Helping Heroes: SCC Offers Scholarships For Military Families

(SCC) is now offering a way to help the families that stand beside their military men and women.

Starting with the 2012-13 school year, the college will provide scholarships for eligible military family members.

To qualify for scholarship, students must be a legally dependent son, daughter or spouse of a current military service member or an honorably discharged veteran.

SCC Financial Assistance Counselor Tomi Schwandt said the scholarship is a tuition waiver at the in-district tuition rate, which is currently $85 per credit hour.  

“So the amount of the scholarship varies based on the number of credit hours the recipient enrolls in, she said. “If a student takes 12 hours (full-time) in the fall and spring, then the award amount is $1,020 per term or $2,040 for the year. If a student lives out of district, they would pay the difference between in district and out of district rates ($43).”

As much as $25,000 will be awarded in the scholarships annually. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is April 2 for the 2012-13 academic year.

The scholarship is renewable as long as students pass six credit hours with 2.5 GPA each semester.

Schwandt is no stranger to military families.

Her husband has been in the military for 13 years. She said since started working at SCC in September, she’s met a lot of veterans hoping to sign up for classes.

“A few times a week have vets come in, recently out of the military and wanting to use their benefits as SCC, so I get a lot of face to face contact with our veteran students,” she said.

SCC President Ron Chesbrough said the idea for establishing the scholarship came up a few months ago, during a discussion with the college financial aid staff.

“We ended up talking about the fact that on occasion, in some years, we end up not awarding some of the dollars that we have available. So I asked the question, well, is there a group that we can benefit with these scholarship dollars,” Chesbrough said.

Schwandt answered without hesitation: military families.

“We talked about that fact that veterans coming home now are largely covered for their education costs through other sources, and that’s when Tomi suggested families,” Chesbrough said.

He also said, he expects with the recent conclusion of some military operations in the Middle East, that Missouri will see an influx of military families returning home.

Schwandt said a lot of the veterans that come to her office are coming out of military careers and settling down for the first time with their families.

 “It’s a great opportunity to be able to offer their families, who have also served, in different capacities, but have made many sacrifices,” she said. “So it’s nice to be able to have them in my office and share with the community that we can offer their family something to meet those educational goals.”

Candidates for the military family scholarship are required to:

• have at least a 3.0 GPA
• 2700 on their GED
• or 23 on their ACT

Candidates should fill out an application and send in a copy of their transcripts as well as a  letter of recommendation.

Schwandt said the initial deadline is April 2, 2012, but just like all board of trustees scholarships, the deadline may be extended to June if not all funds are awarded.

The new scholarship will be introduced along with the new “military one-stop shop” in the college’s Enrollment Services Department, where students will receive financial and academic guidance from one counselor beginning in time for the 2012 fall semester enrollment period.

“So now it’s one place where a veteran can come and they see me and I help them with the admissions process, getting enrolled in classes and also using their education benefits they have, rather than having to go from person to person,” Schwandt said.

For more information about the SCC Board of Trustees “Honoring Military Families” Scholarship, visit the website. For information on other SCC scholarships, click here.