Webster County Students Will Benefit from Expanded Scholarship Awards

MADISONVILLE, Ky. Several Webster County residents who have long standing histories supporting education have decided to fund an expansion of local scholarship opportunities through annual, multi-year awards in anticipation of a local endowment drive to begin within the next 18 months.

Judge Tommy and Bonita Chandler, Dr. Wayne and Billie Cole, and Dr. Karen Chandler and her husband Tracy Marks (who reside in Houston) have announced that they will establish a $25,000 scholarship fund at Madisonville Community College --- specifically for residents of Webster County. The scholarships will be awarded over a four-year period, with $5,500-6,200 reserved for calendar years 2010 through 2013. The group hopes that by the end of 2013 an endowment program will have been successfully established that can earn at least $12,000 annually for graduates of Webster County High School. At this point MCC anticipates offering four $1,200 awards and one $1,400 award each year.

Mrs. Cole and Judge Chandler are members of the Madisonville College Foundation, an advisory group of 17 volunteers whose purpose is to identify and raise private funds and public awareness for MCC. Both have seen the college s scholarship program continue to increase in the number of awards offered such as the existing endowment program in neighboring Crittenden County.

A local scholarship program, especially a permanent one, is invaluable for the economic and educational stability of Webster County, Judge Chandler stated. Our neighbors in Marion have established a fund that offers nine to 12 endowed scholarships each year. I think it is up to our local leadership to see that our graduates and also adults returning to school have opportunities to help them get a college education.

My daughter Karen and her husband Tracy are graduates of Webster County High School, so we have a vested interest in this, he said. We look forward to making our endowment drive successful over the next five years. It will stay here permanently to help Webster Countians, and with sound investment practices can grow to counteract tuition increases.

Ten Webster County residents who attend Madisonville Community College currently receive some type of monetary award through the college s scholarship office. Specific scholarships range from valedictorian scholarships, scholarships made available through the Owen Badgett Awards Fund, commonwealth scholarships, and private awards such as those generated through the Partners in Progress Scholarship Endowment. There are also several scholarships designated specifically for nursing students, allied health majors and those enrolled in applied technology programs.

For more information on Webster County scholarships, please contact Martha Phelps at 824-8591 or John Peters at 824-8593. Peters plans for a full complement of awards to begin in fall 2010.