Scholarships

Kenneth B. West Scholarship

The West family (his ex-wife Doreen, twin sons Michael and Mark, and daughter Elizabeth) established the Kenneth B. West Scholarship for UM-Flint history students. The scholarship honors the memory of Professor Kenneth B. West, who died on April 25, 2001. Dr. West, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, earned the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Dr. West taught at the University of Saskatchewan-Regina, Canada prior to coming to UM-Flint in August 1966. His course specialties included American Revolution, American Foreign Policy, American Military History, and the Vietnam War. He also taught courses in American Business, and American Labor and Mexico. Dr. West established the Chi Omega Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national honorary society for history students, at UM-Flint in 1977 and served as its faculty advisor for nearly twenty years. His colleagues recognized him for his commitment, wisdom, gentle and thoughtful demeanor, and love of the university and the History Department. His colleagues and students admired his caring nature, scholarly activity, fairness and dry wit. He was a true teacher and scholar who enriched the lives of all those with whom he came in contact.

Scholarship Guidelines

1. The scholarship is available to juniors or seniors who are majoring in History at UM-Flint.

2. Applicants must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

3. Scholarships will be applied directly to the recipients' tuition accounts.

4. The selection committee will be comprised of no fewer than three History Department faculty members.

5. The Office of Development will provide the donor a yearly scholarship accounting report, and an acknowledgment letter from the West Scholar.

Richard Gilder Scholarship Fund

This scholarship is established by the Rachor Family Foundation, Ltd., in honor of Wall Street stockbroker, Richard Gilder. A Yale graduate, he is a founding member and continuing trustee of the Central Park Conservancy. He is also a Trustee Emeritus and former Chairman of the Manhattan Institute, Trustee of the American Museum of Natural History, School Choice Scholarship Foundation, Pierpoint Morgan Library, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, inc., Lincoln and Soldiers Institute of Gettysburg College, and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg. With long-time friend Lewis Lehrman, Richard Gilder has created the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History, which has, perhaps, the most significant private collection of American historical documents. The Institute also sponsors history schools and lectures to the public, holds summer seminars for teachers, creates traveling exhibitions, and has just just recently opened the Gilder-Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition at Yale. Richard Gilder is also co-founder of the Lincoln Prize and the Frederick Douglas Book Award. He is the recipient of honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Gettysburg College and St. John's University. Mr. Gilder is a life-long resident of New York City.

Scholarship Guidelines

1. The Richard Gilder Scholarship is intended for UM-Flint history majors who have completed a minimum of 60 credit hours.

2. Applicants must have a minimum of a 3.4 grade point average.

3. Applicants must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average in history courses, and must complete HIS 220, 221 (US survey courses), and must complete at least three U.S. history courses, with two of them in the 300 level or above.

4. Preference will be given to students whose coursework indicates an emphasis on American history and whose career goals include pursuing a profession that focuses on American history (teaching, archiving, museum work, ect.)

5. Scholarships will be applied directly to the recipients' tuition accounts.

6. The scholarship selection committee will be comprised of the department chair and the two most senior Americanists. If other Americanists wish to serve, they can do so with the permission of the department chair.

There are two private scholarships for history students currently available from the University of Michigan-Flint:
The Richard Gilder Scholarship and the Kenneth B. West Scholarship .

Applications are reviewed by Department of History faculty but the scholarships are administered by the Office of Financial Aid and application should be made through that office. Application information and an electronic application form used for all private University of Michigan-Flint scholarships can be found at the university's Financial Aid Online site.