UMD News

Director of Public Relations:
Susan Beasy Latto, slatto@d.umn.edu
315 Darland Administration Bldg.
1049 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812
(218) 726-8830 Cell: (218) 348-5688
Fax: (218) 726-7413

February 16, 2005

Contact:
Susan Beasy Latto, UMD Director of Public Relations 218 726-8830 slatto@d.umn.edu
Bill Wade, UMD Vice Chancellor for University Relations 218 726-8831 wwade@d.umn.edu

$1.2 Million Matching Funds for Best of Class Scholarship Program

UMD has embarked on a major new fundraising effort to attract Minnesota's top high school students to the campus.

The school has set aside $1.2 million in matching funds for gifts made to the UMD Best of Class Scholarship Program. The Best of Class Scholarship Program is designed to attract the first and second ranked high school students in every high school graduating class throughout Minnesota.

The program is planned both to reward and encourage high-achieving high school students to continue their education and further their academic success in higher education. Currently there are 263 Best of Class students enrolled at UMD. The goal is to increase that number through this new matching funds program.

"We are very pleased to launch this exciting new scholarship program. The beginning of the new year is a key time to spotlight the importance of scholarships in assisting talented Minnesota students to attend UMD," said Bill Wade, UMD Vice Chancellor for University Relations. "It is vitally important to offer quality incentives to attract and keep our high ability students."

Gifts of $10,000 or more are being solicited to establish an endowed scholarship fund for the Best of Class students. Each year UMD will match the market value payout, thus doubling the impact of the gift and the benefit to each student.

Over the last six years, UMD has raised more than $40 million to support programs, scholarships, and capital improvements.