Idaho State Alumnus Establishes New Scholarship Endowment for Accounting Students

The Idaho State College of Business has received a new scholarship endowment from alumnus, Michael Mather. The Michael Mather Scholarship Endowment will benefit junior or senior level students majoring in accounting who have a GPA of 3.0 and are Idaho residents. 

Originally from Boise, Mather spent four and a half years in Pocatello attending Idaho State University as an accounting student, and three years in Seattle working for the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. In between his studies at Idaho State, he played basketball and varsity tennis and joined the business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi. 

After graduation Mather was hired by Ernst & Ernst, a CPA firm in Boise, and obtained his CPA license to have a career in financial management, where he would spend the next six years working as a CPA. After that, he spent many years working at various companies, with his last place of employment at Boise State University as the Director of Finance for Advancement. Since then, he has now been retired for 15 years and currently resides in Boise. 

Mather has established two scholarships at Boise State and decided to establish one at Idaho State as well.

“Having seen the positive effect some financial help can be for students while working in advancement, I just thought this was a very positive thing that I would do,” said Mather. “Idaho State has kept in touch with me through various publications over time and I felt it was time to contact my alma mater and see what could be put in place.”

“I know that the costs of higher education are so high now as compared to the time I got my degree," he said. "I am a strong believer that the time and effort put into getting a degree is the best and most productive thing a person can do for themself. As little help in getting their degree and cut down on worries and stress about having to work more and study less.”  

"All of us in the ISU College of Business are thankful to Michael Mather for establishing this permanently endowed scholarship which will benefit our Accounting students forever," said College of Business Dean Shane Hunt.