Bill Garrett created a scholarship for the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences after being greatly influenced by his time at K-State.
A great liberal arts education experience inspired K-State alumnus, Bill Garrett, to give back to his alma mater. Garrett and his wife, Margaret, created a scholarship for the department of history in the College of Arts and Sciences at K-State. To Garrett, the study of history and social sciences has a lasting effect leading to success by introducing diverse perspectives of the world.
“I saw people with tremendous talent struggle due to an inability to communicate both in writing and verbally with peers and customers in the business world,” Garrett said. “History and the other social sciences I studied gave me the ability to not just communicate, but to understand people and have an informed interest in their backgrounds.”
Garrett’s interactions with his history professors became some of his favorite memories. Dr. Ken Jones mentored Garrett; often inviting him home for family dinners where Jones shared his experiences in India. At one point, Garrett lived above another one of his professors, Dr. Jacob Kipp.
Garrett hopes this scholarship will open doors for the study of history and other social sciences in a way which allows students to learn to communicate better while having an engaging experience.
“In my career, I’ve met too many people who came into the business world with either a business or technical degree, but they did not know how to relate with others,” Garrett said. “The arts teach us to look deeper into people and cultures, to relate with individuals from diverse backgrounds.”
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