Brittingham Viking Organization
 | |
| Abbreviation | BVO |
|---|---|
| Formation | |
| Founder | Thomas E. Brittingham, Jr. |
Region | United States, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland |
| Website | brittinghamvikings |
The Brittingham Viking Organization (BVO; often referred to as The Vikings) is an international scholarship organization based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, composed of past and current recipients of the Brittingham Viking Scholarship. The group, which traces its earliest roots back to 1952, started as a scholarship for Scandinavian men to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and travel throughout the United States. The organization has since expanded to allow select students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to travel to Nordic countries as students. The American members of the organization select these eight scholars every year for travel scholarships to Scandinavia in either Copenhagen, Denmark, Oslo, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden or Helsinki, Finland. The European members select seven scholars for either year-long or summer scholarships to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It was the dream of Thomas E. Brittingham, Jr. to create a scholarship that transcends the boundaries between countries and cultures. Since the 1950s, the organization has continued this dream, growing to over 300 Vikings worldwide, with members representing every industry and profession.
The results of the Viking Programs will prove to be far more permanent and everlasting, as the ripples of influence expand in ever enlarging circles, than any granite tombstone with which they might mark my grave in the years to come.
— Thomas E. Brittingham, 1955
References
- "HISTORIC MADISON, INC., THE., Thomas E. Brittingham Jr.", Wisconsin Historical Society, Mark Gajewski, President Of The Society
- "Brittingham Viking Organization Home Page", Matt Anderson
- "Thomas Brittingham, Jr.", UW Archives and Records Management
- "Brittingham Rune Stone", Lakeshore Nature Preserve