University Recreation & Wellness Awards & Scholarships
We are excited to continue honoring the student leaders who demonstrate leadership in support of our RecWell mission through the Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarships and our Kehoe-Kesler Award! Information about both awards and the timeline for 2026 is below.
2026 Kehoe-Kesler Award
Purpose: The Kehoe-Kesler Award is the most prestigious award given by University Recreation & Wellness. This award is given annually to an individual who demonstrates leadership and commitment to inspiring university community members to be active and live well! Nominees should immediately come to mind as respected by their peers and dedicated to the RecWell mission. These are Active Terps who go out of their way to encourage wellness in others.
Candidates must:
- Complete and submit the self-nomination form (via Google Form) in full
- Receive endorsement (via Google Form) from at least one RecWell professional staff member
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
What criteria will be considered for awarding the Kehoe Kesler Award?
- Full and accurate completion of this self-nomination form
- Any and all endorsements received from RecWell & UMD faculty/staff (via this Google form)
- Demonstration and examples of encouraging and inspiring the university community to be active and live well
- Respected by peers and community members for leadership qualities
Nomination/Endorsement Process
The self-nomination form for students and endorsement form for faculty/staff are the same Google Form. The Google Form is available here.
- All candidates MUST complete and submit the self-nomination in order to be considered for the award.
- Candidates are required to receive an endorsement from at least one RecWell professional staff member and may have multiple. Endorsements should come from someone who knows the candidate well and can speak to the candidate's work to encourage the University community to be active and live well. Students can select the RecWell professional staff they would like to endorse them directly on the nomination form.
- Students are welcome, but not required, to send the Google Form (shortlink: go.umd.edu/kehoekesler26) to any UMD faculty or staff member they feel would provide a strong endorsement. These additional endorsements from non-RecWell UMD faculty or staff may be considered, but once again, are not required.
UMD FACULTY & STAFF may submit an endorsement for a student at any time, and we encourage you to endorse any student you believe would make a great candidate for this award! If the student has not yet submitted their self-nomination, we will email the student and encourage them to submit their self-nomination. If they have already submitted their self-nomination, we will include your endorsement with their application.
2026 Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarship
Purpose: The Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarship Fund was established to provide financial assistance in the amount of $500 for tuition and books to two student employees who uphold the mission statement in their work with University Recreation & Wellness.
Applicants must:
- Be enrolled as a full-time (12 or more credits) UMD student
- Be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at UMD, College Park
- Be a current employee of RecWell
- Have been employed by RecWell for two or more semesters (began working for RecWell in October 2025 or earlier)
- Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 at the time of application
- Will be returning to the University as a full-time student in the Summer or Fall 2026 semester
What criteria will be considered for awarding the Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarship?
- Accurate completion of this application with the applicant's own work
- Compelling, thoughtful, genuine, and thorough responses
- Confirmation of good standing on staff from RecWell supervisor(s)
About the Jay P. Gilchrist Scholarship
The scholarship fund is named after Jay P. Gilchrist, who served as the director of University Recreation & Wellness for over 30 years. During his tenure, Jay made an indelible mark on the University of Maryland campus community. Under Jay’s leadership, campus recreation became a cornerstone of student life, fostering a culture of wellness, inclusion, and student success. Jay’s dedication spearheaded the creation of innovative recreational facilities and spaces, expanded programming opportunities to cater to diverse student interests, and implemented several initiatives that enriched the educational experience and inspired the campus community to be active and live well. RecWell became, and is currently, the largest student employer on campus, which is largely attributed to the vision Jay had for student employee development where every student thrives. This scholarship honors Jay's legacy and his commitment to student success.