Interest from investments enables the University of Colorado Chapter to award two scholarships to CU Chapter PBK members: The Crisp Fellowship for graduate study and the Barnes Scholarship for current undergraduates.  Initiates are also eligible for an award funded and administered by the Alpha Chapter in Denver.

The Crisp Fellowship

The Crisp Fellowship is awarded in the spring each academic year to graduating seniors, or recent graduates (within the past 5 years) who will study in liberal arts disciplines as graduate students. The fellowship amount varies, but is typically $7,500-$10,000. The Crisp Fellowship Committee determines the winners and the numbers of awards to be made. The fellowships are named in honor of Katherine Maria Bruderlin Crisp and additional information about the donor and history is listed below.

Apply
Deadline: April 1, 2022

The Barnes Scholarship

This award is given to one or more students each semester to help fund their continued undergraduate education at CU-Boulder.  The award amount is $1,000 and preference is given to a student with high financial need.  The scholarship application will be posted here each semester, and is typically due in November and April.  Fall Semester 2022 applications are due November 20, 5 pm with the recipients notified by e-mail on November 30.

The Alpha Chapter of Colorado scholarship for graduate study

This scholarship is open to all Colorado PBK initiates who plan to continue graduate study.

History of the Crisp Endowment

In 1906 Alpha Chapter elected nine students to membership. One of the initiates, Katerina Maria Bruderlin, whose parents were Swiss immigrants, majored in mathematics, German and the natural sciences. She was an outstanding teacher in Denver high schools for many years, and was a renowned horticulturist. She was a founder of the Denver Botanical Gardens and the author of many articles and books in the field of botany. She was also a civic leader and activist.

In 1932, she married Dr. William H. Crisp, an ophthalmologist and a faculty member at the CU Medical Center (now known as the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center). Dr. Crisp died in 1951. Before her death in 1979, Katherine Crisp established a substantial trust for Alpha Chapter. Investments made since 1980 increased the value of the portfolio five-fold, and we now use the bulk of the income to recognize one or more outstanding graduating seniors at the University of Colorado.

The Alpha Association’s Graduate Scholarship Program

In 2014 the Alpha Association of Colorado plans to award one $3,500 scholarship and one $500 scholarship to two Colorado PBK initiates or members to begin or continue graduate school. The purpose of the scholarships is to further the pursuit of knowledge and academic excellence.