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Contact: Marilynn Fryer
(517) 796-8466
e-mail: FryerMarilynT@jccmi.edu
07/22/04

JCC Foundation Grants $122,350 in Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of individual and corporate donors, 98 students are being offered scholarship assistance to help pay for tuition and other educational expenses at Jackson Community College this coming year.

"So many of these students simply would not be able to attend college without these scholarships," said Janet Wendt, chair of the Jackson Community College Foundation's Scholarship Committee which made the awards. "I was an instructor here for 33 years before retirement, and I know first-hand how important these funds are to helping those students achieve their educational and career goals."

Many of the scholarships are earmarked for students following a specific area of study. Some are based on financial need, some reward academic excellence, and others are there for students who fall in the "gray area" between qualifying for federal assistance and actually being able to afford higher education costs.

Melissa Benson, a wife and mother of four who had been a stay-at-home mom, returned to college to become a registered nurse after her children went to school. She has received the Vera A. Bassett Nursing Scholarship.

"It's unbelievable. It has really helped us a lot with our expenses," Benson said. She is a student in the JCC/University of Michigan transfer program to earn her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing.

Ken Toll was recently hired as executive director of the JCC Foundation, and refers to it as one of the community's hidden jewels. "The Foundation was created in 1983 to support JCC's efforts toward providing quality, relevant, and accessible educational opportunities for our community. We have quietly built our endowment to nearly $9 million, but it's time for the Foundation to more aggressively raise and release funds. With the steep reductions in public funding and the community's negligence to replace those lost dollars through a millage increase, the need has never been greater; tuition costs have to increase, but these scholarships help us ensure at least some students in need can attend JCC."

While many scholarship funds are created by individuals, corporations also support education through the Foundation. Several years ago TAC Manufacturing established a scholarship for students following various manufacturing technologies, to help ensure they have qualified employees. Enrollment in those programs has dwindled though, and this year TAC responded by approving 21 scholarships for students studying business. "They recognized the serious need we're currently facing, and agreed to broaden their scholarship focus," said Toll.

Other corporations with endowed scholarships include MACI, Foote Hospital, Jackson Citizen Patriot and Flagstar Bank. "These are very smart companies," said Toll. "They not only realize benefits by creating a more educated workforce and strengthening the County's tax base, but their gifts can bring significant tax breaks." Service groups and professional associations have also established scholarships with the Foundation.