INSPIRED BY COMPUTER SCIENCE ROCKSTARS

SCOTT GROSENICK is a “Double Dawg” with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees from Computing & Software Systems programs in the School of STEM.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 2000, Grosenick moved into a career as a software engineer. He returned to
UW Bothell a decade later as a graduate student, and with years of experience under his belt, he said he could appreciate the depth of knowledge of professors whom he likened to the rockstars of their fields.

He recalls people such as Dr. Kelvin Sung, who worked on CGI software used in Hollywood movies, and Dr. Bill Erdly, whose research developed vision therapy games for children. “My first class with Professor Erdly was one of those moments where I felt like I was taking guitar lessons from Jimi Hendrix,” Grosenick said.

Working with the professors was an enriching experience, he added. “You’re not just going to the concert. You’re asking them questions and having them look at your work. That was just amazing.”

One lecture from Erdly made a particular impact on Grosenick — and the talk wasn’t about computers. “He joked to our class that one day we might come back and fund a building or start a scholarship,” Grosenick said. “And since then, it’s been in the back of my mind.”

During the pandemic, that idea resurfaced as he asked himself if he was living up to his principles. He wondered, “If this is the end, would I be satisfied with all I’ve done?”

Grosenick had always been a firm believer in the power of higher education. His grandmother grew up on a farm, one of 13 siblings, and she was the only one to graduate from high school. While Grosenick was in high school, he watched his mother get her bachelor’s degree, and his father instilled in him that higher education was important. “I believe that education is the key to people taking a big step up in quality of life for themselves and their families,” Grosenick said. “I’ve seen what it has done in my life. And once you have it, you can never lose it.”

With that set of motivations, last year Grosenick established a new endowment for students of CSS. He understands the struggles some students go through when it comes to taking on debt for college.

Grosenick said he is committed to using his philanthropy to provide access to higher education “if it means that somebody can go [to school] who would normally not. That’s like making the world a better place, one person at a time.”

Every school at UW Bothell has rockstar faculty members. Give to one of our five schools by clicking here.