The GSIS 30th Anniversary Founders' Scholarship

Since 1986, the Governor's School for International Studies (GSIS) at the University of Memphis has afforded the best and brightest students in high schools across the state of Tennessee to receive, free of charge, an opportunity for a four-week immersion in international studies.   The program challenges students to look beyond the boundaries Tennessee and the U.S., to explore how international finance, world history, and cultural relationships affect us.

The 2017 summer program will mark the 30th anniversary of the GSIS program at the University of Memphis.  In celebration of this anniversary and to honor the program's founders and leaders, the University of Memphis GSIS program is committed to funding the GSIS 30th Anniversary Founders' Scholarship.  This scholarship will allow a GSIS alumnus to further his or her education in International Studies at the U of M.  Our $3500 goal seeks to fund scholarships for several years, but any funds received will be used to provide financial assistance to GSIS alums.

Blanche Deaderick,  Ruth Dunning, Sue Gilmore, and Rejane Roe have been the glue that has held the GSIS program together for the past thirty years.  They commit one month each summer to literally spending twenty-four hours a day with the GSIS students.  They have helped countless students form life-long bonds and memories in through countless GSIS classes, activities and experiences.  Thousands of students and parents have benefitted from their life-long commitment to education, the personal success of students, and community service.  There is no better way to honor Blanche, Ruth, Sue, and Rejane than by giving a GSIS student the opportunity to further his or her international studies at the U of M through a gift to the GSIS 30th Anniversary Founders' Fund.

You can learn more about these remarkable women and their accomplishments below.

Blanche Deaderick, Founder and GSIS Associate Director

Blanche's work with the Governor's School for International Studies since its inception 30 years ago is a testament to her commitment to education and community service.  She retired from Shelby County Schools and Germantown High School, where she taught Advanced Placement and regular Psychology, AP European History, and Facing History and Ourselves. She holds a B.A. from Rhodes College and an M.A. in History from the University of Memphis. Her awards include Teacher of the year honors at Germantown High School, Germantown Community, and Shelby County.  The Tennessee Council for Social Studies named her as an Outstanding Teacher; and in 2007, she was named to the Tennessee Teachers’ Hall of Fame.  Mrs. Deaderick’ s international experience includes travel throughout the world, Italian language immersion in Florence, Italy, and studies in Contemporary British Culture in England. Her work in the community includes service as a member of the Facing History and Ourselves National Teacher Leadership Team, the Tennessee Shakespeare Company board of directors, and Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee board of directors. She is also an active member of the Tennessee Women’s Forum. Blanche is a graduate of Leadership Memphis, and a trained mediator for civil and commercial disputes.  She has conducted seminars on teaching strategies, leadership development, and conflict resolution.

Ruth Dunning, Founder and International Issues Instructor

Ruth has been a part of GSIS since its first day.  She has served in the Shelby County Schools as a teacher of advanced placement courses in American Government and Comparative Government.  She has also provided instruction in humanities classes and English as a Second Language.  She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Evansville.  During her distinguished teaching career, Ruth has been recognized as the Teacher of the Year for Germantown High School and the City of Germantown, the Shelby County Creative Teacher of the Year; and recipient of the Tennessee Education Association's Classroom Teacher Award.  She is a past president of the Brooks Museum League and is a member of the Tennessee Shakespeare Company's Board of Directors.  She is the Hometown Emmy award winning host of the Germantown Community Television program, "Tennessee Talks Politics with Ruth Dunning."  Ruth lived in Germany for two years and has traveled through Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.

Sue Chaney Gilmore, Founder and International Issues Instructor

Sue holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Vanderbilt University.  After teaching for forty years in the Metro Davidson county schools, she is semi-retired, but continues to offer advanced placement classes in European History at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet School in Nashville.  Sue has won numerous teaching awards, including the Belz-Lipman Educator of the Year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy Teacher of the Year, the Metro Nashville Davidson County Teacher of the Year, and the Middle Tennessee Grand Division Teacher of the Year.  As a consultant for the College Board in Advanced Placement European History, Dr. Gilmore leads workshops for AP teachers.  She is the author of "The Holocaust and Other Genocides" as well as numerous professional articles.  Sue has travelled throughout Europe, Turkey, China, Russia, and Egypt.

Rejane Roe, Founder and Portuguese Language Instructor

Rejane was one of the first foreign language instructors in the GSIS program and continues  to teach Portuguese.  A native of Brazil, Roe served for several years as a staff member In the Ministry of Communications and in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.  She has taught at the Centro Educational La Salle in Brasilia, Brazil and has tutored foreign ministry staff members in Portuguese in the Brazilian capital.  Ms. Roe received her Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Memphis.  She has taught Portuguese for the Vanderbilt MBA program.  She currently works for Viacom in charge of vendor relations for Latin America, the U.S., and Australia.  Rejane is an active volunteer for the Destination Imagination Program in Williamson County, Tennessee.  She has traveled throughout Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Mexico.