by STEVE JORDAN
Separated by time, Dick Holland and Da’Von George are connected by their shared passion for art and communications — the late Richard D. Holland, Omaha advertising man and Omaha University art graduate, and George, a future graphic designer.
Another connection: George is an inaugural recipient of a scholarship created by the family foundation of Dick Holland and his wife, Mary. He will complete his bachelor’s degree in December at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media.
The Holland Foundation’s gift adds $2.5 million to a scholarship fund it initially created in 2023 that supports UNO students studying arts and communication. The UNO Richard Holland Endowed Scholarship Fund helps students like George, who is the first in his family to go to college and serves as a role model in his community. George coaches basketball and mentors boys in Omaha’s NorthStar program, which aims to support young men in North Omaha.
“A lot of these kids are asking me how to find scholarships and other questions about college,” he said. “It’s always good to get it into their heads that college is an option.”
George said he is grateful for the support he received from the Holland Foundation. “It is so meaningful for me to not have the financial burden,” George said. “I feel honored to be an inaugural recipient of this scholarship.”
Melissa Berke, Ph.D., associate dean of the UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media, said affording college is nearly impossible for some students. “We talk about the economic mobility that a college education provides,” she said, “and to have scholarships that provide that opportunity for students to graduate without enormous amounts of debt is amazing.”
The Holland Scholarship recipients, in turn, will impact their classmates, she said.
“The collaboration that happens between students who may not be as advantaged can broaden everyone’s lifetime experiences.”
