Steve Whitener hasn’t forgotten the support he received as a business student at UM-Flint in the 1970s. Though he worked 32-40 hours a week at Kroger, he still struggled to pay for college, not to mention such basics as groceries, gasoline, and rent.
University officials helped Whitener land a series of scholarships back then, and he was able to graduate and start his career. Whitener recently expressed his gratitude to the university with a $750,000 donation to the UM-Flint School of Management. The donation enabled the school to establish the Stephen A. Whitener Scholarship for Innovators.
Whitener Scholars will be School of Management students; preference will be given to those who already have started a business or who show a serious intent or interest in creating one. The first Whitener Scholar is Nicholas Matties.
