Michigan Tech Fund Disburses over $800,000 in Scholarships
Media Relations Contact information: 906-487-2343 or mlgoodri@mtu.edu
"We have had a lot of success in recent years in funding student scholarships," said Eric Halonen, acting director of development for the Michigan Tech Fund. "Donors realize that many of our students depend on scholarships to complete their Michigan Tech education. It's not uncommon to hear donors explain how they benefited from scholarships when they were a student, and they are happy to do the same for others. With continued support from our alumni, friends and the campus community, we look forward to continuing this upward trend."
This fall, the Michigan Tech Fund once again disbursed over 1,125 scholarship awards in the amount of $800,000. The funding for these scholarships comes from donations by alumni, friends, corporations, matching gifts and employees of Michigan Tech.
"Many times figuring out how to pay for school becomes more stressful than school itself," says Joel Pero, a recipient of this year's Campus Campaign Scholarship. "Scholarship programs like Campus Campaign help to alleviate some of the cost of a student's education, thus allowing us to focus more on our school work rather than on how to cover the next tuition bill."
These scholarship dollars not only help undergraduate students, but are vital to graduate students as well. One recipient of the Campus Campaign Fellowship award is Erin Kruse, a master's student in the ME-EM department. "I cannot express how good it feels to receive recognition, especially for things which I find to be rewarding on their own," she says. "I relate this feeling to that of returning someone's wallet and having them hand you a twenty in thanks. That may seem like a silly analogy, but the action was done, not in the hopes of a reward, but because it was the best thing to do; the cash is an unanticipated bonus."
Another helpful award is the Ted and Lola Rozsa Endowed Scholarship. This award, funded by the same Rozsas who helped support the performing arts center that bears their name, has helped 100 plus students each semester for the last three years.
Matthew Bugbee, a fourth-year civil engineering student, is one of this year's recipients of the Rozsa Scholarship. "Without the generosity of others, all that I have accomplished would have not been possible," he said. "I hope that someday, with hard work and dedication, I too can pass on the favor and help those in need."
Scholarship dollars awarded through the Michigan Tech Fund have steadily risen over the past three years, from just under $1 million in 1998-99 to almost $2.5 million last year.
For more information on the Michigan Tech Fund's scholarship programs, visit their Web site at http://www.mtf.mtu.edu, or contact Angela Cooke at 487-1714 or adcooke@mtu.edu.