. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a US Marine and then joined the Massachusetts State Police in 1971, rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel. He fought a courageous battle against cancer before passing away in June 2006. His wife, Diane Shanahan, established this scholarship in his name. The school will offer one to two awards each year. Students must meet the following criteria:

  • students must be an undergraduate Criminal Justice major in his/her sophomore, junior, or senior year
  • planning on pursuing a career in law enforcement
  • taking a minimum of four courses or 12 credit hours in upcoming award year
  • have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.200 from UMass Lowell courses
  • been a student at UMass Lowell for at least one year
  • must have financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office

Award Recipients:

  • 2009 Steven Parent
  • 2010 Awilda M. Pimentel
  • 2011 Kyle Napolitano and Robert Silva
  • 2012 Samantha Romano and Robert Silva
  • 2013 Corey Chase and Matthew Nielsen
  • 2014 Jessica Walsh
  • 2015 Jon DeLeon and John DePippo
  • 2016 Bradley Duval
  • 2017 Noah Hiller
  • 2018 Salvatore Florio
  • 2019 Christian Drennan and Danielle LoGuidice
  • 2020 Kaileen Dibble
  • 2021 Taylor McCarthy
  • 2022 Tatyana Marie Glenn-Higgins and Angela Ann Peters
  • 2023 Thomas Paul McAndrews and Linda D. Arocho

The Teddy Dillon III Scholarship

The Teddy Dillon III scholarship was established for students pursuing a degree in criminal justice.

Teddy Dillon III ‘07 was a UMass Lowell criminal justice alumnus and River Hawk baseball player who became a corrections officer for the Middlesex House of Corrections in Billerica. Teddy passed away unexpectedly in July 2012. Many members of Teddy’s family along with friends, fellow officers and members of MCOA Local 500 Union contributed to create this UMass Lowell scholarship fund in his memory.

The school will offer one award each year. Students must meet the following criteria:

  • must be an undergraduate Criminal Justice major or a student athlete in baseball or softball
  • must have and maintain a grade point average of 3.000 or higher
  • taking a minimum of four courses or 12 credit hours in upcoming award year
  • must have financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office

Award Recipients:

  • 2014 Brian Triarchis
  • 2015 Jacob Kamrass
  • 2016 Sydney Barker
  • 2017 Sydney Barker
  • 2018 Noelle Lambert
  • 2019 Rachel Record
  • 2020 Natalia Brown-Mitchell
  • 2021 Natalia Gonzalez
  • 2022 Courtney Jenna Roberts
  • 2023 Jaxiannette Marquez

The Allan Roscoe Endowed Scholarship

The Allan Roscoe Endowed Scholarship has been endowed by the Office of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies in the name of Allen Roscoe in 2015.

Prof. Roscoe was an outstanding faculty member who made significant contributions to the development of the Criminal Justice Homeland Security certificate program as well as to the growth of the online program in the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies.

Scholarships will be awarded to students selected by the Office of Financial Aid in consultation with the Chairperson of the College of Criminology and Justice Studies and the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies based on the following criteria:

  • students must be matriculated in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in Criminal Justice, including Graduate, Online & Professional Studies
  • must have and maintain a grade point average of 3.000 or higher
  • must have financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office

Award Recipients:

  • 2016 Kyle Simas
  • 2017 Kailyn MacNeil
  • 2018 Brittany O'Neil
  • 2019 Amanda Harmon
  • 2020 Jennifer Bello
  • 2021 Kimberly Crespo
  • 2022 Joseph Angelo Boyajian
  • 2023 Daniela Naisha Pena

The Paul E. Tracy Dissertation Award in Criminology

The Paul E. Tracy Dissertation Award in Criminology was established by Kathryn M. Tracy in 2021 as the award to a doctoral candidate in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies who is completing their dissertation. 

All course requirements must be completed, dissertation proposal must be approved and focused on criminology, juvenile justice, career criminals or corrections/reentry. A doctoral candidate can only receive the award once. If there are no candidate who meet this criterion, doctoral candidates focused on other criminal justice research topics are can apply. If there are no doctoral candidates who meet the criteria, the award can be granted to a masters student with a 3.500 GPA or higher. Selection will be based on the quality and rigor of the dissertation’s theoretical orientation and research design.

Award Recipients:

  • 2021 Lisa Thompson
  • 2022 Katrina Cole
  • 2023 Vera Yakovchenko

The Leo J. Coutu Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund

The Leo. J Coutu Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund was established by Ms. Tanya Coutu in 2023. The purpose of the gift is amended to provide support for undergraduate students in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies who plan to pursue career in Corrections. Should no student applicant be interested in pursuing a career in corrections, then any student enrolled in the School is eligible. Scholarship recipients will be selected by the Financial Aid Office in consultation with the Chairperson of the School of Criminology and Justice Studies. 

Award Recipients:

  • 2023 Kenneth Lam

For additional information on the Michael B. Shanahan Memorial Scholarship, Teddy Dillon III Scholarship, Allan Roscoe Endowed Scholarship and Paul E. Tracy Dissertation Award in Criminology, and Leo J. Coutu Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund, please contact Eika Hunt at 978-934-4107.

For information on Financial Aid offered by the university, visit the Financial Aid Office.