By Ben Markley
The college’s Foundation awarded over $911,000 worth of scholarships to students, a 39 percent increase from the previous year.
Kate Allen, executive director of Institutional Advancement, said that much of the increase was due to simplifying the application process.
“Now when applying for the FAFSA [Free Application for Student Aid], students become eligible for any scholarship,” Allen said. “They just need to fill out a new form. It’s really streamlined scholarships that way.”
Kristin McDaniel, scholarship coordinator, said there were about 241 different scholarships: 92 based on need, 88 based on merit or talent, and 61 based on both. She said that about 840 students received scholarships with an average, general scholarship award of $1,400. Many other scholarships were awarded in addition to the Foundation’s $911,000.
Allen said that the number of applicants jumped from 1,000 to 3,000 after implementing the new application system.
“It’s helped us to award some chronically unmatched scholarships,” she said.
McDaniel said Some Enchanted Evening, an annual black-tie gala, is vital to scholarship development. Attendees buy sponsorships, a portion of which goes to an endowment, which is used to create scholarships.
“Some Enchanted Evening is the beginning and basis of the scholarship program, and it’s our steady income for scholarships,” McDaniel said.
Some Enchanted Evening will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year and has raised over $525,000, making it the biggest year ever.
McDaniel said that one of the biggest challenges with donors is trying to make scholarships as accessible as possible.
“[Donors] usually have an incredible desire to help a certain population,” McDaniel said. “We’re trying to get them to realize that if they really want to help a student, they have to be less restricted.”
Chris Christensen, director of Financial Aid, said that the college helps keep donors and encourage more donations through its policy that asks students to write “thank you” cards to the donor of their scholarship.
“It brings that donor’s giving full circle,” Christensen said.
Christensen said the economic downturn has increased the need for financial aid.
“The economy has forced more people back into education,” Christensen said. “Hopefully, we’re helping some of those students.”
McDaniel said that economic hardship has not fazed donors.
“I haven’t seen so many incredibly generous people as I’ve seen in the last year,” McDaniel said.
Allen said that the Foundation will continue to work to keep scholarship distribution high.
“The key to scholarships is access,” Allen said. “It’s unfortunate that college is as expensive as it is, and if we can eliminate the financial barrier for students willing to work, that’s great.”
Christensen said that students should be aware of the variety of scholarships available for students.
“I think a misnomer that students have is that scholarships are only for smart people,” Christensen said. “That’s not true.”
McDaniel said that the biggest challenge besides donor criteria is getting students to take scholarship opportunities.
“The key thing about this article should be, ‘Apply,'” McDaniel said.
Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.