MEDPREP Honors Shirley McGlinn with Scholarship Endowment

Remembering Shirley

We are pleased to showcase our newst endowed scholarship: the Endowed Shirley J. McGlinn Memorial Scholarship Fund. Many of our alumni will remember Mrs. McGlinn as a longtime biology instructor for MEDPREP, much beloved by all who knew her. Shirley received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from St. Mary’s College in Leavenworth, Kansas, and a Master’s Degree in Zoology from SIU Carbondale. After receiving her Master’s degree, Shirley taught histology in the Department of Anatomy, where she was a three-time winner of the School of Medicine Teacher of the Year Award – in 1980, 1981 and 1982! She joined MEDPREP in 1982, where she would go on to teach biology, endocrinology and histology for the next 30 years, until her passing in 2012.

Shirley was a dedicated educator, who brought a wealth of experience and passion to all she took on. She completed doctorate-level coursework in Educational Psychology, and worked tirelessly to provide MEDPREP students with an outstanding education through her innovative teaching. Along with several fellow MEDPREP faculty members, Shirley wrote several editions of test preparation guide for the MCAT, “Meeting the Challenge of the MCAT” that was used by students around the country for many years. 

Shirley believed strongly in supporting students not just through teaching, but through mentorship and financial support. She provided mentorship to MEDPREP students, helped first-year medical students seeking out extra help in histology, and served as a faculty mentor for incoming SIU freshmen. As a long-time Saluki who made Southern Illinois her home with her husband Bob and two children, she was also involved for many years with the SIU chapter of the Jackson County Alumni Association, promoting service work and raising scholarship funds for students striving to attend SIU.

In her long tenure at MEDPREP, Shirley made an individual difference in the lives of well over one thousand students, always challenging them to be their finest, and always supporting them in reaching their goals. Shirley was always positive and upbeat, and brought out the best in everyone. Shirley’s legacy is the success of the students she taught, and the inspiration she gave to all those who knew her, be they student, faculty, family or friends.   

Endowed Scholarship Drive

The Shirley McGlinn Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund will carry on Shirley’s legacy of unwavering support for MEDPREP students through the giving of annual scholarships, awarded to students with demonstrated community service and financial need. If Shirley made a difference in your life, or if you believe in the service to others that Shirley embodied, please consider a gift towards our endowment goal. Your contribution to this permanent fund will ensure that her legacy will continue for generations of students to come.

Thanks to generous donors, we have reached our minimum goal of $25,000 to endow the Scholarship. MEDPREP is proud to award our first endowed $1,000 McGlinn scholarship in Spring of 2023. The scholarship will be awarded on an annual basis thereafter.

It is still possible to donate to this endowed fund to honor the difference Shirley has made in your life (all donations build the size of the endowment and increase the annual funds available for scholarship awards). If you would like to make a gift, contributions may be sent directly to the MEDPREP office at the address below, or made online on the MEDPREP Endowed Scholarship Giving Page.

On behalf of our future MEDPREP students, we thank you!