The William C. Pepple Scholarship

William C. Pepple, a 1982 graduate of The University of Akron School of Law, established The William C. Pepple Scholarship Fund in 2002. Mr. Pepple is a prominent labor law attorney in the state of Ohio and a partner in the Cleveland-based law firm of Pepple & Waggoner, Ltd. Through his legal practice, Mr. Pepple handles a broad assortment of school law matters for Ohio’s boards of education.

From the time he was a young boy growing up on a farm near Waynesfield, Ohio, Bill Pepple knew he wanted to be a lawyer. He attended college at Bowling Green State University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics in 1971. Immediately after college, Mr. Pepple served as an officer in the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force. While on active duty, Mr. Pepple pursued and obtained a master’s in business administration from the University of North Dakota. Mr. Pepple completed his military assignment in 1975 with the rank of captain. Immediately following his military commitment, he worked as a high school mathematics and economics teacher in the Hardin-Northern Local and Nordonia Hills City school districts and as the assistant treasurer of the Shaker Heights City School District. These experiences provided him with a solid foundation for his legal career.

Mr. Pepple co-founded the Pepple & Waggoner, Ltd. Law firm in 1989. His practice encompasses all areas of public school law. He is skilled in matters relating to contract negotiations, grievance arbitration, unfair labor practice defense, litigation, and general school law representation. William C. Pepple is licensed to practice in all Ohio courts, in the Federal District Court, and in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is married to Nancy L. Ryland, who is also a University of Akron alumnus, having earned her bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from the College of Education.

The purpose of The William C. Pepple Scholarship Fund is to assist the School of Law in recruiting and retaining top-flight students, vis-à-vis a merit-based scholarship endowment fund. In awarding The William C. Pepple Scholarship, individuals whose entering law school or upper-division scholarship application embodies a demonstrated passion for public sector work will be considered most favorably. The dean of The University of Akron School of Law will select The William C. Pepple Scholarship recipient, upon the recommendation of the Law School’s scholarship committee.