Menno and Mildred Neubert Harms Scholarship

Scholarship Criteria: At the time of the award, eligible student recipients shall be enrolled as full-time students. Preferably, the student is a resident of Oklahoma or Faribault, Minnesota. Students shall represent and demonstrate the high ideals of the Mission, Vision, and Values of the University of Northwestern.

Scholarship Story:

Menno and Mildred Neubert Harms established this endowed scholarship to support future generations of Northwestern students. Their children later expanded that legacy by creating the annually funded scholarship known as the Neubert/Harms/Nelson/Swedberg Grant in 2001. Around 2003, these two scholarship funds were combined into a single endowed scholarship, creating a lasting source of support for students for generations to come.

The grant owed its existence to the determination and dedication of Frederick W. Neubert (born 1876) and Eva Katherine Brandenburger Neubert (born 1877), who lived near Faribault, Minnesota, and were committed to providing their children with an education in a Christian environment (something that their children deeply desired). Ultimately, the Neuberts would see their second son, George W. Neubert, and second, third, and fourth daughters, Mildred E. (Class of 1935), Winifred M., and Alma K., attend Northwestern in the 1930s. George W. became a full-time Baptist minister, retiring in 1976, and again in 1982.

Mildred E. married Menno Harms, another Northwestern student from Cordell, Oklahoma, who became a Baptist minister. Winifred M. married Kenneth E. Nelson, also a Northwestern student, who became a Baptist minister retiring in 1972. Alma K. married Harold “Bud” Swedberg and returned to the Faribault area to raise her family with her bricklayer/farmer husband. The oldest Neubert children, W. Fred Neubert and Adeline H. (Piehpo), remained in the Faribault-Owatonna areas raising their children on family farms. The oldest son, W. Fred Neubert, married Wanda Mohler, and Wanda’s twin sister, Juanita, married George W. in a double wedding.

By the grace of God, these extended families have multiplied and prospered, and because of that prosperity, and as a tribute to the elder Neuberts and their faithful children, this award is offered to a Northwestern student from Oklahoma or the Faribault area. The hope is that future student recipients will use the award as a vehicle to further the cause of Christ, because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).