UW Credit Union joins UW-Madison scholarship effort

The University of Wisconsin Credit Union has stepped forward to support the “Great people. Great place.” initiative at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The credit union is making an outright $215,000 gift to campuswide need-based scholarships at the university, and it will match contributions from its members as well from Oct. 1-Dec. 31.

“UW Credit Union has been a trusted financial partner for thousands of University of Wisconsin students over the years, and we know that our Wisconsin communities are strengthened when we help keep the university financially accessible to academically capable young people,” says Paul Kundert, the credit union’s president and CEO. “We’re proud to be able to offer a dollar-for-dollar match for all UW Credit Union members who make a pledge to our Great People Fund starting in October through the end of December 2008.”

The UW Foundation board of directors already has made a one-to-one match available for gifts to unrestricted need-based support. The match will be in place for the total gifts coming from the credit union and its members. That means an unrestricted gift from a UW Credit Union member to the initiative of $100 will result in $400 going to student support.

“The university is extremely grateful for this generous initiative by the UW Credit Union, which has long been a strong supporter of higher education in Wisconsin,” says UW–Madison Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin. “This represents a significant step forward in our efforts to reduce financial need as a barrier for talented students who have the desire and the credentials to attend UW–Madison.”

“Many of us don’t think about the rising cost of tuition unless it’s impacting us directly,” Kundert says. “Statistics show that from 2000 to 2005, tuition has increased nearly 28 percent. We hope that our members and our community will see that, together, we can provide the opportunity for anyone to succeed and graduate from one of the top universities in the world.”