Office/Service Dependent Scholarship Committee
UNK Department of the Month
June 2009
The UNK Staff Senate is privileged to present the Office/Service Dependent Scholarship Committee with the June 2009 Department of the Month award.
The Committee enjoys a long and proud history dating back to when the Office/Service Advisory Council was created in March 1990. Under its leadership, the Office/Service Dependent Scholarship was created and the first scholarship was awarded in the 1992-93 academic year. Shortly after the scholarship was created, the Office/Service Dependent Scholarship Committee was formed to coordinate the fund-raising activities and promotion of the scholarship. The scholarship now resides with Staff Senate since the Office/Service Advisory Council formally merged with Staff Senate in July 2000.
As of the 2008-09 academic year, 46 dependents of office/service employees have received scholarships! The scholarship fund is financed by employer contributions through the University of Nebraska Foundation, the interest earned on that scholarship fund, as well as revenue from campus recycling of aluminum pop cans.
The Office/Service Dependent Scholarship Committee has been active over the years promoting the scholarship to eligible dependents of office/service employees and providing opportunities for employees to donate their aluminum pop cans to fund the scholarships. The committee conducts a campus can drive about four times a year by arranging to have a trailer available by the Nebraskan Student Union for employees to drop off their cans. Over the years they have found other creative ways in which to collect cans such as a competition between residence halls.
Through their efforts, the Office/Service Dependent Scholarship Fund at the Foundation has grown to almost $15,000. Although it is considered an endowed scholarship, the committee is working hard toward their goal of increasing it to an amount that will fund $1,000 in scholarships each year – which will require about a $20,000 fund.
Long-term members of this committee have been Mary Heater, Billy Rayburn, Jan Beerbohm, and Mike Geiger. Other current employees who have served on this committee are Kathy Livingston, Jan Mitchell, Dusty Newton and Anita Kucera. Also supporting this committee with their work are Bonnie Mumm and Russ Bergsten.
For their work in assistance in helping worthy and deserving students meet a portion of their educational expenses for office and service employees on campus, the UNK Staff Senate gratefully recognizes the Office/Service Dependent Scholarship Committee as the June 2009 Department of the Month.
Thank you to the sponsors of the Department of the Month: UNK Athletics and Staff Senate.