New State Match Launches UW Presidents Endowed Scholarship Program

State matching dollars allocated during the 2019 Wyoming legislative session for scholarship support at the University of Wyoming will be used to create a new President’s Endowed Scholarship Program.

This scholarship program will provide opportunities for UW donors to double their gifts through state matching funds that will recruit top-performing Wyoming high school seniors and transfer students.

“Scholarships are so important in fulfilling the potential of our state,” says UW President Laurie Nichols. “Increasing the number of Wyomingites with baccalaureate degrees will ensure their individual success while helping our state’s economy. We are so fortunate in Wyoming to have the generous Hathaway Scholarship, but we can do more. The President’s Endowed Scholarship Program will allow UW to reward our best and brightest students, keeping them in state for their education.”

The UW Foundation is fundraising for the UW President’s Endowed Scholarship Program. Gifts of $50,000 or more can be doubled by a $2.5 million state matching fund. The gift may be a one-time gift or payments spread over five years.

“We are grateful to the Wyoming Legislature for creating yet another state matching opportunity for our generous contributors,” says John Stark, UW Foundation senior vice president for development. “This program is a continuing example of the ever-growing public-private partnership that exists at the University of Wyoming. We are excited to roll out this program and to begin conversations with alumni and friends regarding this opportunity to support Wyoming’s top students.”

“Scholarships recognize the exceptional commitment and dedication of students,” says Kyle Moore, UW associate vice provost for enrollment management. “When the caliber of that work can be considered presidential in quality, it is exciting to recognize that effort and reward our students in a significant way. This scholarship does just that.”

Recipients of the President’s Endowed Scholarship will be Wyoming residents with ACT scores of 25 or higher. They should have grade-point averages from their high schools or transfer institutions of at least a 3.5 (4.0 scale). Once they are on campus, they need to maintain a 3.25 GPA.

This scholarship allows Wyoming to continue its tradition of fostering student success without undue burden. Two-thirds of the nation’s students graduate owing student loans. That is not the case in Wyoming: 23 percent fewer UW graduates have student debt than the national average. This is because of UW’s low cost of tuition compared to other institutions of higher learning, and it’s also due to the support UW students receive.

For more information on how to support this scholarship program, go to the UW Foundation website (www.uwyo.edu/foundation) and click on President’s Endowed Scholarship on the menu, or contact the UW Foundation at (307) 766-6300, toll-free at 1-888-831-7795 or by email at foundation@uwyo.edu.