Students in a mathematical and statistical sciences class at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. (Courtesy of the University of Nebraska)
OMAHA — A $23 million gift from the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation aims to grow scholarship programs for Omaha students in the University of Nebraska system.
The bulk, $20 million, will allow more students into the competitive Scott Scholars Program based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and launched by the philanthropists in 1997.
Class sizes in the UNO-based program will expand from 32 students to 42 in each of the next five years.
Participants, who must be Nebraska residents and carry a high school GPA of at least 3.5 and an ACT score of at least 30, receive the Regents Scholarship through UNO to cover tuition. The Scott Scholars program covers other costs including books and room and board. Students stay in a living-learning community.
Harnoor Dhaliwal, associate executive director of the program, said community connections that students build — through internships at local companies, professional development opportunities and research — are key to retaining them in Nebraska after graduation.
According to a media release, an estimated 600 Scott scholars have graduated and about 80% chose to stay in Nebraska. The reported average annual salary for 2023 graduates of the program was $78,000.
Half the students in the most recent class expressed interest in health sciences, a media release said, which was an impetus for the expansion of the Scott Scholars to UNMC.
The remaining $3 million in the Scott pledge is to allow for a second cohort of Scott Scholars at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where an inaugural class of 12 began their first year of medical school in the fall of 2023.
UNMC provides in-state tuition, and the Scott scholarship covers room and board and a stipend to fund professional and research opportunities. Scholars come from around the country and stay in an apartment complex near the UNMC campus.
Walter Scott Jr., who died in 2021, was chair emeritus and former CEO of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. and former chair of the board of Level 3 Communications Inc. Suzanne died in 2013, and had served as a director of the Omaha Zoological Society, Joslyn Art Museum and the Salvation Army.
Calvin Sisson, president and CEO of the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation, said the scholarship enhancements align with the Scotts’ interest in education and developing leaders and communities.
Said Sisson: “Walter cared deeply about investing in Nebraska’s best and brightest students, not because they deserve it, but because they have the greatest potential to give back.”
The gifts were made through the NU Foundation as part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign is an effort to engage at least 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support NU students, faculty, programs and research that address needs of the state.
Scholarships are a priority, with a particular focus on areas including health care, engineering and information technology.
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by Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner
April 23, 2024
by Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner
April 23, 2024
OMAHA — A $23 million gift from the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation aims to grow scholarship programs for Omaha students in the University of Nebraska system.
The bulk, $20 million, will allow more students into the competitive Scott Scholars Program based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and launched by the philanthropists in 1997.
Class sizes in the UNO-based program will expand from 32 students to 42 in each of the next five years.
Participants, who must be Nebraska residents and carry a high school GPA of at least 3.5 and an ACT score of at least 30, receive the Regents Scholarship through UNO to cover tuition. The Scott Scholars program covers other costs including books and room and board. Students stay in a living-learning community.
Harnoor Dhaliwal, associate executive director of the program, said community connections that students build — through internships at local companies, professional development opportunities and research — are key to retaining them in Nebraska after graduation.
According to a media release, an estimated 600 Scott scholars have graduated and about 80% chose to stay in Nebraska. The reported average annual salary for 2023 graduates of the program was $78,000.
Half the students in the most recent class expressed interest in health sciences, a media release said, which was an impetus for the expansion of the Scott Scholars to UNMC.
The remaining $3 million in the Scott pledge is to allow for a second cohort of Scott Scholars at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where an inaugural class of 12 began their first year of medical school in the fall of 2023.
UNMC provides in-state tuition, and the Scott scholarship covers room and board and a stipend to fund professional and research opportunities. Scholars come from around the country and stay in an apartment complex near the UNMC campus.
Walter Scott Jr., who died in 2021, was chair emeritus and former CEO of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. and former chair of the board of Level 3 Communications Inc. Suzanne died in 2013, and had served as a director of the Omaha Zoological Society, Joslyn Art Museum and the Salvation Army.
Calvin Sisson, president and CEO of the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation, said the scholarship enhancements align with the Scotts’ interest in education and developing leaders and communities.
Said Sisson: “Walter cared deeply about investing in Nebraska’s best and brightest students, not because they deserve it, but because they have the greatest potential to give back.”
The gifts were made through the NU Foundation as part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign is an effort to engage at least 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support NU students, faculty, programs and research that address needs of the state.
Scholarships are a priority, with a particular focus on areas including health care, engineering and information technology.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
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Senior Reporter Cindy Gonzalez, an Omaha native, has more than 35 years of experience, largely at the Omaha World-Herald. Her coverage areas have included business and real estate development; regional reporting; immigration, demographics and diverse communities; and City Hall and local politics.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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