Thompson Working Families Scholarship Program Impacts 580 Students in Five Years at MTU

In the five years since the partnership between Michigan Technological University and the Michigan-based Thompson Foundation began, the number of Michigan Tech students participating in the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program has skyrocketed from four in the first cohort in fall 2020 to 460 in fall 2025. Since its inception, the program has impacted a total of 580 students as a result of student success and the Thompson Foundation’s corresponding increased support.

The scholarship program was established by the Thompson Foundation in 2011 as a pilot program at Grand Valley State University. Ellen Thompson — a former teacher — along with her husband Bob Thompson, envisioned a scholarship program to help high-achieving students overcome financial barriers to higher education and prepare them for meaningful careers and community-centered lives. 

The funding formula in the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program is the same at each partner school. It differs from most other college scholarships because it requires “skin in the game” from multiple parties. Thompson Scholars, as student recipients are called, receive a total of $11,000 each year, covering much of their tuition. The Thompson Foundation funds $5,500 and the partner university must match that funding dollar for dollar. The student covers any remaining cost of attendance.

Michigan Tech is the program’s newest partner school, joining Grand Valley State University, Saginaw Valley State University and Bowling Green State University in Ohio (the Thompsons’ alma mater). An impetus for establishing the scholarship at Michigan Tech was Bob Thompson’s desire to pay tribute to alumni Rollin A. Jones (deceased) and James E. Lindstrom, both of whom had tremendous careers at Thompson-McCully, a paving company founded by Bob Thompson that employed hundreds. 

When Bob Thompson sold the business in 1999, he shared nearly one-third of the profits with his employees, including Jones and Lindstrom. The remaining sale proceeds were used to establish the Thompson Foundation. At Michigan Tech, the Thompson Working Families Scholarship Program is also referred to as the Rollin A. Jones and James E. Lindstrom Working Families Scholarship. Lindstrom, a former member and current advisor of the Thompson Foundation board, remains an active alum at Tech.

The Michigan Tech program is funded each year based on the students meeting the Thompson Foundation requirements: maintaining a minimum 2.5 GPA, taking credit hours that qualify them as full-time students, and completing 20 hours of community service per year. The deadline for students to apply for the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program at Michigan Tech is Feb. 15, 2026, for both incoming first-year students, transfer students and current first-year Achievers.

One Achiever recipient is Maci Dostaler, a senior software engineering major from nearby Lake Linden. She feared she would need to leave Michigan Tech for financial reasons and continue her studies at the local community college until she became aware of and applied for the Thompson Working Families Scholarship.

“This scholarship lessened the financial burden of tuition and fees, allowing me to focus more on academics and opportunities to volunteer, be involved on campus, and develop professionally,” Dostaler said. “The investment made in students like me creates opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom. The Thompson Working Families Scholarship program allowed me to afford college while maintaining direct ties to the causes important to my community. As a local student, I am proud to say that the impact made by the foundation truly benefits our home because students can now pursue academics and make meaningful contributions to others, instead of worrying about how to afford higher education."

According to Nicole Piazza, Michigan Tech’s Thompson Scholars director, the rewards go beyond financial assistance for many Thompson Scholars.

“It’s really helping to build a strong sense of belonging among Thompson Scholars eager to be part of — and contribute to — what we are shaping as ‘The Thompson Experience,’” Piazza said. “We also have a newly organized student organization, Thompson Scholars Association, led solely by students to make it easier for other Thompson Scholars to come together for specific service projects as well as camaraderie. As the number of Thompson Scholars has grown, so has the program’s momentum. Students are stepping into leadership roles, creating new opportunities to serve, and forming a supportive student network. It’s inspiring to see this community grow in such meaningful ways over a relatively short period of time.”

The Thompson Working Families Scholarship program recently gained dedicated space inside the Alumni House on campus, where Piazza and her staff have more options to meet with and counsel students and plan programs and events, which have included group service projects at the Keweenaw Industrial Works and a City of Hancock fall cleanup. A student lounge in the space provides students with a welcoming place to meet with staff, study, enjoy refreshments and prepare for exams.

Thompson Foundation Program Manager Curt Little works closely with all the partner schools and praises the spirit of the program at Michigan Tech for its five-year growth success.

“Increasing the number of students receiving the Thompson Working Families scholarship at Michigan Tech was not a difficult choice,” Little said. “Michigan Tech has quickly created a community where financial support is paired with required community service and a sense of belonging. Our partnership reflects a shared belief that education should enable students to not only succeed academically but to lead with purpose and give back. We should also acknowledge Jim Lindstrom, whose leadership has been a key component of the success and growth of the program at Michigan Tech.”

When the Thompson Foundation sunsets in 2033, it is projected that more than 13,000 Thompson Scholars will have been supported through the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program.

About the Thompson Foundation
Established in 1999 by Robert and Ellen Thompson, the Michigan-based Thompson Foundation forms partnerships with higher education to provide scholarships that have well defined requirements. The Thompson Foundation works with its designated partner schools to provide an education that ultimately prepares students for meaningful careers and community-centered lives. Learn more at the website.