A Newsletter for Friends and Alumni of the University of Washington
A Word from President Emmert: A Promise to Our Students

It might not surprise you to hear me say that there is simply no better investment than educating students. We all benefit from an educated society that can tackle the global challenges we face. That’s why it is absolutely essential that students in our state have an opportunity to get the best possible education, regardless of family finances.

To that end, we recently created two initiatives that will expand educational opportunities for Washington students. The first, the Husky Promise™, guarantees that lower-income students who meet the UW’s academic standards can attend the University without paying tuition or fees. When it kicks off this fall, Husky Promise will cover more than 5,000 undergraduates at the UW’s Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses. Students First, the second initiative, focuses the University’s fundraising efforts on increasing support for endowed student scholarships.

With these initiatives, we are sending a clear message to students across our state that their focus should be on their studies and preparing for college, since finances will not be a barrier to a world-class education at the UW. Why are we doing this? Quite simply, it’s the right thing to do. For our students, their families, and the communities in which we all live.

Mark A. Emmert (’75)
President

Feature: New Initiative Promises Open Doors

Shantel Martinez

During the fall of her senior year of high school, Shantel Martinez’s parents surprised her with the news that they did not have the money to pay for college. Martinez says it was the worst day of her life.

“Even as a kid, I loved school. I loved being in the classroom. I loved learning,” says Martinez. With a 4.0 grade point average and a lot of determination, she applied for every scholarship she could find and prepared for the prospect of working multiple jobs to afford college. In December 2002, She received an acceptance letter from the UW along with word that she was awarded a four-year scholarship. “I called everyone in my family,” says Martinez, a senior history major.

Today, Martinez is researching what happens when formerly segregated school systems in South Africa and Northern Ireland become integrated and has plans to pursue a Ph.D. in international comparative education. “It’s such a blessing to have had this scholarship,” she says. “You can’t put a price on what I’ve been able to experience here.”

To help more people like Shantel Martinez reach their academic goals, the University has created the Students First initiative, a fundraising program to increase the number of endowed undergraduate, graduate and professional student scholarships. As part of Students First, the University will match 50 cents on the dollar for gifts and pledges of $100,000 or more.

“The University of Washington doesn’t choose students based on their financial backgrounds, and we hope that money isn’t the basis on which students make their school choices,” says William H. Gates (’49, ’50), chair of Campaign UW: Creating Futures. “That’s why we’re committed to this initiative — so that qualified students will know that the doors of the UW are open to them regardless of their finances.”

David Englund, a first-generation college student from Moses Lake, knew that paying for college would be a struggle. But with the help of scholarships, he is able to attend the UW, where he is triple majoring in statistics, mathematics and anthropology. The largest of his awards, the NASA Space Grant, has allowed him to spend the past two summers conducting research on underwater volcanoes. “My scholarships are making it easier to take all the classes I need when I need them,” he says. “Instead of having to be led by a work schedule, I can be led by my academic interests.”

Ruben Burbank and David Englund

The Students First initiative is a clear demonstration of the strong commitment to providing scholarship support to students. In the 2005-06 academic year, UW students received an estimated $21.2 million in scholarships and fellowships.

Senior Ruben Burbank, a Tacoma native, says he didn’t fully believe that college was an option until he received the letter from the UW saying his tuition would be covered by scholarships. “When I was young, I didn’t expect to go to college at all. My brothers never went to high school,” says Burbank. Today, Burbank is double-majoring in neurobiology and physiology and plans to go to medical school. “If I didn’t get scholarships, I wouldn’t be here today.”

For more on Students First visit www.uwfoundation.org.

Return to Winter 2007 Campaign Newsletter