Family of late MC criminal justice professor establishes Dr. Regina White Benedict Scholarship for future students

Nov. 10, 2022

Photo of Dr. Regina Benedict
Dr. Regina White Benedict

When Dr. Regina “Gina” Benedict died almost two years ago, the unexpected nature of her passing rocked both her immediate family and the members of the Maryville College community whose lives were touched by her commitment to education.

Now, the family of Dr. Benedict — an assistant professor of criminal justice and the coordinator of MC’s Criminal Justice program of study — has ensured that her legacy will forever be tied to the institution to which she was so dedicated. The Dr. Regina White Benedict Scholarship will be awarded to students planning to major or minor in Criminal Justice, and a preference will be given to non-traditional women working toward a degree. MC President Dr. Bryan F. Coker announced the new endowment during the Founder’s Day program held on Friday, Oct. 21, during the College’s annual Homecoming weekend.

“We are still trying to cope with the loss of our Gina,” the family said in a statement about the new scholarship. “We thought of ways to honor her, and establishing a scholarship at Maryville College in her name was one way to do this. Gina was a dedicated teacher who was devoted to her students. 

“She believed in the importance of education and tried to prepare each of her students to the best of her ability for success in life after college. By establishing the Dr. Regina White Benedict Scholarship in the Criminal Justice Program, the family hopes to ensure that she is remembered and that her legacy lives on.”

Benedict earned her own degrees from Mississippi State University, where she received a bachelor of arts; East Tennessee State University, where she was awarded her master’s; and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, from which she obtained her Ph.D. while working for the Department of Children’s Services in Knox County.

Long interested in the roles that the criminal justice system and incarceration played in society, she became a coordinator of the Criminal Justice Program at Maryville College, where she also served as an assistant professor of Criminal Justice. In addition, she served as a member of the Conduct Appeals Board and helped the College establish close relationships with law enforcement agencies and graduate schools, all of which led to opportunities for her students.

“From the moment Gina began teaching courses at MC, she felt a sense of belonging and talked often about how nice it was,” said her mother, Cookie White. “She had aspirations for making the (Criminal Justice) major the most successful and best program possible. She wanted her students to be the best that they could be when serving in their chosen profession. 

“She brought in guest speakers from law enforcement, the court system, arranged tours of the jail, etc., and she tried to point out to her students the many different roles that they could play in serving others.”

Benedict began teaching part-time at MC in 2011, a role her family described as her “dream job.” She became a full-time lecturer in 2016 and was promoted to assistant professor in 2018, and throughout her tenure she cultivated relationships with both fellow faculty members and students that are remembered for their warmth and mutual respect.

“Regina, known by her students as ‘Dr. B,’ was a beloved faculty member of Maryville College who died unexpectedly last year at the age of 44,” Coker said during his announcement of the scholarship at the annual Founder’s Day celebration, an annual part of every MC Homecoming. “She was our first professor in the criminal justice major and established a very strong foundation for the program. Her husband Travis, daughters Zoe and Mia, and parents Mickey and Cookie White wanted to honor Regina’s five years at the College — in what Regina called ‘her dream job’ — with a scholarship that will be awarded to students studying criminal justice, or non-traditional aged women finishing a degree. It will be awarded for the first time next fall.  We still miss Regina immensely, but we are delighted that her name will live on, within Thaw Hall.”

Benedict was survived by her husband, Travis; children, Zoe and Mia; parents, Mickey and Cookie White of Huntsville, Alabama; brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Emily White of London, Kentucky; nieces, Ellie and Maddie; and in-laws Ron and Betty Jo Benedict of Johnson City, Tennessee. During the recent Founder’s Day program, Travis Benedict and Mickey and Cookie White were named members of the Isaac Anderson Society, an honor recognizing their service and generosity in the endowment of the Dr. Regina White Benedict Scholarship.

“Gina hoped to pass her passion for the study of criminal justice along to her students,” Mickey White said. “She wanted them to think deeply about what justice is and whether it can actually be achieved in the world.”

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”