CHAMPIONING THE PINNACLE OF MOUNTAINEER EXCELLENCE MOUNTAIN SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP FUND At Western, competitive sports are not limited to just those recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). We take full advantage of all that our mountainous backyard has to offer and provide students with the opportunity to participate in everything from Alpine Skiing to Trail Running to Mountain Biking. Recently, Mountain Sports teams have won four national championships and numerous other high-profile individual and team awards, and Western continues to lead the nation in the non-traditional studentathlete experience. But that unique experience comes at a cost. Currently, the fees that Mountain Sports student-athletes are required to pay cover only thirty percent of the costs directly associated with their participation in each sport, ranging from $2,000 to $4,000
per athlete per sport, not including equipment. This cost, in addition to regular expenses tied to tuition and room and board, has proven to be prohibitive, causing an annual average of ten highly qualified students to reevaluate whether they can realistically afford Mountain Sports, a valuable experience that is uniquely Western. To ensure student-athletes from all socioeconomic backgrounds can participate in Mountain Sports and to improve our current student-athlete retention rate of 85 percent, Western seeks to endow the MOUNTAIN SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP FUND. Private philanthropic support will not only create memorable and long-lasting experiences for our students but will undoubtedly elevate the distinctiveness of our university and the entire Gunnison Valley.