Foundation’s $1 million donation boosts technical college’s student aid

The Windgate Foundation donated $1 million to University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, creating the largest scholarship endowment the college has ever received and almost doubling the amount of scholarships the college grants its students.

The scholarship will come from the interest accrued by the $1 million, which officials hope will accumulate to about $40,000 yearly, said Michele Grainger, the college’s foundations finance manager.

“It’s a game changer for us because it’s almost doubling what we’re offering,” Grainger said.

At the college, yearly tuition is about $5,000, with instate credit hours at $132.73 and out-of-state credit hours at $172.55, Chancellor Margaret Ellibee said.

School administrators are still determining how the scholarship will be divided, as the scholarships could cover either students’ entire tuition expenses or portions of the costs, Grainger said. The scholarship will become available starting in the fall of 2019.

“It will help pay for their education at this institution,” Ellibee said.

The Windgate Foundation’s new endowment — the Windgate Foundation General Scholarship Endowment — sits at $1 million. The next-largest scholarship endowment is at $125,000, Grainger said.

The Windgate scholarship will be available to all students regardless of which degree or certification they are pursuing and is available to incoming and current students, Ellibee said. Additionally, full-time and part-time students will be able to apply for the scholarship. Pulaski Tech’s students take about 11 credit hours on average, Ellibee said.

While collegiate officials are still establishing specific criteria for students to receive the scholarship, Grainger said she expects students to follow guidelines similar to other scholarships the college offers. A student will apply for the scholarship and write a 300-word essay. Based on the applications, administrators will then call students in for interviews and determine the recipients based on the interviews.

Pulaski Technical College is a two-year institution with an enrollment of about 5,500 students, Ellibee said, adding that many of the students obtain general education associate degrees and then transfer to four-year institutions.

The new scholarship will be available to those students. Grainger said students at the college are often the first in their families to go to college, and many work at full- or part-time jobs while attending school.