MADISON – In honor of longtime Madison reporter Pat Schneider, who died Sept. 29 following a long battle with cancer, The Cap Times and Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists are partnering to create a one-time scholarship to benefit three young journalists.
Cap Times opinion editor Jessie Opoien detailed the news of the scholarship in a column Tuesday. The Pat Schneider scholarship will be funded by a contribution from The Cap Times and by all proceeds from raffle ticket sales at SPJ Madison’s annual holiday party.
Those who will not be attending the party but would like to contribute to the scholarship can send a check made out to “SPJ Madison” with “Schneider scholarship” in the memo to SPJ Madison vice president and treasurer Lauren Fuhrmann at her Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism office:
Lauren Fuhrmann
WCIJ
Fifth Floor Vilas Hall
821 University Ave
Madison, WI 53706
The scholarship will be available to students with at least sophomore standing at a Madison college or university who identify as women and who are committed to reporting on social justice.
Schneider, whose life was celebrated during a service Saturday morning at Madison’s James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation, worked more than 30 years for The Cap Times. She made her mark as a dogged reporter and was described by friends and colleagues, according to Opoien, as “fierce,” “dogged,” “feisty,” “tenacious,” “compassionate” and “courageous.”
Her work, which included nearly 5,000 bylines at The Cap Times, earned Schneider numerous awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and Milwaukee Press Club.
