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The untimely and horrible death of Matthew Shepard on October 12, 1998 gives us all reason to pause and reflect upon the nature of the society in which we find ourselves today. That ours is a society containing individuals such as those responsible for the death of Matthew is deeply disturbing. The only antidote to such ignorance and hatred is education. It is in that spirit that the Matthew Shepard Memorial Scholarship has been established.

The purpose of the scholarship is multiple. We want not only to educate individuals about issues concerning the rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, but we also want to help to bring about an atmosphere of support and nurturing for students at Weber State University who identify themselves as other than heterosexual. With that in mind we have set up the Matthew Shepard Memorial scholarship which will serve to help sexual minority students fulfill their educational goals so that they too might continue to educate others.

This annual scholarship, a cash award of up to full tuition (in state), has several purposes:

• To build awareness of the academic achievements and community service of sexual minority students at WSU.
  

• To encourage recipients to continue their studies and become supportive community leaders.
  

• To raise the hopes and aspirations of sexual minority students, many of whom strive against great odds to make positive contributions.
  

• To build a more positive image of sexual minorities, both among themselves and in the public mind as contributing citizens in our society.

Recipients of Matthew Shepard Scholarships must be full-time WSU students at sophomore level or beyond and must openly support gay, lesbian or bisexual issues. They will be selected on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, community service, and personal goals. They will be expected to maintain high academic standards and to study and work on behalf of sexual minorities and human rights. Very well qualified and deserving students have received  Matthew Shepard Scholarship funds annually since the 2000-2001 academic year. 

The Matthew Shepard Scholarship Committee was organized in the Fall of 1998 by 18 concerned individuals from Weber State University, Ogden and Salt Lake City.  The scholarship endowment fund is supported by over 270 donors to date. Although donations have been received from across the country and around the world, the vast majority of donations and donors are from Northern Utah. 

"Our family would be most honored to have a scholarship fund in Matt's memory . . . such a generous offering."
                --Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard)

On November 2, 2002 Judy Shepard visited WSU to deliver the keynote address at the WSU Diversity Conference. In her keynote,and at the following  Public reception in her honor, she continued to stress her strong support for the scholarship at WSU and its importance in helping to stop hate crimes. 

Please help us increase the awareness and acceptance of sexual minorities by contributing to this important scholarship fund. Donations are accepted online at  http://organizations.weber.edu/matthewshepard or may be sent to the address below. 

For more information please contact:

Weber State University
Development Office
4018 University Circle
Ogden, UT  84408-4018

Or call:

        (801) 626-6194