Timothy P. O'Sicky Scholarship

The Timothy P. O’Sicky Scholarship was established in 2022 by Karen O’Sicky and her family to lovingly honor the memory of Karen’s husband, Timothy P. O’Sicky, and to celebrate and recognize Tim’s life journey and achievements. Tim was a nontraditional student who graduated from The University of Akron College of Business in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in management.

Tim had a dream of going to college and obtaining a degree. In those days, it was unusual for a journeyman tool & die maker to pursue a college degree. He received little encouragement to attend college, and monetary support or other avenues of assistance were not available. Tim worked full-time as a journeyman tool & die maker, at times working more than 12-hour shifts. Despite his long work hours, Tim was very motivated to earn a degree and went back to school at the age of 27. Working during the day and studying at night, he paid his own way through college, never taking out a loan or receiving a scholarship. In 1975, Tim obtained his degree in management and transitioned from a journeyman tool & die maker to sales. He sold small and intricate tools and parts that were used in the manufacturing of other products such as the lights on police cars. Tim was a self-starter who would cold call businesses and worked hard to win bids for sales of the company’s products. Tim eventually started his own business, Metal Specialties, headquartered in Berea, Ohio. He was a self-made man in every sense of the phrase.

By creating the Timothy P. O’Sicky Scholarship, Karen hopes to assist nontraditional UA College of Business students in circumstances similar to those of Tim so they too can achieve their dreams of earning a college degree.

*To be eligible for The Timothy P. O’Sicky Scholarship, students must: *

• Be enrolled part-time (less than 12 credit hours) in the College of Business
• Be 25 years old or older
• Have and maintain a 3.0 GPA (Grade Point Average)
• Be employed full-time (minimum of 32 hours per week)

The Timothy P. O’Sicky Scholarship will be available to one student each academic year beginning in 2023-2024. Recipients will receive a total of $5,000 ($2,500 for fall semester and $2,500 for spring semester) as long as funds are available. The scholarship is renewable and ideally will support the same student throughout their college career provided they continue to meet the scholarship criteria. Interested students, including the current recipient, must apply annually to receive the scholarship. Scholarship funds shall only be used for tuition costs. Recipient selection will be made by the College of Business Scholarship Committee. If no student meets all the scholarship criteria, then a student who matches as many of the criteria as possible may be selected.