By Sarah Fuelleman
Norm and Barbara Berven are proud of UW–Madison and its School of Education. Barbara’s eyes shine when she talks about the School’s No. 1 rankings from U.S. News and World Report — its overall standing as the top school of education in the nation and its No. 1 graduate program in rehabilitation counseling, an area close to Norm Berven’s heart.
“We hope that our support may help the School maintain its excellence,” she says.
Norm Berven, an alumnus and professor emeritus in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, decided years ago — along with his late wife, Stella — to make a planned gift through their wills to provide financial support for School of Education students.
“Then we decided we wanted to make a gift while we were still around to see our contributions at work,” he says.
The resulting award, the Norman and Stella Berven Scholarship, supports master’s students in clinical rehabilitation counseling.
After Stella’s passing, Norm connected with Barbara, a longtime friend of his late wife, and they married. Together they established the Stella Stone Berven Great People Scholarship and the Norman Berven and Barbara Mittelstaedt Great People Scholarship, two awards that support undergraduate students in any of the School of Education’s 10 departments.
Simona Laudicina, an elementary education major, has received one of the Berven scholarships in each of her four years at UW–Madison. She says the support has made it possible for her to pursue her “dream career.”
“As a first-generation college student, these awards have given me support both financially and morally,” she told the Bervens. “They have given me the determination to continue to learn and grow. Because of your generosity, I am now more confident in my ability to succeed and give back to my community in the future.”
Following the retirement of their friend and Norm Berven’s former colleague, Fong Chan, the Bervens also created the Fong Chan Award, which provides support to doctoral students in rehabilitation counselor education during their dissertation research. Chan, a renowned scholar and researcher, was the first to hold the title of Norman L. and Barbara M. Professor of Rehabilitation Psychology.
Outside of the School of Education, the Bervens created the Bernard C. Mittelstaedt Scholarship in memory of Barbara’s first husband. That award supports students pursuing internships in personal finance through the School of Human Ecology. Their Berven Family Scholarship also supports a student athlete on the UW women’s volleyball team.
“We know both undergraduate and graduate students, particularly in the School of Education, who have gone out into the world and made positive contributions in their chosen professions,” Barbara Berven says. “The School is worthy of our support and we especially enjoy supporting students.”
For Norm Berven, their gifts allow the School that built the foundation of his success to continue growing and thriving.
“It’s thanks to the School of Education that we are here and able to do this,” he says.