In a recent survey of incoming Virginia\nWestern Community College students, 92 percent reported they planned to work while\npursuing their degree. Nearly a third expected to log at least 20 hours a week,\non top of tackling a full-time or near full-time class load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those financial realities prompted the Virginia Western\nCommunity College Educational Foundation to create an innovative scholarship\nprogram that aims to couple full tuition support with living-expense stipends, career-focused\ncohort activities, mentorships and additional degree-completion incentives. The\nintent is to remove common obstacles facing community college students and to\nhelp them cross the “finish line” to graduation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students\nmay apply for the Fralin Futures STEM-H Scholarship through May 1, 2019. To be\neligible, they must be within two semesters of graduating from Virginia Western\nas of fall 2019, enrolled in a STEM-H program of study and maintain a minimum\n3.0 GPA. The College expects to enroll 10 recipients, called Fralin Futures\nScholars, as a pilot program in fall 2019 – not long after a new $30 million\nSTEM building opens on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nFralin Futures STEM-H Scholarship program is made possible by a $5 million gift\nfrom the Horace G. Fralin Charitable Trust. The donation, initiated in 2013,\nremains the largest-ever single gift to the College, and the largest donation\ndedicated solely to scholarships in the history of the Virginia Community\nCollege System. It established an endowment that will benefit generations of\nRoanoke region students who seek careers in the region’s growing health care\nand life-sciences sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It\nis truly exciting that Virginia Western has been able to provide a quality\neducation to its outstanding students,” said W. Heywood Fralin, a member of the\nEducational Foundation’s Board of Directors and Chairman of Medical Facilities\nof America. “It is because of this\nquality that the Fralin Charitable Trust committed to fund these finish-line scholarships,\nwhich that will provide residents of this region the opportunity to further\ntheir education and position themselves to lead the next generation to great\nsuccess.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nEducational Foundation’s flagship effort is the Community College Access Program\n(CCAP), which draws on public and private support to fund up to three years of\ncollege for recent high school graduates. Founded in 2008, CCAP has provided\ntuition support for nearly 2,500 Roanoke region students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CCAP\nhistorically focused on the “A” – for access – in spreading the message that\ncollege is possible for everyone in the Roanoke region. The Fralin Futures\nSTEM-H program complements CCAP by focusing on a student completing his or her\neducational journey. Unlike CCAP, which serves recent high school graduates,\nFralin STEM-H scholarships are open to students of all ages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We\nbelieve this scholarship will make a real difference for students who have done\nwell at Virginia Western but might be forced to delay graduating because, quite\nsimply, life gets in the way,” said Amanda Mansfield, the Educational Foundation’s\nPhilanthropy Director. “Our older students, in particular, sometimes must\njuggle taking care of their family and going to school. One financial bump in\nthe road can seriously derail an otherwise excellent student.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nrecipient may use the living-expense stipend – which is equal to the tuition\naward each semester – however he or she wishes. “Medical bills, day care expenses, an\nemergency car repair – these are all things that can throw students off track,”\nMansfield said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recipients\nalso may apply the stipend to their future tuition, giving them a financial\nhead start if they plan to transfer to a four-year school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fralin\nFutures Scholars will benefit from organized cohort activities that expose them\nto mentors and employers in the region’s STEM-H fields. The College has\nestablished a partnership with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC\nthat will provide these students a close-up view of the facility’s growth and\npotential career pathways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Virginia\nWestern has been so fortunate to benefit from the vision and commitment of the\nFralin family,” said Dr. Robert H. Sandel, Virginia Western’s President. “They\nunderstand that a key to building a stronger economy is educating our\nworkforce. And they wanted to make a lasting impact that will touch everyone in\nthe region.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To\napply and learn more, go to www.virginiawestern.edu\/FralinScholarships. Or contact\nCarolyn Payne, Scholarship Coordinator at the Virginia Western Community\nCollege Educational Foundation, at cpayne@virginiawestern.edu<\/a>\nor (540) 857-6371. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast Facts about\nSTEM-H at Virginia Western<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The top STEM-H programs, by enrollment: <\/p>\n\n\n\n