In reply to Jeff Chandler.

Jeff, your point is well-made and I totally understand.

Having spent a lot of my years in and around an academic environment, in my experience, scholarships that are gender or race specific are made by private organizations that are gender or race specific. It is their right to spend their money however they see fit.

At one time the state of CA had special procurement contracting process for women-owned small businesses which gave them extra 'points' in the bid process. The state courts ruled it invalid. (There are still extra points awarded to small businesses owned by military vets.)

I didn't believe that the WP Foundation was either gender or race centric, but this new award rather says to me I may have been wrong and that it just might be.

It would be interesting to see what the reaction would be if there was a scholarship for only white men, or only Asian women, or only people from an Hispanic origin, etc.

Maybe that's next, and if so, no one should be surprised since the precedent has been set via this new award.