Activism in Action: Supporting Public Service Scholarships

Ken and Paula Krane are not strangers to philanthropic giving. They have donated consistently over the years — to many different recipients and always together. 

This time was different. Paula had the surprise of her life when she found out her husband, Ken, had made a gift in her name to the School of Government and Public Policy. “I was flabbergasted and honored,” Paula recalled. 

In honor of Paula’s 80th birthday, Ken set up the Paula Krane Endowment to provide support for junior and senior undergraduates who intern with local, state, and national chapters of the League of Women Voters, or LWV, or other similar nonpartisan organizations. 

Over the years, the Kranes have given each other books as gifts, but after downsizing their home and their bookshelves, Ken was out of ideas for Paula’s recent birthday. 

“I’m the world’s worst gift-giver,” Ken said. “I go shopping and it just doesn’t occur to me what would be a nice gift. This time I thought, ‘let’s do something big.’” 

A lifelong teacher and alumna of UArizona, Paula majored in history, double minored in political science and economics, and earned an M.Ed. in secondary education. She enjoyed history and economics, but it was a political science class with Conrad Joyner that cultivated an enduring interest. A former political science professor who was also a local politician, Joyner served on the Tucson City Council as vice-mayor and later ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Congress. 

“He pushed for activism, which in 1961, wasn’t really a thing,” Paula said. “He would present an issue from both sides — he would show the good and bad things about it and make sure we knew what an issue was actually about.” 

“He was the spark; he got me thinking,” Paula added. 

One semester, Paula worked on a paper about Columbia River water rights. One research source was a pamphlet published by the LWV. She says that was the beginning of her interest in “the League.” 

For the last 55 years, Paula has been a member of the League — a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for voting rights. From 1997 to 2001, she served as the State League President in Oregon, where she and Ken have lived since 1974.

Paula values the LWV for the methodical way it “studies an issue to death,” looking at the pros and cons, the history, and what the outcomes might be. She wants this endowment to give students similar opportunities to learn to navigate issues from different angles. 

“I’m a strong believer that you don’t learn everything in a classroom, and I always say when you go to college you learn to find out where the answers are,” Paula said. 

Ken has a different angle. When students must work multiple jobs to make ends meet, they don’t have time to explore extracurricular learning activities. He hopes the funding will lessen the burden. 

“One of the things we’d love to do with our scholarship is provide students some money so maybe they won’t have to get that second job,” Ken said. “Maybe they can spend a little more time doing the things that we used to enjoy doing on campus as undergraduates.” 

Edella Schlager, director of the School of Government and Public Policy, echoes Ken’s perspective.

“Unfortunately, most internships with public and nonprofit organizations are unpaid, making it costly for students who have to forego income from jobs in order to take an internship,” Schlager said. 

Ken, also a UArizona alumnus and physics professor, says not all disciplines get equal funding and sees the gift as a way to help students explore more opportunities. “If this endowment enables students to work on projects they might not otherwise, I think that’s wonderful,” Ken said.

PUTTING COMMITMENT INTO ACTION 

The Kranes have always prioritized supporting education, even when resources were tight. 

“In those early days, we didn’t have money to give, but we had our time and expertise, so we gave that,” Paula explained. “Later, we had a little more money and we added that element.” 

It’s not surprising that Ken chose to honor Paula’s birthday with a gift that encourages students to act. Her commitment to voter rights advocacy never waned over the years. She says during her tenure as State League President with the LWV, her role as chief petitioner to participate in making Oregon the first state to adopt vote by mail, is one of her proudest accomplishments. 

“All of us enjoy going to vote, so I had mixed reactions when I was asked to be the chief petitioner,” Paula said. “I learned quickly, though, after starting the research that this was the only way to go.”

Like Paula, many SGPP students want to solve problems and make the world a better place. The Krane’s gift will allow students to say ‘yes’ to public service internships and forego worry about how to make ends meet as they gain valuable experience. 

An excellent way for a student to explore a career and make a difference is through an internship — which correlates with higher college completion rates, increased likelihood of securing a preferred career, and higher salaries compared to peers without this experience. 

“The Paula Krane Endowment will have a significant impact on our SGPP students who have a public service orientation,” Schlager said. 

Ken and Paula are eager to maintain connections and hear the success stories that stem from this endowment, as they do with other higher education students and programs they support. 

“It’s always interesting to put a face with a name and meet students each year and talk,” Ken said. “We get to learn their backstories — hear about the roadblocks on the way to getting here.” 

Paula wants to see students learn to minimize obstacles, in college and public service. “If we can help students become more critical thinkers — to think through what’s going to work and not work, then that’s what I’m hoping this endowment will help do.”

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This story was included in the spring 2024 Developments newsletter.