Founder, Ott Scholarship
One newly established fund this year was the Leland Edward Ott, Ph.D., and Evelyn Farrell Ott Scholarship, an endowed fund that will provide two undergraduate scholarships annually.
Evelyn Farrell Ott chose to make her $100,000 gift to the University to honor her late husband, Leland, and their commitment to higher education.
“Students have such a wonderful opportunity at IU Southeast,” Ott said. “[This scholarship] is going to mean they have support and encouragement… that they will be able to accomplish their degree. I thought this was a great way to [support students], and I want to encourage others to do the same.”
A former student of IU Southeast, Ott attended college at night while working in Louisville during the day. Leland received his B.A. and M.B.A. from the Kelly School of Business at the Bloomington campus.
Ott hopes that the scholarships will take some of the pressure off of the student recipients and allow them to focus on their education.
“I know when I started out, I didn’t have anyone who was able to help me with my costs,” Ott said. “[This scholarship] is a support system. This is what it’s all about. With a little financial backing, hopefully it will speed them along.”