Phil Sander Scholarship Application
Selection Criteria:
• Academic achievement as indicated by ACT score, class rank and cumulative GPA.
• Related extracurricular involvement (i.e., research, student organizations, community
service, etc.)
• Financial need
• Preference to students from one of the following southeastern Wisconsin counties (in
order of preference):
1. Kenosha County
2. Racine County
3. Walworth County
4. Waukesha County
5. Jefferson County
6. Milwaukee County
• Demonstrated interest and commitment to conservation of habitat and/or wildlife.
• Demonstrated interest and commitment to hunting, fishing and other outdoor
activities.
• Application deadline postmarked March 1
Part I: To be completed by applicant
Name
Street Address
City/State/Zip
Phone _____________________ County
Social Security Number
High School Attended
What is your intended college major?
Part II: Using a separate sheet of paper, please answer the following questions:
1. List activities in which you have been involved that you consider to be significant.
2. List any hobbies or interests that relate to natural resources.
3. Write a statement indicating why you believe you should receive the Phil Sander
Scholarship (limit 250 words).
4. (Optional) Attach a statement describing any extenuating circumstances we should
consider in the selection process.
Part II: To be completed by high school counselor
Counselor’s Name (please print)
Counselor’s signature
High School Street Address
City/State/Zip
School Phone
Student’s Class Rank
GPA
ACT Composite Score
PLEASE COMMENT ON THE STUDENT’S QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE AWARD.
YOU MAY USE THE BACK OF THIS FORM OR A SEPARATE SHEET.
Please return the completed form to:
Sue Kissinger
Scholarship Coordinator
College of Natural Resources
Trainer Natural Resources Building Room 180
UW-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-346-4081
Print off and return completed application by March 1.
THIS FORM MAY BE DUPLICATED
Brief Biography of Phil Sander
This scholarship honors the life of Phil Sander, a longtime conservationist, naturalist, craftsman
and artist from Kenosha, Wisconsin, who passed away in the spring of 2006 at the age 99. An
acquaintance of Aldo Leopold and the Leopold family, Sander was a subscriber to and promoter
of Leopold’s “land ethic”. Sander’s service to preserving and promoting the quality of life in
southeastern Wisconsin was extensive and often behind the scenes. Mr. Sander was an active
member of numerous wildlife and land conservation organizations including Ducks Unlimited,
Hawthorn Hallow, Pheasants Forever, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The Nature
Conservancy, The Chiwaukee Prairie, and several other regional organizations. He joined
Ducks Unlimited in 1938, one year after its inception at the beginning of the hunter/sportsmenfinanced conservation movement, and remained a member until his death.
He was one of two individuals back in 1964 to see the need preserve and protect an endangered
tract of native prairie situated along the Lake Michigan shoreline. This led to the creation of the
Chiwaukee Prairie, which is today one of the largest original tracts of native prairie habitat in
Wisconsin. He was also a founding member of the Des Plaines Wetland Conservancy, a nonprofit organization in southeastern Wisconsin dedicated to the conservation and ecology of more
than 700 acres of ponds, marshes, uplands and two miles of scenic river with over 20 miles of
trails.
Forever a student of nature and natural history, it was Sander’s map of an unearthed fossil that
led to the discovery, some 30 years later, of two complete woolly mammoth skeletons near
Kenosha, now a major attraction at the Kenosha Public Museum. Mr. Sander was dedicated to
protecting natural areas and educating future generations of the importance of knowing, honoring
and protecting the natural balance of our natural world.
Sander’s life and philosophy are perhaps best remembered through his own prose:
I have planted a garden, so I know what faith is.
I have seen oak trees in the breeze, so I know what grace is.
I have listened to birds singing, so I know what music is.
I have seen mornings without clouds, after showers, so I know what beauty is.
I have seen the miracle of sunset, so I know what grandeur is.
And because I have perceived all these things, I know what wealth is.
—By Phil Sander