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Scholarships

For economics students, there are many scholarships available from the Department of Economics at Boise State University as well as other organizations.

Scholarships from the Department of Economics

The following scholarships are available to students who have declared a major in economics. Each of the scholarships is awarded annually. To be eligible to receive any of these scholarships you must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and complete the Boise State online application. Start the application process here. By completing the online application process, you will have applied for each of the following scholarships. However, the Len B. and Grace Jordan Scholarships have additional short essay requirements.

Len B. and Grace Jordan Scholarship

The Len B. Jordan Endowment for Economic Studies was established at Boise State University in 1981 by the former Idaho governor and his wife Grace, a noted Idaho author. Len B. Jordan was elected to the Idaho Legislature in 1947 and elected as Governor in 1950. In 1955 he was appointed by President Eisenhower to head the International Joint Commission which negotiated matters of concern between Canada and the United States. During Jordan’s tenure on the committee, a bi-national water policy and agreements were made which led to the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. In 1962, Len Jordan was appointed to complete the term of U.S. Senator Henry Dworshak who had died in office. He was then elected to the position of Senator and served in this position until 1973. Len B. Jordan died in 1983.

Grace Jordan graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in English and is a well known author. She taught at four Idaho universities including Boise Junior College. Her best known work is “Home Below Hells Canyon” which describes the lives of the Jordan family on their ranch. “Home Below Hells Canyon” was published in six different languages and through this book, Grace Jordan introduced people throughout the world to Idaho. Grace Jordan died in 1985.

In 1997, interest income from the Len B. Jordan Endowment was used to award the first Len B. and Grace Jordan Scholarships. That practice continues today.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be full-time junior or senior economics majors
  • Must have 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Majors who do not meet these criteria are asked to explain in their application why they should be given special consideration.
  • In addition to the university application, additional short essay requirements must be answered to be considered for this scholarship.

Ellis Lamborn Scholarship

Ellis Lamborn retired from Boise State College in 1989 after completing 21 years of exceptional service to the Department of Economics and Boise State University. Dr. Lamborn received his Ph.D. from Cornell University with areas of specialization in money and banking and the history of economic thought. He came to Boise State from Utah State University. Dr. Lamborn was the second economics professor hired at Boise State and the first department chair. Known as the “father of the Department of Economics,” Dr. Lamborn is given credit for building the Department of Economics and establishing good teaching as the hallmark of the department. After he retired, Dr. Lamborn worked an additional semester donating and donating his income to establish this scholarship. The scholarship was named for Dr. Lamborn despite his personal objections.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Full-time junior or senior economics majors
  • Candidates must carry 12 or more credit hours in each of the semesters the scholarship will cover.
  • Candidates must also have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for the award.

Geetha Raha Scholarship

Arun Raha was a tenured faculty member in the Department of Economics at Boise State from 1990-2001. Dr. Raha has a master’s degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics and a doctorate from Washington State University. He left Boise State to pursue employment opportunities in the private sector. Dr. Raha worked at WEFA Inc. (now known as Global Insight), Eaton Corporation, and Swiss Reinsurance in New York City. Dr. Raha specializes in the economics of capital and risk management and forecasts of the U.S. economy. He is a member of the Wall Street Journal’s Economics Forecasting panel and in 2005 was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as the best forecaster in the United States. In 2003 Dr. Raha established the Geetha Raha Scholarship in memory of his late wife, Geetha. Dr. Raha requested that this scholarship be given to the economics major who, in the opinion of the faculty in the Department of Economics, has the potential to become the “best professional economist.”

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Full-time junior or senior economics majors
  • Must have completed at least 6 credit hours of upper-division economics courses.

John J. Chapman Scholarship

Awarded annually by the Department of Economics. John Chapman was a CPA and owner of the Mode Department Store in Boise in the late 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the original founders and supporters of Boise Junior College.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Full-time junior and senior economics majors
  • Must have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for the award.

Dick Payne Scholarship

In 2004 Dick Payne retired after 34 years of distinguished service to the Department of Economics and Boise State University. Dr. Payne came to Boise State from the University of Southern California where he completed his PhD, specializing in the field of public finance. Dr. Payne was known as an excellent teacher and advisor. During his tenure at Boise State, Dr. Payne received more teaching awards than the rest of the economics faculty combined, to say nothing of the respect and admiration which he earned from several generations of students. Upon announcement of Dr. Payne’s retirement, a scholarship was created and funded by his former students and colleagues.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Full-time junior and senior economics majors
  • Must have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for the award
  • High moral character

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

See the many Boise State scholarship opportunities here. You fill out just one application! Start the scholarship application process here.

Maximize your scholarship opportunities by applying for private funds and the State of Idaho scholarships.