February 15, 2010

BCU Announces Prairie Studies Scholarships

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Four Briar Cliff University students are recipients of BCU’s Center for Prairie Studies scholarships.

Jennifer Vrbicky, of Clarkson, Neb., who received a $1,000 scholarship, is a leader in organizing Briar Cliff’s annual campus prairie rescue and has assisted in the preparation and delivery of reintroduced bison to Broken Kettle Grasslands in Plymouth County, Iowa. 

Awarded $700 Center for Prairie Studies scholarships were: Sonja Christensen, of Pierre, S.D., who has conducted research on isolating chemical compounds from prairie turnips; Clint Jiroux, of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, who has participated in the annual campus prairie rescue and also is involved in prairie turnip research and Craig Samek, of Sioux City, who has been involved in the annual campus prairie rescue and assisted with a local prairie burn. 

“These scholarships encourage student interest in prairies and motivate further involvement,” said Brian Hazlett, Ph.D., director of environmental science and professor of biology.

Students applying for the Center for Prairie Studies Scholarships must meet minimum qualifications for grade point average, possess a demonstrated interest in prairie studies and submit a well-written essay describing their involvement in prairie studies. Prairie studies can include the environment, literature, history, politics, architecture or the arts. The scholarships are funded by a Gilchrist Foundation grant. 

Established in 2009 through a grant from the Gilchrist Foundation, the Center for Prairie Studies fosters campus efforts that forge an identity with our immediate environment. For more information, email prairiestudies@briarcliff.edu.

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 28 states. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care and compassion. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.

-30-