SAULT STE. MARIE — Firsts continue for the Cannabis Center of Excellence at Lake Superior State University. In 2019, the center opened as the first cannabis chemistry program in the nation. In April, the center announced its first cannabis chemistry scholarship, an annual $1,200 awarding.

Now, the center provides more financial help for its students through an endowed annual scholarship fund of $25,000 held in perpetuity that results in an additional $1,200 award each year for a deserving cannabis chemistry major.

Both $1,200 cannabis chemistry scholarships go into effect for the fall 2021 semester.

Wheelhouse Cannabis Co., based in nearby DeTour Village, underwrote the $25,000 endowed scholarship fund and related monies for it.

Applicants for this nonrenewable grant must be full-time sophomores or higher, major in cannabis chemistry, maintain a GPA of at least 3.0, demonstrate financial need, and be graduates of a Chippewa, Mackinac, or Luce county high school. Preference will be given to first-generation and underrepresented students.

“Wheelhouse Cannabis Co. opens our doors even wider with this visionary endowed scholarship fund,” said LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley. “It reinforces our cutting-edge, transformative education. It advances social mobility. It helps equip our graduates with the knowledge and skills to craft a life of meaningful employment. And it makes further inroads in a revolutionary field. Bottom line, this endowed scholarship fund is another harbinger for LSSU and the cannabis chemistry program as models in student development, career innovation, community partnerships, and progressive inclusivity.”

Wheelhouse Cannabis President/ CEO Chase Horsburgh said his company collaborated with LSSU because the center leads the way in the burgeoning industry and because the university offers an affordable education for an underserved regional population.

“Wheelhouse Cannabis Co is proud to support LSSU’s Cannabis Center of Excellence,” said Horsburgh.