WSHU Public Radio awarded its first Morley/Ferguson WSHU Scholarship to Anya Rescsanski, a music production and media arts major at Sacred Heart University. The award makes Rescsanski the first student to receive any WSHU scholarship.
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The scholarship provides $2,500 a year to a Sacred Heart undergraduate in a liberal arts program who demonstrates financial need. WSHU has committed to funding it for at least 10 years through listener donations.
“I was honored to be selected as the first recipient of the scholarship,” said Rescsanski.
Rescsanski saw the scholarship in an email sent to Sacred Heart students. She applied because the award fit her interests in music and audio engineering.
“As part of the application, I submitted an essay discussing the importance of storytelling, along with a personal statement describing my background, experiences and aspirations,” said Rescsanski.
The award is named after James T. Morley Jr. and Dick Ferguson. According to Sacred Heart’s Pioneer Scholarship Gala website, Morley is a university trustee, a former chairman of the board and a current member of the WSHU Board of Directors.
Brad Dancer, General Manager of WSHU Public Radio, said the idea took shape when Morley was being recognized at Sacred Heart’s Pioneer Scholarship Gala in April. Morley then suggested that the station also honor his longtime friend Ferguson.
According to WSHU’s website, the station is a group of not-for-profit, member-supported radio stations owned and operated by Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn.
“Scholarships help remove financial barriers for students, allowing them to focus more on their education and the opportunities ahead of them,” said Dancer.
The Spectrum reported in Sept. 2025 that WSHU received about $400,000 a year in direct federal funding, about 8 percent of its budget. Dancer said the station has since reached a strong financial position.
“It’s also quite rare, very few university-owned public radio stations have scholarships that are generated from their donors,” said Dancer.
The award is WSHU’s first direct undergraduate scholarship at Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart’s 2023-24 graduate catalog states that WSHU offers students internships, work-study and a News Fellows Program with broadcast journalism training.
“I think in the two months I’ve learned a lot, and I think I’m frequently learning lessons about personal responsibility and work ethic,” said junior Will Morgan, an intern at WSHU.
Morgan said he did work-study at the station before his internship. Interns start by writing short news briefs read on air, then move to longer pieces they record themselves, he said. The goal is a feature story.
“A feature is really your own reporting, your own findings, your own audio, something that you assemble yourself,” said Morgan.
While Rescsanski has not worked at WSHU before, the scholarship has connected her with its staff.
She has played cello for 11 years and the electric bass for five years. Her interest in audio began about seven years ago.
Rescsanski credits two of her music and media professors, Prof. Tim Walsh and Prof. Greg Golda, for encouraging her passion for audio.
In June, Rescsanski began helping mix audio at local gigs, including monitor mixes for performers. She said the work strengthened her interest in live sound and monitor engineering.
“Receiving this scholarship has reinforced my goal of pursuing a career in audio and motivates me to continue developing my skills and seeking new opportunities in the industry,” said Rescsanski.
