Mickey Ellenbecker Criminal Justice Scholarship

The Mickey Ellenbecker scholarship will support students in the Criminal Justice program who demonstrate passion and promise in their field.

Criteria

1. Each recipient must be an undergraduate student enrolled full-time and in good standing at Winona State University (minimum of 12 credits per semester, Fall and Spring)
2. Each recipient must have applied and been accepted into the criminal justice corrections track
3. Each recipient must be a Junior, Senior or 5th year student
4. Each recipient must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher
5. Each recipient must demonstrate financial need, but need should not be based solely on FAFSA
6. Preference will be given to a student who is or has worked as a volunteer with at risk youth OR domestic or sexual violence victims

*Biography/Motivation

Mickey was born December 26, 1941, in Fairmont, MN. He graduated from Fairmont High School, attended Hamline University and graduated from Mankato State. He earned his Master’s Degree from University of Wisconsin, Madison.

He was a member of First Congregational Church, Winona, where he was active in its leadership, choir and other volunteer duties. He was a well-known caregiver in both his professional and personal life. His passion for making others smile was an important part of his charisma and his witty ability to lighten a mood was a signature trait of Mickey.

Mickey taught Criminal Justice and Sociology at Winona State University from 1974 to 2000 when he retired as Professor Emeritus. Mickey encouraged and inspired his students with his knowledge, passion and sense of humor. He mentored and nurtured his students academic success and encouraged students to explore who they were and wanted to be as people in society.

In 2014, WSU alumnae Emily Huemann established the Mickey Ellenbecker Criminal Justice Scholarship. Emily wanted to honor Mickey’s memory and keep his spirit and story alive at WSU. Emily credits Mickey with having a tremendous influence on her life as well as so many other alumni in the criminal justice program at Winona State.

Emily’s goal is to encourage other WSU alumni to help support and grow the scholarship endowment over time to preserve Mickey’s memory and continue his legacy of believing in students and their dreams and helping them reach their goals.

Mickey frequently asked his students the following questions:
What do you really want? What are you doing to get what you want? Is what you’re doing now going to get you to what you want?

Emily said, Mickey helped us grow in ways we didn’t realize we were capable of. He was too valuable an influence and human being to be forgotten and I feel compelled not to let his belief in us be forgotten.