Barbara and Don Roeder Memorial Scholarship

The Barbara and Don Roeder Memorial Scholarship will encourage and support students on the WSU-Rochester campus who are part of the degree completion program (currently called “Path to Purple”) and majoring in either Business Administration or Social Work.

Criteria
• Each recipient must be an undergraduate, full-time student (minimum of 12 credits each semester) classified as a junior or senior seeking a WSU bachelor’s degree major in Business Administration or in
Social Work as a Path to Purple transfer student from RCTC.
• Each recipient must be accepted in either Business Administration or Social Work majors.
• Each recipient must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
• Each recipient must demonstrate financial need through FAFSA.
• Resident of Minnesota

Background and Motivation
After graduating from John Marshall High School in 1965, Barbara attended Rochester Junior College, earning an AA degree in 1967. That fall, she enrolled at Mankato State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work, Sociology and Psychology in 1969. Barbara began her career at the Rochester State Hospital, serving in various supervisory and director positions. When she learned of the pending closure of the Rochester State Hospital in 1981, she continued to work there into 1982 when the hospital officially closed. During that time, Barbara enrolled in the Rochester Community and Technical College to complete the required undergraduate coursework for admission into Winona State University’s (WSU) Masters in Business Administration program. In 1983, she was accepted into WSU’s Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and remained in Rochester completing her MBA courses there. In November 1984, she accepted a director position in Iowa and moved there. In November and December 1984, she completed her final MBA course by driving weekly to Minnesota. Barbara earned her MBA in 1984 and participated in WSU’s graduation in spring 1985. She served as a director in two separate private non-profit organizations until 1991. In 1991, she accepted a position as the Grants/Projects Manager at Hawkeye Community College in Iowa. After Barbara moved to Iowa, she met and married Don Roeder, who worked for 36 years at John Deere and retired from John Deere. Barbara retired from Hawkeye Community College with 20 years of service.

My husband and I established this scholarship through our estates with a goal of helping students who have financial need and an academic record showing their potential to succeed. I was the recipient of a scholarship when I attended Mankato State University, which was meaningful to me. When I returned to college with the goal of earning my MBA degree, I worked and saved in order to pay for my own education.

I like the Path to Purple program as it provides students of any age the opportunity to pursue an education close to home, as was the case for me. I feel a connection to those students from Rochester Community Technical College, who are admitted to WSU-Rochester to complete a Bachelor degree, as their experience mirrors my own. It is my hope to encourage and support future students who are navigating that same path. My education in both Business Administration and Social Work provided a solid foundation throughout my career in private, non-profit and public institutions, and we wish to support students focusing on those majors.