Romeoville, Illinois, July 20, 2018 – Christian Brothers Services recently awarded Lewis University student Olivia Major with the Brother William L. Walz FSC Endowed Scholarship for the 2018-2019 academic school year.
In 2010, Christian Brothers Services established the scholarship in memory of Brother Walz (1941-2010), honoring him for his years of service and dedication to the Christian Brothers and CBS. The scholarship is awarded annually to a Lewis University senior in Computer Science or the College of Business who has a GPA of 2.75+, and has demonstrated leadership activities during their college career.
In awarding the scholarship, Brother Michael Quirk, FSC, Ed.D, president and CEO of Christian Brothers Services recalls the long-standing ties with Lewis University where Christian Brothers Services was first formed some 58 years ago, as well as the strong relationship Brother Walz maintained with the school. Brother Walz received his MBA from Lewis University and served as its bursar for four years before being named president/CEO of Christian Brothers Services.
“When we created this scholarship we felt it was very important to us that it made a meaningful impact and rather than split the scholarship into five recipients, we wanted to ensure a significant amount for a sole winner,” said Brother Michael.
Thanks to successful endowment, the scholarship has grown from an annual award of $4,000 to nearly $6,500 and clearly made an impact on Major, a 2014 Romeoville High School graduate, who chose Lewis University because it was close to home.
Due to the state’s inability to fund promised MAP grants, Major’s financial aid was revoked , forcing her to take a semester off. She has since picked up a full-time job to help with the cost of tuition, easing the load on her father who is now single-handedly assisting the start of her sister’s college career.
“This goes a long way in taking the weight off my shoulders,” said Major, who is pursuing a degree in marketing . “I almost cried when I found out—OK, I actually did a bit.”
Major joins past Brother William L. Walz scholarship recipients Krystal Le, Marek Blizinski, Jason Giron, Ian Ziarko, Ryan O’Keefe, Ross Goers and Yesenia Gonzalez. - About Christian Brothers Services
Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Romeoville, Illinois, Christian Brothers Services is a nonprofit, Catholic organization that administers cooperative programs in the areas of health, retirement, property/casualty, and technology as well as financial, administrative and Catholic school consulting to church congregations, organizations and dioceses internationally.
About Catholic School Management
Founded in 1973, NCEA Financial Consulting Services focused exclusively on finance and development consulting services for Catholic school and diocesan administrators. In 1979 demand for a broader scope of services resulted in the creation of Catholic School Management (CSM). In 2014, Christian Brothers Services acquired CSM's growing operations, making CBS the national leader in consultative guidance for Catholic schools. CSM's team of experts represents more than 500 years of experience in the education field with a focus on strategy, planning and leadership.
About BMT
Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Tarrytown, New York, Brenner, McDonagh & Tortolani, Inc., BMT Management and Financial Consultants was acquired by Christian Brothers Services in 2017. Providing premier consulting services to 280 religious institutes and many sponsored ministries in need of assistance, BMT offers the management of daily operations, including accounting and financial management, benefits eligibility management, human resources, investment consulting and real estate planning and sustainability studies.