Selection is based on a variety of criteria.
This scholarship, which was first presented in 1981, is dedicated to the memory of Professor Paul A. Clement, a longtime member of the mathematics faculty at WSU, and his wife Marjorie, who served the institution for many years as a librarian. This scholarship has been given since 1978, and is named in honor of its original and primary donors, Douglas and Michele Bell, who were WSU students in the late 1960's and early 1970's. This scholarship has been given since 1982 in memory of Dr. Morris Knebelman, long-time professor and head of the WSU Mathematics Department. This award has been given since 1967 in memory of Professor J. Russell Vatnsdal who served as a member of the WSU mathematics Faculty for nearly forty years before his death in 1965. Originally set up in 1961, upon Professor Knebelman's retirement, as the Knebelman Prize in Mathematics, the award was reestablished under the new name in 1979.