Finding ROAR: the Inspiration and Empowerment Scholarships Give Students - in Their Own Words

Idaho State University’s purpose is to help students find their ROAR - their passion, their mission, their fulfillment. We want students to elevate their careers, embrace the future and do more than they ever thought they could. Though faculty and staff from all across campus come together to help students accomplish these goals, there is still a question that weighs heavily on the minds of many students - ‘How am I going to pay for this?’

Since 2021, the College of Business has seen an inspiring amount of growth and support from alumni and friends of the College. This support has resulted in a record number of private scholarships.

Over Homecoming week, donors who have established permanently endowed scholarships were invited to the ICCU Bengal Alumni Center to enjoy lunch and meet the recipient of their scholarship for the academic year. Attendees were also able to see Dean’s Excellence winner Emma Watts receive her award and hear from two student speakers, Nancy Gramm and Jacoda Whitworth, who shared how receiving scholarships has changed their lives.

“I’m a single mother with a four and a half year old; my son and I are forever grateful for the generosity of strangers,” said Gramm. “If it wasn’t for scholarships I wouldn’t be graduating. Being able to share my success story and say thank you directly to my donors was a complete honor.”

“It has always been our goal to demonstrate to donors the incredible impact that they are having on our students and our campus through philanthropy, and this luncheon was a tremendous example of how donors are changing the lives of our students in a very real way,” said Senior Director of Development Catherine Rider. “It was truly inspiring to hear the students share their stories of struggle and success, and to see their genuine appreciation and excitement for the opportunity to thank the donors who funded their scholarships in person.”

While attendees ate lunch, quotes from thank you letters sent from students to donors played on the front screen. “The quote slideshow was one of the things that really stood out to me,” said Healthcare Administration student Lydia Bishop. “I enjoyed reading how the scholarships have impacted students and finding a quote from my thank you letter. However, my favorite part of the luncheon was getting to take a picture with Dr. Shane Hunt. I received the Dr. Shane Hunt Scholarship that was endowed by Peter Kole, and I loved the opportunity to take a picture with Shane. I will treasure this picture and the opportunity his scholarship has given me.”

Alongside the heartwarming results of current scholarships comes the announcement of the most significant gift for scholarships the College of Business has ever received. This multi-million dollar gift from Peter and Nancy Kole is being divided equally amongst 19 existing endowments and two spendable funds that the Koles had previously established across the University, including ten endowments in the College of Business.

“The most recent gift from Peter Kole is the largest scholarship gift in the history of the ISU College of Business and will help generations of our students pursue their educational dreams,” said College of Business Dean and Michael C. Ruettgers Professor of Marketing Shane Hunt. “Every part of the College of Business is better because of the extraordinary generosity of Peter and Nancy Kole, and we are all forever thankful to them.”

Idaho State University is a melting pot of students from a variety of social, geographic, racial and economic backgrounds. For some, financial strain is the only thing keeping them from completing their degree. Others have faced unimaginable odds, and some have had to deal with trauma no one should ever experience. Still, these student persevere. Still, these students seek to find their ROAR, knowing they can rise above and go beyond the trials they are experiencing. It’s through scholarships that Idaho State University says “We see you, we value you and we know you can achieve anything.”