Western Colorado University announced the launch of the Geiman Scholars Program through a generous commitment of $6.6 million, which includes a significant estate commitment, from Dave and Jeanne Geiman.
“Dave, through his vision and generosity, has been a transforming figure at Western. First, his support has launched the Geiman Fellows, an immersive learning experience for Western students focused on global affairs that includes an international study trip, allowing students to further their learning abroad. And now, the Geiman Scholars Program will strengthen our valley by illuminating a pathway to a Western education for our most underserved students, making possible what might have seemed unreachable.”
The Geiman Scholars Program will provide low-income, first-generation students who demonstrate academic potential and motivation in high school the opportunity to attend Western with their full cost of attendance covered. In addition to financial support, the heart of the Geiman Scholars is a mentoring experience that supports high school students as they learn about and prepare for a university education.
The Geiman Scholars Program is being launched at Gunnison High School and Crested Butte Community School and currently has eight students in the first cohort. The next program application opened this fall, with participation beginning in 2024.
Dave Geiman grew up on a farm in Virginia and received a Bachelor of Science in History and Political Science from George
Washington University in Washington, D.C. He later received his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Dave has had a successful career in agriculture and now enjoys writing books and traveling. Dave became engaged with Western when a former professor invited him to visit him in Crested Butte. This professor was an adjunct faculty member at Western and connected with him through our School of Business. Dave and Jeanne reside in Kansas City.
“Jeanne and I are really pleased to be able to do this. We are both first-generation college graduates and were guided and supported by mentors and advisors who knew more about the opportunities than we did,” says Dave. “We hope the program can do the same for students here and possibly further afield. Western is a unique and welcoming place that can make a huge difference in their lives.”
If you are interested in creating or sustaining a legacy through an estate gift, as Dave and Jeanne has done for the Geiman Scholars Program, please contact the WCU Foundation to explore the many planned giving tools that offer tax and life income benefits.”
