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PrintTo honor and memorialize fallen Columbia Police Officer Molly Bowden, Columbia College is expected to announce today the establishment of the Molly S. Thomas Bowden Memorial Scholarship.
Bowden, a 2002 graduate of the criminal justice program from Columbia College, was shot in the line of duty on Jan. 10. She died Feb. 10 from complications related to the shooting.
The scholarship will be a full tuition scholarship and was started by Joe Carrier, associate professor of criminal justice at Columbia College.
"I knew Molly, she was one of my students here," Carrier said. "After her funeral, I was thinking we should do something, so I stopped by the development office to see what paperwork it would take to get an endowed scholarship started."
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be a woman from Missouri; a declared criminal justice or forensic science major of at least sophomore standing who holds a 3.0 grade point average; and must be a full-time day or evening student at the campus in Columbia.
In addition, applicants must write a letter as part of the application process, stating their desire for the degree, their dedication to public service and their career goals.
"I visited with her mom and dad and we drafted out the particulars of what the guidelines should be," Carrier said. "They were very receptive to the idea. They have said it's a wonderful opportunity to memorialize Molly."
Initially, the scholarship will be supported with donations and gifts from friends, faculty and staff, as well as business contributions, said Carrier.
He has also been working with the Columbia Police Foundation Board to set up summer fundraisers. He anticipates the first scholarship to be awarded in the 2006-07 academic year.
Those who would like to help finance the scholarship can make donations to the Molly Bowden Scholarship and send them to Bill Sheehan, executive director of development and alumni services at Columbia College, 1001 Rogers St.
"There has been a lot of interest in this, there are a lot of people involved," Carrier said. "This is just the right thing to do."
Eric Phelps, a friend of Molly Bowden and her husband, Corey, and a Columbia College alumnus, said he got involved when someone from the college approached him about helping out.
"I was involved with another fundraising committee with the college, and when they asked me, it didn't take a second for me to say yes," he said. "I wanted to be a part of it."
Phelps said that this is a special way to remember Bowden for the impact she had on the community.
"It seems appropriate to remember her enthusiasm and activism in the community," he said. "This is a way we can preserve that spirit she had through a scholarship to a person who will also possess those same characteristics."
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