Alumnus establishes scholarship for School of Education majors

September 8, 2009

Ed Wolpert earned four degrees at three different universities. But when deciding where to establish an endowed scholarship, he came back to the University of Kansas.

“KU was a turning point in my life,” said Wolpert, who lives in Atlanta. “The education I received at KU started me on a career in higher education that lasted 33 years.”

Wolpert earned his Ed.D. in education at KU in 1970.

His career included 17 years at Georgia College and State University’s School of Education in Milledgeville, where he served as dean from 1983 to 1996, and as professor from 1996 to 2000. He currently runs a financial consulting firm and has published two books about financial planning.

Wolpert has contributed $44,000 to establish the Edward M. Wolpert Scholarship fund at KU Endowment to benefit students in KU’s School of Education. In addition, he has made estate plans to benefit the scholarship fund.

Scholarship support is a crucial and ongoing need at universities, Wolpert said: “To my way of thinking, the highest level of giving a person can do is to help a person get an education. And educating a teacher also helps educate the students the teacher teaches.”

He said scholarship recipients who become teachers can make a positive impact on numerous individuals.

“It’s an ongoing cycle,” Wolpert said. “It’s like throwing a pebble into a pool and the ripple effect keeps on going outward. A scholarship for an education major is about the best gift a person can give. I’m happy to be able to do it.”

Dean Rick Ginsberg expressed gratitude to Ed for supporting students.

“Given Ed’s vast experience in higher education, he knows better than most the significance of student support for the success of many students,” Ginsberg said. “Just as KU impacted Ed’s life, this scholarship will make a positive impact on future School of Education Jayhawks.”

The fund is managed by KU Endowment, the official fundraising and fund-management foundation for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the oldest foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

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September 8, 2009