History

George Norlin
Founded in 1999 with just twenty-four first-year students and twelve juniors, the Norlin Scholars Program is now a thriving community of 100 students. The scholarship is named after the distinguished former president of the University of Colorado, Dr. George Norlin. A classicist by training, Norlin was president of CU from 1919-1939. During his tenure as president he:

  • tripled enrollment at CU
  • oversaw construction, with architect Charles Klauder, of many of the buildings we currently enjoy on campus
  • faced the challenge of a Colorado legislature which was heavily under the control of the Ku Klux Klan
  • resisted the Klan’s pressure to dismiss all Catholic and Jewish faculty, even though the university’s budget was cut to zero

The university had Dr. Norlin’s blend of intellectualism, creativity, and integrity in mind when it formed the Norlin Scholars group. Indeed, the hundreds of students who have received the scholarship to date carry on his tradition by developing into socially conscious, civically engaged scholars and professionals.