A $100,000 gift from the Colorado Rockies’ baseball organization in honor of Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig will support student scholarships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Selig, a 1956 UW-Madison alumnus, is slated to retire as MLB Commissioner in early 2015. The Rockies, led by owner/chairman and CEO Dick Monfort, presented Selig with the gift on May 2, 2014, at Coors Field, part of a series of stops the Commissioner is making this year to visit MLB teams.
“History will remember that during his more than 20 years as the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig’s vision for our game has become a reality,” Monfort said. “With integrity, passion and the courage to make the tough decisions for the good of baseball, Bud has moved the game to new heights and into a new era: More playoff rounds, Interleague play, the World Baseball Classic, the honoring of Jackie Robinson and the MLB Network. to name just a few of his notable accomplishments. His impact on the people who play, manage, work and cheer for baseball will be remembered forever.”
The Rockies’ generosity is in addition to a previous $25,000 gift to the Suzanne and Allan “Bud” Selig Great People Scholarship endowment fund. This scholarship fund was created in 2010 with gifts from three Major League Baseball owners who wished to honor Commissioner and Mrs. Selig. Those initial gifts— from Mark Attanasio, chair and principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers; Lew Wolff, owner and managing partner of the Oakland A’s; and Tom Werner, co-owner and chair of the Boston Red Sox — have already made it possible to award Selig Great People scholarships to 22 undergraduate students.
Wolff and Werner also have UW-Madison connections — Wolff earned his bachelor’s degree in business at UW-Madison in 1957 and was a fraternity brother of Selig in Pi Lambda Phi, while Werner’s daughter, Amanda is also a UW alumna.
Great People Scholarships not only open doors for talented young students at UW-Madison. In combination with tuition resources, they enable the university the flexibility to meet opportunities and face fiscal challenges as they present themselves. Great People scholarships are part of support packages that include student and family contributions, loans and work-study jobs.
Selig earned his bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from UW-Madison in 1956. Following his retirement as Major League Baseball Commissioner in 2015, Selig will spend additional time on campus, where he guest lectures, connects with students, and maintains an office in the Department of History. Selig also serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Wisconsin Foundation.