Peter L. Lasser and Daniel C. Niemeyer Endowed Scholarship Fund

Selection statement of purpose
Scholarships within the college are awarded to provide financial support based on need, academic achievement, and/or other specified criteria as determined by the fund agreement for Donor/Gift Funded scholarships or the awarding department for Institutional/Departmental scholarships.
The donor sets the criteria for recipient selection (i.e., financial need, field of study). Scholarships are awarded for one academic year. Institutional funded scholarship selection criteria will be determined prior to review and selection of applicants and will be documented annually.
Peter Lasser graduated from the University of Colorado in 1976 with a degree in Communications (RadioTV-Film). His career has included production work on 11 Olympic Games, and wide range of both professional and amateur sports competitions. His worked has been honored with 9 Emmy Awards. In endowing this scholarship, Lasser wrote: “When I arrived in Boulder as a freshman in the fall of 1972 it was my first-time setting foot on campus. My familiarity with the University of Colorado came only
through brochures and the desire to discover a new adventure, leaving behind my New Jersey home. The same curiosity led to my discovery of the Communications Department. Quite a departure for a young man who thought he might be a 4th generation lawyer. My passion for sports merged with an opportunity in media leading to a career of over 40 years in the broadcasting business. I have traveled the world telling stories of athletes and championship competitions – for me my work has never been a
job.”
Dr. Daniel Niemeyer graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, received a master’s degree from Temple University and a PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. His accomplishments include Director of Academic Media at CU Boulder where he also taught in the Communications Department and the School of Journalism. He was the designer of Smart Classrooms at CU, in fact he coined the phrase. Dan consulted with many universities across the country to institute the Smart Classroom concept that included tech ready podiums that were smaller and less of a barrier between professors and the students. Niemeyer ran the Educational Media Center at the University of Colorado when Peter was a student. It was Dan’s guidance and support while teaching video production classes and extra-curricular projects that led to Peter’s heightened interest in pursuing broadcasting as a career.
Dan and Peter remained connected for over 40 years after Peter’s graduation, and they shared their experiences in a connection that extended beyond their academic association at CU.

Selection Criteria
Applications are reviewed holistically, and selection criteria may include, but is not limited to, academic record, leadership experience, extracurricular involvement, community service, employment, essays, and in some cases, financial need as determined by the FAFSA/CASFA.
Essays: Quality of writing and content are weighed heavily.
Financial Need: The FAFSA and the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (“CASFA”) are the mechanisms approved for calculating financial need for need-based scholarship awarding.