Thirty-seven University of Michigan Chemical Engineering students and 35 Civil & Environmental Engineering students were the first recipients of $5,000 Julius F. Bartus Endowed Memorial scholarships.  Julius Bartus (BSE CE ’36) and his wife, Zelda V. Bartus (BA ’39, CERTT EDUC ’39) pictured at left, met as undergraduates at the University of Michigan, and one of their sons, David, received his degrees from the Chemical Engineering Department (BSEChE ’79, MSE 81, PhD ’87). Their oldest son, Michael (AB Psychology ’70, MPH Public Health ’75), has been actively involved in the healthcare field. He recalls that his parents’ lives “began quite humbly, but were forever changed by their studies and exposure to so many opportunities that the University had to offer. Their motivation in terms of instituting the scholarship program was to offer the same ‘start in life’ for succeeding generations of U-M civil/environmental and chemical engineering students with demonstrated financial needs.”  

Such was their love of the University that Julius and Zelda raised their sons in Ann Arbor, where Julius was involved in King Engineering and Zelda was a high school Latin and French teacher. Michael recalls frequent visits to museums, concerts, lectures, and of course football games. He returned to Ann Arbor in Spring of 2011 for the first annual Bartus Scholars reception, to help the scholars build a community, stay engaged with the Bartus family, and develop the Bartus Scholars Society.  Bartus Scholars will be encouraged to participate in group community service activities and to give back in the future. 

Chair Mark Burns says that, “with the addition of the Bartus Endowment, the department has more than doubled the number of students we can help financially. We are grateful that Julius and Zelda Bartus chose to honor and support the department in this way.”

Pictured at right is Bartus Scholar and ChE Marshal, Nick Orichella, with Bartus stole, at Spring 2011 graduation exercises. Nick is moving to Minneapolis where he will begin work at General Mills R&D headquarters in September.

Bartus Scholar Eric Raynal (BSEChE ’13) was impressed by the range of talents and convictions of the other scholars he met at the spring activities. Eric was in Washington DC this summer working on an internship with the American Chemical Society, providing support for their internal website design team, and studying to take the MCAT in preparation for medical school. He used his Bartus Scholarship to help pay tuition and to support himself in DC prior to getting his first paycheck. He reports: “I have developed a greater awareness of how influential scholarships can be to a student. Legacy is important, and you never know how much you can influence someone by showing support for the University that has impacted so much of your life.”

To Francis Ogunseye (BSEChE ’12) that impact was tremendous. “The Bartus scholarship came at a really great time of need in my college career,” he states. “I was balancing work and school and also trying to pay for my educational expenses. When I was notified that I had received this award, I was relieved, happy, and felt as though a burden had been taken from me. It also boosted me psychologically as I was encouraged to work even harder so I could earn other scholarships to reduce my loan burdens.” Francis particularly appreciated that Michael Bartus took the time to meet the recipients personally so Francis could express his appreciation for the immense support he has received.

Chemical Engineering students for years to come will benefit not only from the financial support provided by the Bartus estate, but also from the personal interest that the family has taken in connecting with and inspiring our students.