Give to WSUNancy Krook is not one to give up easily. And even though she left Pullman years ago when she and her husband, Frank, moved to Western Washington, she wasn’t going to let a minor detail—like the distance to Pullman—keep her from earning her WSU degree.
Actually, nothing was going to keep Nancy from graduating. Between family, careers, and life, the process took several decades.
“Unbeknownst to me, my husband had signed me up for information about the distance program in social sciences,” says Nancy. She jumped at the chance to enroll. Back then, the program involved watching videotapes, a far cry from the interactive experience of today’s WSU Online. Fortunately, the quality of the faculty made up for the low-tech delivery.
“The professors were outstanding and motivated me to finish my remaining credits and graduate with the first class of 1994,” says Nancy.
Frank and Nancy felt a tug to help others share in the WSU pride, even those who live far from a campus. In 2011, they created the Nancy and Frank Krook Scholarship, which will award a $1,000 annual scholarship for generations to come.
Brian Gass of Bellingham received the first Krook Scholarship this spring. He is planning to finish his bachelor’s degree in accounting next year through WSU Online. His goal is to become a certified public accountant.
“I have three children,” says Brian, “and a wife with multiple sclerosis. So this scholarship was a godsend.”
In her final WSU term paper, Nancy wrote that she would someday like to help other distance students earning their WSU degrees from afar. That was nearly 20 years ago, and today she and Frank are doing just that. “WSU’s program opened the door for me,” says Nancy. “We are thrilled to offer a scholarship that helps further people’s educations and careers.”
