Giving back: New Sager endowment benefits students, science

As faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Profs. Paul and Thea Sager always encouraged students to be involved in independent studies and research.

Now retired, the Sagers are carrying forward that commitment in a new way.

The couple made a five-figure charitable donation to create a scholarship award that will recognize UW-Green Bay’s top student researchers. Applications for the first award are now being solicited and will be accepted through Dec. 15, 2008.

“We hope this scholarship will be an incentive for students to pursue excellence in undergraduate research in the natural sciences,” Paul Sager says.

Paul retired in 1999 following more than 30 years as a faculty member in Natural and Applied Sciences and biology. He was director of the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum for a decade, a leader in helping UW-Green Bay achieve international distinction with its interdisciplinary academic approach and environmental science offerings, and a champion for preserving natural areas and protecting water quality in the Green Bay watershed.

Dorothea Sager, former chairperson of the Human Biology academic unit, was granted emeritus status in 1996 after a 25-year UW-Green Bay career. She earned widespread attention as well as major grants for her research on the effects of PCBs on reproduction. Both she (1992) and Paul (1993) received Founders Association Awards for Excellence for their contributions to institutional development.

“Ours was a rewarding experience,” Paul says. “Starting as we did at the beginning of this University, you can’t avoid a sense of ownership and pride. This scholarship is a way to give something back to the University.”

The award’s title, the Paul and Thea Sager Scholarship in Memory of Edward W. Weidner, reflects admiration for the institution’s founding chancellor and his commitment to both hands-on student learning and the development of the University’s natural areas.

The criteria for selection involves demonstrated excellence in a student research project or research paper that has been entered in the annual academic excellence symposium by a student who has a grade point average of 3.0 or better. The inaugural honoree, who will receive a $500 award for spring semester 2009, will be chosen by the faculty members of the Biodiversity Committee. Students interested in the scholarship are invited to contact Prof. Bob Howe for details.

To learn more, add to this fund or create your own scholarship, please contact Dan Spielmann, major gift officer, at (920) 465-5025.