FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Steve Vehorn Phone: (804) 523-5230 E-Mail: svehorn@reynolds.edu
NEW JSRCC SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR IN-COMING STUDENTS
RICHMOND, Va (January 11, 2006) - J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) are now recruiting first-year community college students for their initial Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program.
Three JSRCC students (one from each campus) will be given up to $3,000 for a full year of tuition, books and fees. This unique opportunity will be available at JSRCC and each of the other 22 community colleges – one scholarship at each of the VCCS 40 campuses – for students starting in the fall of 2006. The naming of the first 40 Legacy Scholars will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Virginia Community College System’s creation in 1966.
The goal of the Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program is to increase access to higher education. “My vision is that any student who wishes to attend college should be able to do so,” said VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois. “Virginia’s community colleges are a great access point for thousands of Virginians and their families, and this scholarship program could very well be the key to a better and brighter future for them.”
Students selected for the merit-based scholarships will be full-time, associate degree-seeking students attending college for the first time who have demonstrated academic excellence during high school as well as a commitment to develop their leadership skills.
The scholars must have plans to graduate from a Virginia community college and will be part of a program that will promote community college education. In addition, the first class of scholars selected for fall 2006 would become mentors to future Legacy Scholars.
“The Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program has been established through the generosity of a number of private donors to the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE),” says Dr. Jennifer L. Sager, vice chancellor for institutional advancement for the VCCS. “This program will create a continuous stream of scholarship recipients who in each successive year become mentors to a new class of Scholars – providing a legacy for years to come of community college graduates extending opportunity to future students.”
The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education was established to help turn imagination into reality for the thousands of Virginians who dream of going to college. Working hand-in-hand with Virginia’s 23 community colleges, the Foundation seeks to guarantee financial assistance to all those who want a college education.
The deadline for applications will be March 31, 2006. Scholarships are expected to be announced in May 2006. For more information about the Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program, contact JSRCC Scholarship Coordinator Rose M. Liggan at 804/523-5084 or rliggan@jsr.vccs.edu. For additional information on JSRCC, visit www.reynolds.edu.
Serving over 17,000 students annually, JSRCC is the youngest and third largest of 23 community colleges in Virginia. The College consists of three campuses to serve residents in the City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan and Louisa.
