Future teachers studying at the University of Wyoming’s College of Education will have more help paying for school, thanks to a $1.8 million gift from Ray Kennedy.
Kennedy was a former teacher who retired in Laramie. He died May 1 at age 90. The Raymond D. Kennedy College of Education Scholarship fund represents his life’s savings.
The College is still determining how exactly the scholarship will be disbursed, but John Stark with the UW Foundation says it will make a big difference for aspiring educators.
“It’ll be one the largest scholarship endowments within the College of Education,” says Stark. “So it really becomes a bit of a game-changer for the College of Education and their scholarship funds.”
In the 2013-2014 school year, the College of Education awarded about $225,000 dollars in scholarships to students. The Kennedy scholarship fund will exist indefinitely, and the interest from the fund will be used to award scholarships beginning in 2016-2017.
Kennedy was not a UW alumnus. He earned his education degree from Southwest Missouri State College. Kennedy was unmarried and had no children. Stark says Kennedy had been working with others for years to set up the scholarship fund.
“He was just a very humble, generous person, who wanted to provide opportunities for future educators,” says Stark. “I think it took a lot of vision and foresight on his part. My only wish is that he were here to see his gift go to work.”
