Caelan Dean, a senior at Andover High School, has won the 2016 Wichita State University Clay Barton Scholarship.

He will receive $12,000 a year for four years to attend Wichita State. The $48,000 Barton Scholarship – up from $44,000 last year – is one of the largest business scholarships in the state.

Dean, who plans to major in economics, is involved in debate, forensics, marching band and concert band, and scholars bowl. He is a four-time qualifier to the state debate championships and a three-time qualifier to the state forensics championships, as well as a competitor in the 2014 National Championship for Speech and Forensics.

Community activities Dean takes part in include Friends of August, Street Outreach, Habitat for Humanity and Kids Network.

“Caelan has what it takes to continue the Barton Scholar legacy,” said Dotty Harpool, a member of the scholarship committee. “His superior academic, leadership and communication skills are exactly what we look for in a Barton Scholar.”

Barton Scholarship history

In 1991, the late Rent-A-Center co-founder W. Frank Barton, who provided the naming endowment for WSU's Barton School of Business, established a scholarship in his son Clay’s name.

Clay Barton died from cancer in 1988 at the age of 20, cutting his promising life short. While the Clay Barton Scholarship does not substitute for Clay’s presence, it is a powerful legacy.

This legacy speaks to the richness of the Barton tradition here at Wichita State. Barton Scholars are expected to be the “best of the best,” excelling in academics, leadership and service, fitting the pieces of their lives intricately into a structure that has lasting value. The candidates face a rigorous set of challenges in competing for the Clay Barton Scholarship.