Rick Wolski receives Weidner Center scholarship

2014 Jul 2

Rick Wolski, of Williams Bay, Wis., was named a recipient of the 2014 Weidner Center scholarship at University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Wolski, a graduate of Big Foot High School, is majoring in property management and will be a junior. Wolski was selected by the advisory board for the real estate property management undergraduate program.

The second annual awards totaled $9,000.

Funding for the scholarships comes from a $1 million gift in January 2013 to Stout University Foundation from Dean Weidner of Kirkland, Wash., founder and owner of Weidner Apartment Homes.

The donation established the Weidner Center for Residential Property Management within UW-Stout's College of Management and School of Hospitality Leadership.

"We're pleased to announce this second group of very deserving scholarship winners, and we're excited about the growth taking place in the real estate property management program as a result of Dean Weidner's generous support," said Mark Parsons, vice chancellor for University Advancement and Marketing.

Weidner learned of UW-Stout's real estate property management program when his company recruited a number of graduates. He indicated the students had outstanding qualifications and that he wanted to help develop the program further. Weidner's three-part goal is to broaden the exposure of the program, grow the number and quality of the courses and expand it through giving students incentives to enroll through scholarships.

Marie Virgilio, director of recruiting for Weidner Apartment Homes, attended the scholarship announcement, which was held at the Weidner Center in Heritage Hall.

The real estate property management program produces graduates who can work in a variety of areas, including public housing, apartments, condominiums, community associations, vacation properties, offices, industrial parks and shopping centers. More information is available at www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsrepm.