On Thursday Feb. 1 UMD Dining Services awarded students with scholarships worth $42,700. The scholarships are funded by tips and rebates from campus food vendors. Scholarships are given to hard working UMD Dining Services student employees who were nominated by their managers.

According to Director of Dining Services Claudia Engelmeier, the number of scholarships given out this year set a record high at a total of 122. 

“Since [1997] an endowment was set up for the scholarships,” Engelmeier said. “Every year it varies how much money is in the endowment and how many students we can give it out to.”

Engelmeier said none of the scholarship money comes out of the UMD Dining Services budget. 

UMD freshman Miah Bloom, majoring in music education, was surprised to learn she was being awarded the scholarship.

“I look at the email and I was just like, this is unexpected but really nice,” Bloom said. “I really appreciate this. I really do. It’s kind of hard nowadays with how much tuition is starting to cost.”

Bloom said she was almost not able to pay for spring semester and stated that this scholarship was a really nice surprise. 

Sophomore Josh Lytle, majoring in history, was awarded one of the scholarships.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Lytle said. “Not knowing if you’re going to get a scholarship and then getting one feels pretty nice.”

UMD senior Cory Hankel, majoring in physical education also received a scholarship.

“It’s just awesome to have your job performance known,” Hankel said.

“Most days I just wake up and pour coffee,” UMD student Ellie Strafelda said. “Today I woke up, poured coffee and got to get recognized for my work.”

Engelmeier said the scholarships have been handed out for the past fifteen years.

“In 2003 we gave out seventeen scholarships and that was like $5,100,” Engelmeier said. 

Engelmeier said the scholarships are named after former dining services director Harry T. Kase.

“Harry was the director here for about ten years,” Engelmeier said. “After he passed away our boss at that time had changed the name to honor Harry for his service and his work he had done here in dining services.”

Engelmeier stated that Dr. Robert Kase, current Dean of UMD’s School of Fine Arts, who is Harry T. Kase’s son, was supposed to be at the ceremony Thursday. Engelmeier said Dean Kase was presenting in Chicago and couldn’t make it.

“In the future now that [Robert Kase] is at UMD we’ve also invited him to join us,” Engelmeier said.

Dean Kase said that the years his father, Harry T. Kase, spent at UMD were the happiest and most enjoyable of his entire career.

“He loved every minute of it,” Dean Kase said. “Having these scholarships in the name of Harry T. Kase is perhaps the most important legacy, and one I’m most proud of.”

Dean Kase said Harry Kase transformed the food services of UMD. Harry T. Kase came to UMD as a six week consultant and stayed many years as Director of Food Services. 

“While these students may not know [Harry] after all theses years,” Dean Kase said. “I want them to know that there was once a man here at UMD that built the rock upon which they can now build their future in this industry.”