Chancellor Richard Byyny has announced that 18 new Boettcher Scholars have chosen to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder next fall, ranking CU-Boulder as the top school in Colorado, public or private, for attracting new Boettcher Scholars.
Forty Scholarships are granted annually by the Boettcher Foundation, out of an application pool of more than 800 qualified applicants. CU-Boulder's share of those Scholarship winners has increased annually for the past four years. Boettcher Scholars often are recognized as some of the most outstanding all-around students in the state.
The Boettcher Scholars Program was begun in 1952 as a statewide competition recognizing scholarship, leadership and achievement. It seeks to reward high school seniors who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions to Colorado.
Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 1,800 scholarships. That scholarship support now represents more than $1.7 million annually, making the program one of the largest merit-based programs in the nation.
According to Eric Doepel, campus liaison to the Boettcher Foundation, a number of factors beyond high academic standing have contributed to the rise in popularity for CU, including some rather unique leadership and academic programs.
"Several of our new Boettcher Scholars mentioned those programs as a factor in their decision process," said Doepel. "Residential academic programs, in which academic programs are tied to residence halls, also are very attractive because they offer a sense of community among a small group of students who live near one another."
New Boettcher scholar Danny DeWispelare, a senior at Bear Creek High School, explained why he chose CU over all other schools in the state.
"CU's environment fits my style very well, but the special options available, especially the President's Leadership Class (PLC), is the major reason I'll be in Boulder in the fall," he said. DeWispelare is interested in studying math and English literature at CU.
"CU has always been attractive to Boettcher Scholars because it offers that unique mix of large campus opportunity combined with small, personalized academic programs," said Katie Kramer, Boettcher Scholars Program Director. "Norlin Scholars, PLC, The Honors Program, the Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program, the Undergraduate Academy and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program are just a few of those.
"There's also an attitude among admissions office staff at CU that is very positive," she said. "They truly care about enrolling our scholars, and that's very important to high school seniors."
Boettcher Scholarships fund all college-related expenses for eight semesters for any college or university, public or private, in the state of Colorado. The scholar must maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point-average. To be eligible to apply, a student must rank in the top 5 percent of his or her class and have a score of at least 1200 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT. He or she also must be a U.S. citizen and Colorado resident for his or her junior and senior years of high school.
The University of Colorado at Boulder offers students 3,400 courses in 175 fields of study and 130 majors at the bachelors' level, 85 at the master's level and 55 at the doctoral level.