Solich Scholarship Helps Raise the Bar of Leeds’ Undergraduate Program

Alumnus George Solich

Receiving a full ride scholarship to the University of Colorado Boulder was a major turning point in George’s Solich’s life—one that profoundly shaped the trajectory of his professional life and, in turn, inspired him to help other students fulfill their dreams and study at CU.

Son of a wholesale liquor distributor and a homemaker, and the youngest of five brothers in a lower middle-class family in Colorado Springs, Solich was uncertain about how or if his family would be able to send him to college. Working as a caddy at The Broadmoor Golf Club, he applied for the Evans Scholarship, a four-year scholarship for caddies, started by famed amateur golfer Chick Evans.

The day the letter came in the mail from the Evans Foundation, he literally shook as he read it. He was in. “Not only that,” said Solich, “I was going to CU Boulder, my dream school, on a full-ride scholarship.”

From caddie to college to career, the Evans Scholars Program—the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies—provides full tuition and housing for aspiring students in need of financial assistance for college. CU Boulder has a long history with the Evans Scholars, with the Colorado chapter being founded in 1967. Today, there are 60 Evans Scholars at CU Boulder with over 450 alumni from CU and 10,000 alumni across the Nation. After achieving his own career success, Solich became a significant supporter and impactful donor of this program, paying his own good fortune forward and helping others have access to college that they may not have had otherwise.

Bringing the best and brightest to Leeds

Solich found his future career path in the energy business through his major in Minerals Land Management at what would become the Leeds School of Business. Solich’s passion for Leeds and CU Boulder has grown more over time, fueling his desire to see the business school and the university succeed in every way.

Seven years ago, Solich invested in the future of the Leeds School and started the Solich Scholars program, which grants a merit-based and a hybrid merit- and need-based scholarship to incoming students. The Solich Fund has had a profound impact on the academic profile of these incoming classes of students; in fact, the class of 2022 and the class 2023 (who entered fall 2019) are the most academically competitive Leeds has ever seen. This is a testament to the great strides Leeds has made in inspiring and educating these next-generation business leaders, and this year, Leeds was named #20 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Public Undergraduate Business Programs.

Indeed, the Leeds School of Business has a tremendous vantage point. Not only does the school benefit from its location in the heart of Boulder, Colorado—one of the most vibrant business communities in the nation—but it also has the opportunity to make an impact on the city of Denver, a top economic hub in the state, by providing talented students and graduates, such as the Solich Scholars, who contribute to its dynamic workforce.

A program like the Solich Scholars also ensures that the best and the brightest students stay in Colorado. “This program not only attracts the best students to Leeds, but it enhances the overall quality of the school,” said Solich.

Another reason that Solich supports the Leeds School is its distinctive Hernando de Soto Capital Markets program, which is the foundation for World of Business—the first course students take at Leeds. Peruvian economist De Soto’s work helped shape the modern role of legally transferrable property rights, capital markets and trade in developing world contexts. The course draws on de Soto’s ideas and other fundamental concepts in business, economics ethics and law. Students address how underlying economic considerations guide the allocation of resources and behavior in modern global business practices.

The course is so impactful, Solich says; he would like to take it if he had the time available.

Who are the Solich Scholars?

George and Carol Solich with Solich Scholars

Current Solich Scholars are among the top achievers at Leeds and bring rigor and energy to the Leeds community. These highly talented individuals are leaders in student organizations, ambassadors for incoming students and mentors of incoming students. They balance their coursework with internships, mentoring, work-study jobs and other leadership opportunities, while maintaining an average GPA of 3.5.

Camryn Woodworth’s (BSBA’21) freshman year was incredibly challenging, and she faced financial obstacles that almost led her to leave CU Boulder and Leeds. Thanks to the Solich’s scholarship fund, she was able to stay and is currently pursuing a degree in management.

“In awarding me the Solich Merit Scholarship, you have helped show me what CU really stands for—education for those who work for it,” Woodworth said. “I hope there is a time in my life when I get the opportunity to pass on the same values and generosity you have shown me.”

Likewise, Kent Li (BSBA’21), a junior at Leeds who is aspiring to work in health care after graduation, is also inspired to pay Solich’s generosity forward.

“I am extremely proud to have been selected as a recipient of this award,” said Li. “I will always remember [Solich’s] generosity, and I hope one day to also be able to help students follow their dreams.”

A big impact with an even bigger reward

Students from around the globe aspire to attend the Leeds School of Business and experience our unique, first-class education, but not all students have the needed financial resources. For Solich, receiving a scholarship was the turning point he needed to obtain his college degree at Leeds and CU Boulder. Now, thanks to the Solich Scholarship fund, almost $3 million has been committed to impacting the future of these top scholars, so they are able to pursue their degree and create their future at Leeds like Solich did.

Moreover, the Solich Scholars who have graduated and embarked on their careers are thriving and making an economic impact to the state of Colorado and beyond. And it can all be traced back to a single turning point, George’s scholarship to CU Boulder.

Learn more about the gift of a scholarship – or apply for Leeds scholarships here.