Dr. Ken Keller Annual Scholarship

Purpose:
The Fund exists to provide scholarships to students in the University’s College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

Dr. Ken Keller began his career teaching Anthropology at Metropolitan State College of Denver in the 1970s and served the university until his retirement in 2008. In addition to teaching, he chaired the Department of Sociology/Anthropology and served as Associate and Interim Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. While at the college, he helped found the Family Literacy Center, turn the Social Work program into a department, and helped build bridges with China through an Academic Scholars Exchange Program, teaching at the Guangxi Normal University in Guilin. His ability to empathize and make people feel comfortable and seen brought diverse groups together to meet a common goal. He was known for his curiosity about people no matter who they were or where they were born. He had a tremendous love for family, invented “Dad Jokes,” and one colleague said his life is a model of being a great human who worked for good in all things.

Criteria:
Scholarship recipients shall:
• Meet the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements and cannot be in default or owe any refund/repayment of federal, state or institutional aid
• Have a completed and current general scholarship application on file
• Have a declared major within the University’s College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences or be enrolled in courses within the Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy during the semester the scholarship is awarded.
• Be enrolled at least half-time (6 or more credit hours)
• Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher
• Write an essay of at least 500 words that addresses the following:
“Describe how you relate to the experiences or challenges faced by the transgender and/or non-binary communities”.

The scholarship is renewable, year over year, for those recipients who continue to meet the award criteria.

Scholarship award amounts shall be $1,000.00 per recipient, per academic year. The aim is to award two students per academic year, as long as funding remains available.