Lander Students Receive Scholarships from Mays Endowment

Graham Duncan
06 August 2026

students awarded Benjamin Mays scholarship — Pictured, from left, are Dr. Lucas McMillan, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; the Rev. Doug Kauffmann; Arthur Radcliffe, father of scholarship recipient Madaline Radcliffe; scholarship recipients Kaleb Christian, Amaiya Nichols, Icelynn Thomas and Isaiah Smith; and the Rev. Christopher Thomas, director of the Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site.

The Greenwood County Community Foundation has awarded five Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Endowment scholarships to five students, four of whom are continuing their education at Lander University. The foundation, in conjunction with the Mays Historical Preservation Site, presented scholarships to students on the occasion of Dr. Mays’ birthday, Saturday, Aug. 1.

Among the scholarship recipients are the following Lander students:

Madaline Grace Radcliffe, a senior history and political science double major, with a concentration in public history. Radcliffe is a graduate of Greenwood High School.
Amaiya Nichols, a junior international studies major at Lander, who recently completed the Sankofa Fellowship program at the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C. Nichols is a graduate of Boiling Springs High School.
Kaleb Thomas Christian, a junior history and political science double major at Lander. Christian is a graduate of Belton-Honea Path High School.
Icelynn Thomas, a senior history and humanities double major at Lander. Thomas is a graduate of Greenwood High School.

Also receiving a scholarship is Isaiah Smith, a student at the University of South Carolina. Smith is a graduate of Greenwood High School.

In attendance, along with the scholarship recipients, were the Rev. Christopher B. Thomas, director of the Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site; the Rev. Doug Kauffmann, local civic leader and retired pastor of Connie Maxwell Baptist Church; and Dr. Lucas McMillan, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences – the college which houses the degree programs of the scholarship recipients.

“Seeing four of our exceptional Lander University students recognized with scholarships from the Mays Endowment is a profound testament to their hard work, academic dedication and the enduring legacy of Dr. Mays,” said McMillan. We are thankful for our continued partnership with the Mays Historic Site and the Greenwood County Community Foundation. We look forward to seeing the incredible impact these students will continue to make at Lander University and beyond.”