Mary and Wesley Chapman Scholarship

The Mary and Wesley Chapman Scholarship was created to honor the lifetime work of Mary and Wesley Chapman by providing financial assistance for first generation African American males on their second chance journey.

Wesley was born on April 25, 1947 and spent his early formative years in Milan, Tennessee. He received his primary and secondary education in the South Bend Community Schools and postsecondary degrees from Washburn University and Drake University. Wesley was one of three children raised by a single mother and was the first in his family to graduate from college. His ability to excel athletically, as well as in the classroom, was his ticket to college. His career journey took him on a path of being an educational equity administrator in the Des Moines School District to providing leadership for a public/private organization charged with providing economic development strategies in depressed low income communities. During his lifetime he was dedicated to opportunity and access for students of color and marginalized communities.

Dr. Mary Sconiers Chapman was born on January 20,1948 in Chancellor Alabama, however as a toddler her family migrated to South Bend, Indiana. She received her primary and secondary education in the South Bend Community Schools. Mary received her postsecondary degrees from Drake University and Iowa State University. She received her Doctorate from Vanderbilt University. She is the oldest of five children, and is also in the class of first-generation college graduates. Mary shared Wesley’s commitment to creating and advocating for educational opportunity and student success. She is an educator, who is highly recognized and respected as a community and civic leader. Dr. Chapman retired from DMACC after more than two decades of creating and supporting student opportunity, access, and success as the Executive Dean of the DMACC Urban Campus and later as the Vice President of Community and Workforce Partnerships.

Together, Mary and Wesley Chapman’s goal is to increase the number of African American males completing their education goals by providing the financial assistance to do so.