Walter Scott Jr. Scholars Give Back

This article is from the Spring 2015 edition of the UNO Magazine.

Omaha — and one Omaha man, Walter Scott Jr. — have made all the difference in the life of Eric Gitt. Gitt grew up on a farm outside the tiny town of Wilcox, in central Nebraska. He wanted to have a career not far from home.

Thanks to earning the Walter Scott Jr. Scholarship, he came to the UNO campus as a Scott Scholar, lived in a brand-new dorm, met his future wife, made great friends and experienced an exceptional education, he says, at the University of Nebraska’s world-class Peter Kiewit Institute on UNO’s campus. Gitt, 34, graduated in 2003 with a degree in electronics engineering through UNL’s College of Engineering. He now lives in Omaha and works as an estimator for G4S Technology, which focuses on electronic security and telecommunications process.

“Not only did I benefit from Walter’s amazing generosity,” he says, “but I also benefited from his terrific example of hard work, leadership and kindness.”

Omaha — and Scott — have made all the difference for Kevin Walters, too. Walters, 33, came to Omaha from a town near Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated with a bachelor’s in computer engineering from UNL, also in 2003. He received his master’s in computer science in 2010 from UNO, and now lives with his wife and their 3-year-old girl and baby boy in Omaha. He works in software development at TD Ameritrade.

Both young Omaha men say they and hundreds of other Scott Scholars have benefited from the philanthropic spirit of Scott. Both are board members of the Scott Scholar Alumni Organization, whose members wanted to find a way to give back to the community, too.

They found it.

At a reception this past September in honor of Scott, members of the alumni group shared their plan – to raise enough money to eventually support one more Scott Scholar each year. “The idea is to provide someone with the same opportunity that we were given,” Walters says. “We anticipate the recipients will meet all of the qualifications for the Scott Scholarship and also possess specific characteristics that make them ideal candidates for the scholarship from our organization.

“For instance, we may seek candidates who have a heightened sense of how we fit into the larger community – and who share a common goal of giving back.” The Walter Scott Jr. Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship awarded by PKI. The scholarship provides four years of funding for undergraduate programs based within the Peter Kiewit Institute and taught by the UNO College of Information Science & Technology or the UNL College of Engineering. The scholarship covers university fees, books, room and board at Scott Residence Hall as well as personal computers.

The new Scott Scholar Alumni Scholar will receive the same benefits. The Scott Scholar Alumni Organization is not sure when it will be able to award the first scholarship. The group’s immediate goal is to reach the endowment level to allow the money to compound. “This is a very large long-term goal that will require mass participation to achieve,” Walters says.

The Scott Scholar Alumni Organization was founded in 2007. Its goal is to keep its alumni connected and to find ways for them to give back. “Walter Scott has been a great role model,” Gitt says, “and has inspired me towards a lifetime of giving back.”

Says Walters: “I’m proud to be a Scott Scholar and part of such an amazing group of people — made possible by a man I look up to and whose example has left a lasting impression.”

To learn more about the Scott Scholar Alumni Scholarship Fund or to make a contribution, please go to nufoundation.org or call the University of Nebraska Foundation at 800.432.3216.