The Tucker Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength Scholarship, an eight-semester full-tuition and room and board scholarship, is awarded to one high school student who exemplifies the principles and values representative of the Gardner-Webb Community.
This top GWU scholarship is made possible by the generous support of Carolyn and Robert Tucker, who exemplify these same principles and values in their personal and professional lives.
Ministers, teachers, guidance counselors, and community leaders, unrelated to the student, can nominate a worthy student for a chance at this top scholarship.
Nominations should be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on November 10, 2023 to allow the student to complete the application.
Hear from our Tucker Scholarship recipients and University President about the impact of receiving this scholarship, which exemplifies the values we hold dearly at Gardner-Webb.
Gardner-Webb University seeks to establish a culture of Christian faith and service founded upon Mark 12:29-31. The University’s motto – Pro Deo et Humanitate – is consistent with this command, for the Gospel of Mark directs that we love God and humanity.
The directive to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength provides direction for the development of men and women who will go forth into the word as graduates enabled to live out the University’s motto.
The scholarship will be referred to as the Tucker Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength Scholarship because it will seek out students who demonstrate potential to apply these four attributes in carrying out a commitment to service for God and humanity.
Heart signifies the capacity to love God and our neighbor. It calls us to serve with compassion and understanding in order that the Kingdom of God may be advanced in this world.
Soul represents the life of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”) that is nurtured by the Gardner-Webb experience and that compels all of us to serve God’s Kingdom, for “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:17).
Mind denotes the intellect, well-developed by the Gardner-Webb experience, must be fully applied if service is to be effective as it is God who gives us our mind.
Strength, coupled with perseverance and resilience, is imperative for one to face the inevitable challenges brought by a life of faith, service, and commitment.
In their personal lives and through the operation of their highly successful business, Shoe Show, Inc., Carolyn and Robert Tucker and their family have exemplified the finest ideas of Gardner-Webb University through faith in action.
Because of their belief in Gardner-Webb’s Christian foundation and purpose, they generously support the University. Most notably, they made our most transformative facility to date, the Tucker Student Center, a reality. By Mrs. Tucker’s direction, the plaque on the front of the building carries the verse from Mark 12:29-31:
“The Lord our God is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
The family wishes to enable and encourage new generations of Gardner-Webb students to carry forward this legacy to make other peoples’ lives better, in the spirit of the University motto, Pro Deo et Humanitate – For God and humanity.
For many college students, higher education would be impossible without financial support provided by scholarships and the individuals who provide them. On today’s episode of Bulldog Dialogue, GWU President William Downs welcomes Leah Carpenter, Kyndal Jackson and Kylee Morris to share a student’s perspective on collegiate life, service, community, and the importance of being recognized as a Tucker Scholar. The Tucker Family have been long-time supporters of the University, and they established a premiere scholarship to recognize the “whole student.” This eight-semester full-tuition/room and board scholarship, is awarded to one high school student annually who best exemplifies the principles and values representative of the Gardner-Webb Community.
