and special-programs division of Arts & Sciences, recalls
one Commencement vividly. That year, the award for academic
achievement was going to a young woman with a 4.0 grade
point average (GPA) in applied mathematics. When she
stepped to the podium, she was holding a baby in one arm
and had a toddler by her side; a small voice from the back of
the room called out: "Way to go, Mommy!"
every day that we have a chance to work with them and help
them further their education."
cum laude -- that their day-school counterparts can earn.
that will allow its top evening students to win this kind of
recognition.
project and take one class a semester in the day program. If
they have a strong academic record, they will be eligible for a
in addition to any need-based
aid. To remain in the program,
honors students must maintain a 3.5 GPA.
They take a one-credit Dean's Seminar, which will
introduce them to various approaches to learning, and a
course, "Individual and Organizational Introspection,"
which will help with personal and professional development.
Experience, two in some aspect of the Global Environment
and a special section in critical thinking.
"This is an exciting initiative, and a unique step forward in
continuing education."
established, the first scholarship dinner was a modest affair.
That year, 26 scholarships were awarded; the roster of awardees
was two pages long. The inaugural dinner, held at Whittemore
House, attracted a small but enthusiastic crowd.
annual scholarship dinner, held at the Crowne Plaza, was a gala
occasion with some 275 guests. It also marked a quarter century
of growth in the program, which had awarded scholarships to
some 2,500 students.
available to the best and brightest students from around the
nation and the world," wrote Dean Gary S. Wihl to donors.
fund their education, scholarship funds are the catalyst for
Washington University's ascendancy," says Gregg Walker,
A.B.'94, who endowed The Harlem Scholarship in honor
of the Walker family.
you can give someone that no one can take away -- and that
is learning," she says. "Times can be good or bad, and it
doesn't matter. An education is the one thing that lasts."
Kevin Levine, who receives a Roland Quest Scholarship,
did research last summer at the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). Christopher Lawton, A.B.'01, who received the
Warren and Deloris Coy Boecklen Scholarship, is a writer for
The Wall Street Journal.
minimum level to fund an annual scholarship rose from $2,500
to $5,000. In September 2010, the level to endow a scholarship
will follow suit, rising from $50,000 to $100,000.
outstanding educational experience, and we want to be sure
that it remains affordable for our extraordinary students."
Kelly N. Bunch, speaker at the 2009 dinner and recipient of
the William Julius and Marie Prange Oetting Scholarship, put
it, "The students at Washington University are being trans-
formed into world changers...I can't say it enough: Thank you."
Jeopardy! College Championship and a $100,000
cash prize in February. "Nick's enthusiasm and
breadth of interests become immediately
apparent when you talk to him," said Ken Olsen,
professor of biology and Yozamp's major advisor.
and graduate students is at the very core
of making Washington University available
to the best and brightest students from
around the nation and the world."
whose dedication, talent and achievements
make us grateful every day that we have
a chance to work with them and help them
further their education."
Dean of University College
medical school in the future. And how did he
feel about being a participant on Jeopardy!?
"I've watched hundreds of contestants being
introduced on Jeopardy! from home," Yozamp
said, "but to actually be one of those contestants
was simply amazing."