HCC Launches New Scholarships, Builds on Established Support

By Susan Kim, STAFF WRITER



Howard Community College's (HCC) many scholarship programs are helping increasing numbers of students. Among the newest HCC scholarships are the Beverly White-Seals Scholarship and a National Science Foundation (NSF) scholarship program for students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The White-Seals scholarship was established by the Howard County General Hospital professional staff to thank White-Seals for her many years of service as chair of the hospital board.

White-Seals said she was "thrilled and humbled" by the announcement of the scholarship. She chose to focus the scholarship on students in HCC's Career Links program, which is designed to help single parents who want to further their education and advance their careers by enrolling in HCC.

"I wanted to encourage single parents to get into the health care industry," said White-Seals. "I wanted to help men and women who might be struggling to enter whatever specialty field they choose."

The scholarship - which began just a few weeks ago with $10,000 from the hospital professional staff - is open for contributions from residents and businesses. Funds will be available within a month for participants in the Career Links program who are majoring in a health care field, have a minimum 2.5 grade point average, are Howard County residents and have financial need.

In addition to financial support, scholarship recipients may be eligible to schedule a day in the hospital with professional staff.

White-Seals said she looks forward to seeing the difference the scholarship makes in people's lives. "I hope I get a chance to meet the candidates this year," she said.



NSF Offers Grant

Another new HCC scholarship has been made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Scholarships are available for financially eligible full-time students majoring in the STEM fields beginning in fall 2008. HCC leadership is hoping this new program will help address the regional demand for skilled high tech personnel by attracting and retaining today's students to be tomorrow's problem-solvers.

NSF offers STEM scholarships to a variety of colleges and universities across the United States, and HCC is now one of those partner colleges, said NSF spokesperson Bobby Mixon.

"One of the original reasons NSF was created was to assist America in the development of science and technology, and certainly science and technology education is a part of that," he said.

The NSF scholarship recipients will be part of a STEM learning community at HCC that features mentors, speakers, career exploration and planning, internships and community service, and cultural experiences related to their major.

Scholarships are open to currently enrolled and incoming HCC students majoring in bioinformatics, biotechnology, computer science, engineering, environmental science, life sciences, mathematics or physical sciences. Eligibility criteria include financial need, a minimum grade point average of 2.8, full-time enrollment, citizenship status, completion of a one-credit seminar every term and participation in scholarship program activities.



Scholarships Often Forge Relationships

Scholarships are about money, but they're also about building career networks. Often a scholarship enables a student to form valuable relationships at HCC and with area businesses.

The White-Seals scholarship is a reflection of its namesake's passion for reaching out to the community. "As hospital board chair, Beverly White-Seals was all over the place working to benefit the wider community. She was dedicated to education and cultural diversity," said Jan Hines, director of development at the Howard Hospital Foundation. "And so the scholarship is open to others to contribute on her behalf."

Similarly, NSF staff often build relationships with students that help the students and employers alike. "Many of the program managers and the folks employed by NSF are college professors who have relationships with students all over the country," said Mixon.

Sometimes, he added, NSF scholarship recipients eventually end up working for NSF themselves.



Community Support Is Growing

Besides the two newest scholarships, HCC has an array of other new scholarships as well. Many were established through the contributions of sponsors from the 2007 Columbia Classic Grand Prix, an equestrian event that is the college's major fundraiser.

The Ascend One Corporation, Ayers Saint Gross, Don Dixon Aquatic Training and General Growth Properties are just a few of the businesses that have most recently sponsored scholarships.

In addition, the Charles and Dolores Klein Memorial Scholarship will support students as well. The Van Winkle Family Endowment as well as the Sharon Schmickley Faculty Fund for International Travel are not available to students and faculty this year but are open for donations.

Meanwhile, established HCC partners such as the McCuan Family Foundation Endowment continue their loyal support for the college.

The number of scholarships available for HCC students is steadily growing, said Missy Mattey, executive director of the HCC Educational Foundation. "I really feel like we're so lucky with the support we get from the community."

Mattey can quickly list even more incoming scholarships and other support for students: "We got a $5,000 grant from the Women's Giving Circle for our continuing education programs. We've got two $5,000 contributions from Constellation Energy Group in the pipeline as well. We're truly blessed."