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UH Alumnus Establishes Chris Grootaert Endowed Scholarship Fund in the Department of Economics at UH Mānoa

Endowment Gift to Provide Financial Support for Undergraduate Economic Students

(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) - The Chris Grootaert Endowed Scholarship Fund has been established at the Department of Economics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a $62,000 pledge to the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation. The fund was established by Dr. Christiaan Grootaert, former lead economist in the social development department based at the World Bank’s D.C. office. Dr. Grootaert graduated from UH Mānoa in 1978 with a PhD in economics. The fund will support full-time undergraduates studying economics at UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences.

The university is most grateful for this gift from one of our most distinguished alumni. Dr. Grootaert's generosity will benefit Native Hawaiʻian students in perpetuity, insuring their sustained access to higher education opportunities, said UH Interim President David McClain.

While with the World Bank, Dr. Grootaert’s main projects were with the Social Capital Initiative, a program providing assessment tools in understanding and using social capital to reduce poverty and ensure more sustainable development around the world. He was also one of the founders of the Living Standards Measurement Study which created a world-wide system for the collection of poverty data. With 23 years of experience in poverty assessment, Dr. Grootaert has authored numerous books and articles addressing the measurement and analysis of poverty; education and labor markets; child labor; and the role of institutions and social capital in the development of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He currently resides in Mclean, VA.

The Chris Grootaert Endowed Scholarship Fund will have an immediate impact on our economics students today and an everlasting impact on future generations, added Dean of the College of Social Sciences Dick Dubanoski. The scholarship is especially meaningful because it offers financial assistance to students of Hawaiʻian ancestry, who are underrepresented in higher education. We are grateful for Dr. Grootaert's generosity, vision, and dedication to the University of Hawaiʻi.

Added Professor Denise Eby Konan, chair of the Department of Economics, The Department of Economics is very grateful for this generous gift from Dr. Grootaert. It is always particularly heartwarming when we receive a gift from an alumnus. We are honored to have made a lasting impact on his life.

Chris Grootaert Endowed Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time in the undergraduate program at the UH Mānoa’s Department of Economics with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and some degree of financial need (though not necessarily as defined by federal guidelines), with preference given to Native Hawaiʻian students.

Qualified candidates who are interested in applying for this scholarship should contact the Department of Economics at 808-956-8496. The Chris Grootaert Endowed Scholarship Fund is invested and managed by the UH Foundation, under policies adopted by its Board of Trustees.

About the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is an independent, university-related, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise private funds according to priorities determined by the academic leadership of the University of Hawaiʻi and approved by the Board of Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund raising and alumni relations services for all 10 UH campuses. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu.