Interest from investments enables Alpha Chapter to award one or sometimes two $10,000 fellowships each academic year (recently increased from $7,500) to graduating seniors, or recent graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences at UCB, who will continue to study in liberal arts disciples as graduate students. The Crisp Fellowship Committee determines the winners and the numbers of awards to be made. The year 2007 will mark the 16^th year that these fellowships, named in honor of Katherine Maria Bruderlin Crisp, have been awarded.

2007 Crisp Fellowship announcement

2007 Crisp Fellowship application form.

All materials must be received in Campus Box 390 (Jerry Peterson, Duane Physics) or Campus Box 248 (Susan Prince, Eaton Humanities) by Friday, March 2, 2007, 5:00 pm.

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.