University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

UW-Stout Foundation awards scholarships

_{By University Communications
September 10, 2012}

The Stout University Foundation will look toward the future and also celebrate its past this week.

The foundation’s annual scholarship award ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center at UW-Stout. Last year the foundation awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships to students.

As part of the evening, the foundation will continue its yearlong 50th anniversary celebration. At 5 p.m., a reception will be held for donors, former board members and guests. Speakers will include Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen and former foundation executive directors David Williams and Patricia Reisinger. Tom Kornegor, foundation president, will be the emcee.

“UW-Stout would be lost without our foundation,” Sorensen said. “Many of the advances we have seen on campus have been accomplished with the help of the foundation. And now, more than ever, we need the foundation’s resources to help maintain the quality of education at UW-Stout.”

Mark Parsons, vice chancellor for University Advancement and Marketing and foundation executive director, said scholarships and merit-based awards are needed to attract quality students. “Fortunately, this is something that donors love to support, and our board is deeply committed to raising new dollars for scholarships,” he said.

The foundation was founded in 1962 by university President William Micheels. He believed the institution would need an infusion of private donations for it to be successful in the long run. In the fiscal year ending June 30, the foundation provided more than $2.1 million of financial support for the benefit of UW-Stout, including scholarships; support for university departments, faculty and academic centers; alumni-directed activities; and grants.

For more information about the history of the foundation, go here.