Alumni Association

UMD Alumni Association Announces Scholarship

In 1950 Allen Willman ran out of money on his G.I. Bill. He didn’t have the tuition money needed to finish his last two credits. Al received a State Scholarship Tuition Grant for 35 dollars. Without it, he would not have finished school. With his degree in hand, he was able to enjoy a wonderful career in education.

In 1895, the Minnesota State Legislature authorized a normal school in Duluth to train elementary school teachers. It was not until 1902, however, that the first students were registered and it was not until 1916 that a high school diploma was required for admission. The Normal School was a one-building campus with a faculty of ten including President Eugene W. Bohannon.

From those humble beginnings, the University of Minnesota Duluth was born and now (2006) over 11,000 students are enrolled. UMD has more than 50,000 alumni.

In 2006, Allen Willman, UMD ’50, ’72 & ’73 and past president twice of the UMD Alumni Association, started thinking about what the University of Minnesota Duluth meant to him. In 1950 Al was two credits shy of graduating from UMD when his GI Bill expired and he ran out of money. He received a State Scholarship Tuition Grant for . Without it, he would not have finished school. With his degree in hand, he was able to enjoy a wonderful career in education.

A couple of years ago, Al created his own scholarship at UMD for students pursuing a career in education. Al firmly believes that many UMD alumni would like to give back to their University and are interested in helping students.

The UMD Alumni Scholarship is the first that gives back to children and grandchildren of UMD alumni. The scholarship provides the selected UMD sophomores, juniors and seniors outreach opportunities as well as financial support. It encourages and fosters leadership, but students must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or better. The scholarship recipients will be seated as members of the UMD Alumni Board and will be provided networking opportunities with alumni, faculty and administration. They will be invited to chair committees and participate in alumni activities. The goal of the scholarship is to provide financial support and significant leadership experiences.

The planned UMD Alumni Association Scholarship is one of the first under the UMD Reaching Higher Scholarship Initiative announced in July 2006 by Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin. Under the initiative, the University will match, dollar for dollar, the annual interest on all scholarship funds of ,000 or more. This scholarship solidifies the commitment of UMD Alumni and the University of Minnesota Duluth to continue working for the benefit of students.


If you wish to contribute to the UMD Alumni Scholarship please call 866-726-7110.
For online contributions http://www.d.umn.edu/development/waystogive.html"and select Campus Wide Giving Opportunities and then write in Alumni Scholarship.