Dennis Madsen Offers WWU Teacher Scholarships for Top High School Students

DATE: May 26, 2009 2:35:51 PM PDT

Scholarships at Western’s Woodring College of Education First of Kind in the State

Contact: University Communications, (360) 650-3350

Dennis Madsen

Photo courtesy of WWU

Dennis Madsen

BELLINGHAM – Dennis Madsen believes that highly qualified teachers can change the world and his generosity is funding a new scholarship at Western Washington University – the first of its kind in the state – that will prepare top high school students to become teachers. His goal is to recruit students to Western who, like his daughter, a current math teacher, have been inspired by a great teacher and who want to carry on a special experience for the next generation of P-12 students.

Madsen, a member of Western’s Board of Trustees and former president and chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retail cooperative of outdoor gear and clothing, is funding two new Inspired for Teaching Excellence scholarships at Western’s Woodring College of Education, which is nationally recognized for the high quality of its teacher education.

“Dennis Madsen recognizes the vital role teachers serve in our society and, by his visionary support for these scholarships, he is opening doors for exceptional future teachers,” said Stephanie Salzman, dean of Woodring College of Education.

The scholarships, which cover all tuition and fees during the duration of the students’ studies at Western, are intended for the top high school students from Washington state interested in becoming teachers. That approach for scholarships is a first in higher education in the state.

“It is critically important that our very best and brightest young people be encouraged and supported in their ambition to become teachers. I can think of no profession that so directly and positively affects future generations,” Madsen said.

The Madsen family gifts have endowed two teaching scholarships. The Madsen family made an initial contribution in 2006 to establish the Inspired for Teaching Excellence Scholarship at Western, with Andrew Patrick Michel, a 2006 graduate of Rogers High School in Puyallup, selected as the first recipient in fall 2007. The Madsen family has since made additional gifts in recent months to expand that first scholarship to encompass a second student entering Western in fall 2009.

Several relatives of Madsen have become teachers after studying at Woodring College of Education, including his sister and one daughter, and he hopes others will likewise be inspired to help fund scholarships for deserving high school students who desire careers as public school teachers.

Madsen, a Seattle resident, has a strong commitment to the community. He has served on a number of boards related to conservation and outdoor recreation, including IslandWood, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. Madsen founded the Youth Outdoors Legacy Fund for the purpose of funding volunteers and outdoor programs whose focus is to get urban kids involved in outdoor activities and stewardship. Madsen is past-president of the Western Washington University Foundation Board of Directors. His son and daughter are graduates of Western. Madsen earned his bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University in mechanical engineering and pursued MBA studies at Pacific Lutheran University.

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