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With a deep commitment to supporting access to higher education and student success and an understanding of the difference that scholarships make in helping students complete their degrees, Duane and Maureen Roen established the Harley and Doris Roen Scholarship at ASU in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, where they are faculty/staff members.

Growing up in rural Wisconsin in the 1920s-1930s, Harley and Doris Roen, Duane's parents, developed strong character traits of independence, stick-to-itiveness, resilience, as well as a concern for others in their community.

The grandson of Norwegian immigrants, Harley first learned English as a second language when he began elementary school. Although he chose to end his formal schooling after eighth grade to turn his focus to farming with his brothers, he has had a lifelong curiosity about the world, a love of learning, and an appreciation for the payoff of an investment in education.

When a barn fire destroyed his livelihood mid-career, he took a job selling Ford cars and, before long, he and Doris bought the dealership, launching an entrepreneurial family business that changed the future course of the Roen family.

Doris, who endured hard times as a child and lost her father to cancer early in her 20s, displayed a lifelong empathy and concern for children facing difficult challenges. She devoted her career to working with children and adults with special needs.

Priority for this award is a student participating in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts early-start program for former foster youth who is enrolled in any academic degree program in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts and who has demonstrated academic stability by maintaining a GPA of at least 2.7.