PURPOSE
This scholarship was created by Diana Clarke-Carter, to honor the memory of her father, Eric K. Clarke, Jr., who died in the mid 1970’s at the age of 51. Education and knowledge were very important to him, which makes this scholarship an appropriate way to honor and remember him. Scholarships are for currently enrolled UMD students in good standing, who are employed by the Facilities Management department.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Each spring the online application link is sent to all Facilities Management student employees. The Clarke family requests there be no specific criteria for nomination except:
- Current student employee in the Facilities Management Department
- Currently enrolled at UMD
- Good academic standing
Applicants submit an online application form and personal statement. Award winners receive Certificate; Scholarship for the following academic year. In order to access the Eric K. Clarke Scholarship Application, you will need your U of M internet ID (e.g. champ999) and a password to log in. Online applications will open for the 2024-2025 Academic year on Monday, January 15, 2024. Submit your application here.
The past scholarships have been for $1000+ and are not automatically renewed.
“It was important to him to give students an opportunity to educate themselves. This scholarship is designed to carry Eric’s memory forward by helping the students who receive it.”
Eric Clarke spent the last 15 years of his life working at UMD as Grounds Manager in Plant Services (now Facilities Management), where he had a positive impact on the lives of many people.
Eric was born in Toronto, in 1924. His father was a Psychiatrist who spent most of his years in university service. His family moved to Rochester, NY when he was a young boy and then to St. Paul when he was 12. Eric was educated and read everything he could get his hands on, having a photographic memory. When he was in high school, his father took a job as Chief Psychiatrist on the Manhattan Project (The Atom Bomb Project) and moved the family to Oakridge, Tennessee. The environment was hard on Eric’s asthma so he tested out of high school in 11th grade and started college at the School of Forestry at the University of Minnesota.
Eric spent his summer months working in the Canadian woods and for the Forest Service in Minnesota. He didn’t finish college then, but went to work for Kimberly-Clark in Two Harbors, managing their nurseries. Eric finished his bachelors degree at UMD in 1964. He loved to canoe and spend time outdoors, and a walk through the woods with him was always fascinating. He not only knew the common names of the plants, bushes and trees, but their Latin names as well. During the winter months he often had a pair of snowshoes in the back of his truck.
There wasn’t much Eric Clarke couldn’t do. He really was a “Renaissance Man”. He was generous and kind, and he listened to students and helped them in whatever ways he could. Eric had 4 daughters, all raised to be strong and independent, and he told them to go after whatever they dreamed. He had a tremendous impact on each one of them, as well as the many others he touched with his life, and his influence lives on in the scholarship recipients from UMD.
**Scholarships may reduce your existing financial aid award. For more information about how scholarships affect financial aid, go to https://onestop.d.umn.edu/finances/scholarships or contact One Stop Student Services.
A complete list of Eric K. Clarke Scholarship Recipients can be found HERE.