National Western Stock Show Scholarships Support Colorado State Students; 22 Now Benefit from Program from Nwss Fundraising

Guess what the National Western Stock Show, Horse Show and Rodeo and Colorado State University have in common besides livestock, horses, sheep, hay and straw?

The right answer is education. For decades, the National Western has supported young people in their pursuit of agriculture and livestock-related studies at Colorado and Wyoming universities.

Colorado State, the land-grant university in this state, receives one-third of the scholarships awarded-22 for the 2000-2001 academic year.

Nine freshman won a National Western Stock Show Scholarship, and other undergraduates remained eligible for the four-year awards. Several graduate students won National Western support with Beef Industry Fellowships and Graduate Integrated Resources Management funding.

This year, Colorado State students received $71,500 in support from the National Western, the largest stock show and rodeo of its kind in the world.

"The National Western’s primary purpose, historically, has been education," said James Heird, associate dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State. "To preserve and improve the livestock industry, it’s important to encourage the best and the brightest to study at Colorado State. National Western scholarships help talented young people do just that."

New undergraduate recipients this year are Abram Babcock of Fort Morgan, a junior majoring in agribusiness; Tiffany Barr of Pueblo, a freshman majoring in animal science; Denise Barrett, a Littleton sophomore majoring in equine science; Kimberly Elsner from Pine, a freshman equine science major; Erin Epperson of Fort Collins, a freshman animal science major; Desirae Jacobs, a Broomfield freshman and agribusiness major; Erin Konkel of Johnstown, a freshman animal science major; Candice Kuykendall, a Fort Lupton resident and junior animal science major; Krista May of Byers, a freshman agribusiness major; Molly Waneka, a Lafayette resident and freshman agricultural education major; and Roy Webb, a freshman animal science major from Colorado Springs.

Students renewing scholarships were Englewood junior Katherine Arnold, majoring in equine science; Andrea Boody, a junior from Canon City majoring in equine science; Christel Deland, a Colorado Springs junior and equine science major; Julie Kreps, a Galeton resident and junior majoring in animal science; Keri Mergleman of Cedaredge, a senior animal science major; Elizebeth Mosey, a junior animal science major from Spokane, Wash.; and Sheridan Potter of Cheyenne, Wyo., a sophomore majoring in animal science.

Arnold and Mergelman also won National Western/Jim Henry Scholarships.

National Western graduate scholarships for support of the Integrated Resources Management program were awarded to Jeffrey Mariner of Fort Collins, who is pursuing a master’s degree in epidemiology and clinical sciences, and Steven Sharkey of Fort Collins, who earned a doctor of veterinary medicine and now is pursuing a master of science degree.

Also receiving National Western support are graduate students Laura Behrends of Wharton, Texas, and Noelle Grether of San Luis Obispo, Calif. They will earn master’s degrees in the animal science department under the Beef Industry Leadership Masters Program. The program awards graduate students who have strong academic records, communication skills, interpersonal skills and commitments to careers in the beef industry.

All undergraduate holders of scholarships have participated in the National Western by exhibiting, judging, volunteering or taking part in a sanctioned Future Farmers of America or 4-H project. Preference is given to freshmen but sophomores and upperclass students are eligible in the case of vacancies.

National Western awards a total of 61 annual scholarships to colleges and universities in Colorado and Wyoming.

In addition to scholarships, a number of Colorado State students work as interns at the National Western-three in the horse barn, two in exhibits and customer relations, two each in the livestock entry office and livestock yards, one in the international room working with foreign visitors, two in the press room and one in human resources.

Interns also help out with the junior livestock auction and various other activities.