Supporting CLA Students

October is Scholarship Month
Read more about the U of M Scholarship Drive.

The promise of tomorrow: 135 years and counting...

We believe that the most promising undergraduate students should be able to pursue a University of Minnesota education and to take full advantage of all the rich opportunities the college has to offer, regardless of means.

John Burrell

Psychology major, winner of Waller Scholarship 2003-2004:

"These scholarships allowed me to focus on academics and personal development and less on work.”

“When I came to the U, I really was not too interested in school. High school really frustrated me. However, after my first semester, my views really changed. I loved the U of M! My classes are dynamic and challenging. I understand now that good teaching is something that is an essential part of people’s growth. Now I am hoping to teach someday, because I have realized the impact of good teaching.”

Sara Zera-Polley

Child psychology major, pre-med, winner of MacGray Leadership Scholarship and the Waller Scholarship

“I would not be able to attend the University of Minnesota if it weren’t for the financial aid package I was awarded and specifically the Waller scholarship. I hope to be able to continue my studies here and will need financial assistance for that to happen. Both scholarship awards have made a large difference on my college and life experiences.”

The academic year of 2004-2005 marked the 135th anniversary of CLA. That makes 135 years of educating students, reaching out into communities, and creating the knowledge to build a better world. It’s 135 years of helping students and communities to fulfill their promise.

At this moment, more than 105,000 CLA alumni have taken or are taking their place in the world—teaching, solving problems, writing books, creating art, building industries, improving lives, and otherwise contributing to their communities and making the world a better place.

Some of tomorrow’s leaders and scholars are members of the Class of 2005, just graduated; or the Class of 2009, just arriving on campus this fall. Others are now in cribs and car seats, in preschool, and in K-12 schools across the nation. The CLA Class of 2025 is still in diapers.

We want all of these people to have a chance to fulfill their potential, to one day fill the shoes of those who are leading today’s communities and finding creative ways to live, work, solve problems, and build our state’s, our nation’s, and the world’s future.

The Promise of Tomorrow

Last year, the University of Minnesota launched a system-wide multi-year scholarship drive, “The Promise of Tomorrow.” The goal was to increase by 50 percent the number of talented students who receive private scholarship support for a University of Minnesota education. The President’s Scholarship Match doubled the impact of gifts for new endowed scholarships (gifts of $25,000 or more)!

The new scholarships have opened the University’s doors to students destined to be tomorrow’s leaders. They are bringing students of promise to the U to be educated not only in Minnesota but for Minnesota.

135 for 135

For CLA’s anniversary year, the College of Liberal Arts set a first-year start-up goal of 135 (endowed scholarships and fellowships) for 135 (years). And that’s just one of the ways we are delivering on our promise of education for a lifetime of leadership and a strong future for Minnesota.

If you are considering making a scholarship gift, please contact Mary Hicks at (612) 625-5031, or hicks002@umn.edu.