Students from the Wind River Indian Reservation will receive additional financial support to attend the University of Wyoming, following action by the UW Board of Trustees this week.
The board approved creation of the Wind River Promise Fund -- an endowment that will be used to provide scholarships for members of the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes who are residents of Wyoming. Trustees voted to use university funds to create a $2 million endowment, along with an additional $250,000 in expendable funds that will help launch this scholarship program in fall 2026 for incoming students to UW.
The scholarship is designed to cover up to the full cost of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees, if funds are available.
“After several years of discussions with the tribes, Wyoming elected officials and others, the university is pleased to provide this significantly enhanced level of opportunity and support for the tribal members in our state,” UW President Ed Seidel says. “This is a major step forward in UW’s relationship with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho as we work together for the betterment of their people, the university and the state.”
Specifically, the criteria for this scholarship program include:
-- Be an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone or Northern Arapaho tribe.
-- Be a Wyoming resident and have graduated from a Wyoming high school.
-- Be in good academic standing.
-- Be enrolled as a full-time student.
-- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually.
Each scholarship may be renewed for up to eight semesters if the student remains eligible. Once it's first distributed, a student has six academic years to receive the scholarship benefits.
The new scholarship program is in line with a memorandum of understanding between UW and the tribes signed in 2022. Among other things, the document outlines the commitment of the university and the tribes to work together on research, education and training programs for Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho students; build resources to assist Native students, tribes, educators and professionals; and conduct research of importance to the tribes. The agreement also commits to continue programs including UW’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Program; the High Plains American Indian Research Institute; the Native American Summer Institute; and the Native American Education, Research and Cultural Center.
“To sustain and augment this scholarship program going forward, we will continue with our efforts to raise additional dollars to support our Native students, with a specific focus on Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribal members,” says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. “This will include not only scholarship funding, but also student enrichment funds that will support these students once they arrive on campus.”
The Wind River Promise Fund is in addition to other scholarship programs for Native students. Earlier this year, UW received a gift of $500,000 from the estate of the late William “Bill” Kruggel to support Wind River Indian Reservation high school graduates. Additionally, UW manages the Northern Arapaho Endowment Fund Scholarship; the Chief Washakie Memorial Endowment Scholarship; the Richard and Judith Agee Scholarship for Native American Students; the Gary Glascock Scholarship; the Jim and Beverly Young Scholarship in Engineering; and the Marian Espach Cordiner Scholarship, among others.
