Margaret McMillan Endowed Scholarship
Margaret McMillan, founder and president of McMillan Offshore Survival Technology, has been involved in aquatics as a competitor, teacher, trainer and program innovator for many years. She is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of sea survival technology. Before forming her company, Ms. McMillan was a professor and coordinator of women's physical education and assistant dean of women at then SLI, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Through her efforts, thousands of offshore oil workers, helicopter pilots, government employees, law enforcement officers, corporate executives, barge and dock personnel, powerboat operators and air medics have been trained in offshore survival. In addition, Ms. McMillan has consulted with sea survival experts in the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, the U.K. Royal Navy, and the Russian government.
As a result of her pioneering efforts in aquatic safety and survival-at-sea training programs,
Ms. McMillan received the following awards and honors:
• The U.S. Coast Guard Distinguished Service Award
• The Gulf Coast Safety and Training Group's highest honor, the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award
• National Cooperation in Aquatics, National Honor Award
• U.S. Marine Safety Association's first Annual Safety Award
• Offshore Energy Center Hall of Fame for Offshore Safety & Survival Training (151 female inductee)
Ms. McMillan contributed to improvements in work vests, life jackets, and inflatable life vests and spearheaded the development of the Marine Survival Training Center at the University of Louisiana (then USL) and served as a consultant to the center. She was a founding member of the International Association for Sea Survival Training and is now an honorary lifetime member in that organization, as well as the U.S. Marine Safety Association.
In recognition of Margaret McMillan's many accomplishments and contribution, John Ryan, president of Alexander/Ryan Marine & Safety Co., and Tony Accardo (UL '69) led an effort to establish this endowment. Gifts were made by many friends, former colleagues and associates, and water safety training industry members.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a junior or senior
- Must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Preference is given to student interested in research in marine survival training