OGDEN, Utah – Eight Weber State University juniors will soon benefit from a new scholarship program. As part of what the WSU Bookstore is calling its “Reinvestment in Campus” initiative, each of the students will receive up to $800 toward the purchase of their textbooks for the 2007 academic year.

Owned by WSU, the bookstore is self-supporting and is operated by university employees. Any money that comes into the bookstore over and above its operating costs goes back to the university, explained Director Michael Richter. “We thought it would be nice to get some of that money back into the hands of the students,” he said.

Lindsey Anderson of Plain City, Andrew Barnes of Clearfield, Jessica Dutson of Taylorsville, Tyler Edmondson of Payson, Marci Howard of Ogden, Jaron Packer of Layton, Wyatt Palmer of Rexburg, Idaho, and Misty Youngblood of Fort Irwin, Calif., are the inaugural recipients of the bookstore scholarships.

To be eligible, the students had to have at least a 3.0 grade point average and had to have completed at least 60 semester hours. Each student also had to write an essay on what they enjoyed most about being a Weber State student.

“We tried to choose students on campus who took advantage of the resources they had available and went above and beyond the ‘commuting, just coming to school and leaving attitude,’” said Amber Hunsaker, the bookstore’s marketing director. “We looked for students who were well in tune with their professors and with the major they were working toward, and who also showed a high involvement in the campus and what it has to offer.”

Richter said there were “literally hundreds of applicants.” “We see that this is going to be a well-received program, one that is high need and one that shows our support of the campus and its students.”

This year, and for the next several years, the bookstore’s goal is to put $50,000 toward the scholarship annually—$40,000 toward a scholarship endowment, which will eventually fully fund the program, and $10,000 toward immediate scholarships.

“Knowing it takes some time to establish an endowment, we decided to put aside a cash contribution that could be used immediately, at least for the first couple of years,” Richter said. “We wanted to make an impact sooner rather than later, and once the endowment is fully funded, I think it will be self-perpetuating. I definitely think we’ll be able to continue to promote the scholarship program and even add more scholarships in the future.” 

As part of its “Reinvestment in Campus” initiative, the bookstore also contributes to a faculty and staff development endowment, a student government endowment and an entrepreneurial fund to promote innovations and service enhancements for customers.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.