Foundation News

PLATTEVILLE- University of Wisconsin-Platteville alumnus Mike Jacobson, Ph.D. in biochemistry, has established the Alice Keegan Memorial Scholarship for Riverdale High School. It was because of Keegan's inspiring and dedicated role as an educator that Jacobson chose to honor her in this way.

The scholarship recipient must be an incoming freshman who graduated from Riverdale High School in Muscoda with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent) and who has declared a major in chemistry. If there are no incoming freshmen from Riverdale with that major, the scholarship will be available to continuing students from Riverdale with chemistry majors. The scholarship will be opened to new freshmen and continuing students from Riverdale with either biology or education majors if there are still no eligible students found. The first scholarship will be awarded in spring 2010.

Keegan, a chemistry teacher at Riverdale during the 1950s and 1960s, greatly influenced Jacobson to pursue further education at UWP. He graduated with a degree in chemistry and later earned his Ph.D. from Kansas State University.

In establishing the scholarship Jacobson said, "A great teacher at the right time can make a lasting impact. Alice Keegan was a great teacher of chemistry."

After receiving his Ph.D., Jacobson went on to teach at many different universities across the nation. Heavily involved in research concerning niacin's role in human health, he helped found Niadyne Inc., a company dedicated to understanding niacin's function and use in clinical applications. He now lives with his wife Elaine in Tuscon, Ariz.

Jacobson is a strong supporter of UWP; the Alice Keegan Memorial Scholarship is the second scholarship he has established with the UWP Foundation. The first was in honor of his former UWP chemistry professor, Dwight Klaassen, Ph.D. in biochemistry.

"Dr. Jacobson's support of UWP is greatly appreciated. He has done a tremendous job showing appreciation for the people that influenced his life during his education," stated Holly Kaiser of the UWP Foundation, who worked with Jacobson to establish the scholarship. "I believe this scholarship will encourage more students from Riverdale High School to continue their education at UWP in the field of chemistry."

For more information about scholarship donations, contact Kaiser at (608) 342-1879 or kaiserh@uwplatt.edu.

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