CCU Announces Dr. Bill Watson Memorial Scholarship Fund
Colorado Christian University has announced the establishment of a new scholarship fund in memory of a faculty member who dedicated himself to teaching excellence and advocating for the persecuted church across the globe.
The Dr. Bill Watson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to incoming or current students in the College of Undergraduate Studies who resided outside the United States prior to attending CCU, and who demonstrate financial need, maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA while enrolled, and share Dr. Watson's special passion for world cultures, world missions, and international relations.
Watson was a beloved professor of world history in the Department of Social Sciences, and specialized in the interaction between Western civilization and the rest of the world. He died unexpectedly in November 2020.
"Bill was a gifted and passionate professor as well as an internationally recognized scholar — both a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Moldova and a Visiting Summer Fellow at Oxford," said Dr. Janet Black, interim vice president of Academic Affairs and professor of English. "Most importantly, he was a dedicated and caring mentor, not only to his history and global studies students, but to students in all programs of study. I can think of no better way to honor his memory — empowering CCU students to have a global mindset and impacting the world for Christ."
The fund, which will begin awarding scholarships to students in fall 2021, was established by the Watson family, and will be administered by the Office of Financial Aid. "I am excited to see how my father's legacy can live on in ways even he may have never thought possible," said David Watson '20, son of Dr. Bill Watson and graduate of CCU's School of Business and Leadership.
Watson joined the faculty of CCU in 1996. During his extensive career, he traveled to more than 30 countries, lived in five, studied six foreign languages, was a linguist in Military Intelligence at an NSA listening post in Berlin during the Cold War, and taught on world issues for over 40 years.
"This scholarship fund honors an outstanding, inspirational member of the CCU faculty: Dr. Bill Watson. During his nearly 25 years of teaching at CCU, Dr. Watson impacted literally thousands of students, who are now serving in missions and various forms of international relations and humanitarian work around the world," remarked Dr. Ryan Hartwig, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CCU. "Contributors to the Bill Watson Scholarship Fund honor the extraordinary legacy of this exuberant, faithful, and Christ-exalting servant, and offer future world changers the opportunity to engage a transformational, Christ-centered education at Colorado Christian University."
Contributions to the Dr. Bill Watson Memorial Scholarship Fund will immediately impact CCU students who meet eligibility criteria. If enough funds are received, the Watson family desires to transform the Bill Watson Memorial Scholarship into an endowed fund that will continue to provide students funding for many generations.
Contributors to the Bill Watson Memorial Scholarship may make a gift to the fund online.