When Jim Winter ‘68, talks about what inspires him to support the University of Minnesota Morris, he’s quick to convey his appreciation for the college.
“I would not have been able to earn a PhD and have a wonderful career as an ecology professor and researcher without UMN Morris. So I want to pay it forward and help other students have the same opportunities I had.”
He is doing just that. Recognizing the hardship it is to pay for college today compared to when he was in college, Winter set up two scholarships at UMN Morris: the Jim Winter Ecology Award and the Glenn Winter Family Scholarship.
“I hope that my financial support and that of others will help students achieve their goals …” says Winter.
The ecology award is intended for students who show promise in attending graduate school in ecology or working in the field of ecology and have a background in ecology, environmental biology, conservation, natural resources, or organismal biology. Winter established the Glenn Winter Family Scholarship in memory of his father, mother, and stepmother because of the support and encouragement they gave him throughout his education.
“They never attended college but valued education.”
Winter’s father made a living selling agricultural products in western Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas. The scholarship is intended for students from an agricultural or agribusiness family who live in the areas served by his father.
“I strongly believe that education is one of the best tools to solve societal and environmental problems and to improve the quality of people’s lives,” says Winter.
Growing up in Morris, Winter recalls when the university was new and wanting to be part of it. He is proud to be in one of UMN Morris’s first graduating classes. With a degree in biology, Winter went on to earn his master’s degree in biology and a PhD in ecology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He credits UMN Morris for giving him a strong foundation in science, teaching him persistence and how to work hard, and giving him confidence.
“I’m extremely grateful to UMN Morris for the high quality of education, close mentoring, excellent teaching, small classes, and great faculty and peer role models.” He adds that UMN Morris is “the kind of a place that can really generate opportunities.”
“You don’t know where the next innovator is coming from… it could be UMN Morris and that person just happens to have a great idea, good insights, and the background and skills to pursue it—that would be pretty neat.”