Jan. 30, 2006

As part of its 10-year anniversary celebration the Big 12 Conference is spotlighting past recipients of the Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship Program. To be eligible for consideration a student-athlete must have possessed a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, participated in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at the nominating institution, and plan to enroll in graduate school within 15 months of graduation.

This week the Big 12 salutes former University of Colorado student-athletes and Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship winners Liza Negriff and Michael Read.

Negriff, a triple major in International Affairs, Economics and Spanish, also earned CU's Leo Hill Academic Award for community service and academic accomplishments. While competing in intercollegiate athletics, she set a school record in the triple jump. Her postgraduate work included a governmental affairs internship in Chile and Masters Thesis research in Peru. She works in research, transactions and contracts for Stillwater Resources and Investments Inc.

"The Prentice Gautt Memorial Scholarship helped me further my education and to get a position with an outstanding company," she noted. "It has allowed me to travel but to stay based in the Boulder area in my current job."

Michael Read, Colorado.

A four-year member of the Buffaloes' ski team, Read earned a Masters degree in Accounting at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. He is employed in the capital markets/corporate finance division of the Royal Bank of Canada, focusing on equity and debt offering, mergers, and acquisitions within the global energy markets.

"Without the Gautt Memorial Scholarship I would not have had the great opportunities that I have had," he said. "The scholarship provided the opportunity for me to further my educational and career goals and also enticed me to consider additional degrees in the future."

Since 1997 the Dr. Prentice Gautt Scholarship program has funded nearly $700,000 to Big 12 student-athletes for their postgraduate studies.