Bernard W. Deas, Jr., M.D. Endowed Scholarship

Established as an expendable scholarship in the early 1970s, to honor Dr. Bernard W. Deas, Jr., the first black male to graduate from the College of Medicine (in 1971). In 2021, the Alumni Association fully endowed the scholarship to honor his legacy. This scholarship is awarded to an entering student with continuation until graduation, pending successful academic and professionalism progress. The selected student will demonstrate both academic merit and financial need. In furtherance of the University’s commitment to improve health outcomes for all South Carolinians and to encourage those who are inspired to serve in rural, economically disadvantaged, or medically underserved communities, this scholarship is offered with preference given to individuals who are first generation in their family to attend medical school, from a rural area, and/or with service history in rural areas or medically underserved areas.