News & Notes: Fall 2023

New Scholarship Aims to Support Changing Circumstances

Memories of business school dreams put on hold serve as the inspiration for one of the Carlson School’s newest endowed scholarships. Awarded for the first time this fall, the scholarship aims to help students keep their academic goals on track.

Carol*, the benefactor, vividly remembers the financial challenges she experienced while attending the University of Minnesota “B-School” in the mid-1950s. An active student with a love of numbers, she became the president of Phi Delta, a now-defunct business sorority, while funding her own education.

“After several years, I ran out of money and left school before completing my degree,” Carol says. “Then life got busy with my growing family. Eventually, I finished my accounting degree elsewhere because it was less expensive. My goal in establishing this scholarship is to make it possible for students to stay at the Carlson School and complete their studies.”

The scholarship aims to support upper-division (sophomore standing or higher) undergraduates. While many students with financial need earn scholarships starting their first year, changing circumstances may lead students to seek funding in subsequent years. Decreased financial support from family, the need to reduce work hours to pursue extracurricular and experiential learning opportunities, or the desire to focus more intently on academics are all reasons cited by students when applying for upper-division scholarships, which may be awarded on merit in addition to need.

Recently, Carol was back on campus—and inside the Carlson School—for the first time in many years. She brought her son, Brad, a fellow UMN alumnus with a degree in Civil Engineering, and also a donor to his mother’s scholarship, to celebrate her meaningful gift to the school.

*Last name withheld by request

Philanthropy Powers Dedicated Alumni Career Coaching

Support for Carlson School alumni continues after graduation through lifelong career coaching. The school recently doubled down on this commitment by hiring a career coach dedicated to the alumni population, made possible through a philanthropic investment from the Carlson Family Foundation Supporting Organization. This generous gift recognizes the great value of supporting alumni beyond their time as students.

Nicole Centanni brings 20 years of experience serving diverse student populations as a career exploration and development specialist. Most recently, she taught a career counseling course for graduate students.

Alumni will now see more career-related programming, and individual support for their professional journeys with career exploration, job search strategies, networking, résumé review, interview preparation, offer evaluation, and negotiation advice.