Leah Stuck
Leah Stuck, a chemistry pre-pharmacy major at Â鶹ÊÓƵ from Newport, Juniata County, has been selected for the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Rear Admiral CJ Jaynes Scholarship for Veterans in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
Stuck, daughter of Lanessa and Gerald Stuck, is a 2024 graduate of Newport High School.
In addition to the Jaynes Scholarship, she is the recipient of a Merit Scholarship and Veterans Affairs Scholarship. She is a dean’s list student at Â鶹ÊÓƵ and participates in collegiate field hockey, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Symphony Band, and volunteers in the community.
Retired Rear Admiral CJ Jaynes, a 1979 mathematics bachelor’s degree graduate who also earned her master’s in mathematics in 1982 from Â鶹ÊÓƵ, established the scholarship through a $100,000 gift to Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign.
The largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history, the campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration. The campaign had its public launch in August 2025, with $81,236,852—54 percent of the campaign goal—from 11,673 donors.
Impact 150 centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine. As of March 2026, the campaign’s total is more than $114 million, including $54 million specifically for Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Rear Admiral Jaynes, now living in Hollywood, Maryland, has been a long-time supporter of Â鶹ÊÓƵ and students in the sciences, including a 2024 gift to establish the Rear Admiral CJ Jaynes Scholarship for Veterans in STEM. This endowed scholarship is for full-time students at Â鶹ÊÓƵ who are veterans and who are studying in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
Â鶹ÊÓƵ has a strong tradition of enrolling and supporting its veteran and military-affiliated students; in fall 2025, Â鶹ÊÓƵ welcomed 855 veteran and military-affiliated students; of this number, 816 students are in undergraduate or graduate programs. Â鶹ÊÓƵ has one of the largest ROTC programs in the Commonwealth. More than 3,500 Â鶹ÊÓƵ graduates have served in the military, including in leadership roles; Â鶹ÊÓƵ has graduated 12 generals as well as a number of US Navy admirals.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ opened its Military Resource Center (now the Military and Veterans Resource Center) in spring 2014, working collaboratively with Â鶹ÊÓƵ programs and services to provide one-stop information to help these students transition to college life and achieve their academic goals. Â鶹ÊÓƵ has consistently been recognized as a Military Friendly School by national publications.
Since its founding in 1875, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As Â鶹ÊÓƵ celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.