Special Agent Gregory Spinelli graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1971.

Following graduation, he accepted a position with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After completing his training, he was assigned to Charlotte, North Carolina. On March 15, 1973, at the age of 24, Special Agent Spinelli was fatally wounded in pursuit of an offender who had escaped from prison.

This scholarship is nominated each year by faculty in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. It is awarded at the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Awards Ceremony in May.