Nick, Kimberly Calamos establish endowment

Nick Calamos offered words of wisdom and encouragement to liberal arts students during his commencement address on the SIUC campus in May. He and his wife, Kimberly, have now established a $50,000 scholarship endowment with the SIU Foundation to support educational endeavors of current and future students.

Nick P. Calamos

The Nick P. and Kimberly K. Calamos College of Liberal Arts Endowed Scholarship Fund will honor full-time undergraduate students who are of either junior or senior class standing on an annual basis. Applicants must have declared a major in an academic discipline within the College of Liberal Arts at SIUC. Preference will be given to students who are able to demonstrate an active interest and participation (through academic study and/or professional involvement) in business entrepreneurship.

In addition, applicants must be in good standing with the University and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Calamos, who received the college's Alumni Achievement Award, is senior executive vice president and head of investments for Calamos Asset Management Inc., in Naperville. The 1983 SIUC economics graduate, who has spearheaded Calamos Investments for 15 years, has generated more than $44 billion in assets.

Rickey N. McCurry, vice chancellor for institutional advancement and CEO of the SIU Foundation, says the Calamos gift exhibits devotion to the University and its students.

"Nick and Kimberly Calamos value education and its importance in the lives of young people. This endowment demonstrates support of liberal arts students who, like the Calamos family, are committed to a high standard of excellence," McCurry said.

"We appreciate their ongoing loyalty to SIU Carbondale and our students."

Alan Vaux, interim dean for the College of Liberal Arts, said: "Nick's commitment to the University is longstanding. We are delighted that Nick and Kimberly are encouraging our students to thrive well into the future through this endowment."

Calamos, who also holds a master's degree in finance from Northern Illinois University, is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He authored a book entitled "Convertible Arbitrage: Insights and Techniques for Successful Hedging" in 2003, which is used as a textbook in a number of investment management curriculums.

For more information about the scholarship, contact Jill Gobert, director of development for the College of Liberal Arts, at 453-4563 or jgobert@siu.edu.

- Greg Scott