Oregon’s 17 community colleges have been invited to outpace their fundraising for student scholarship money next year, thanks to a challenge grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.

If the colleges can meet the challenge, it would result in hundreds of additional scholarships for some of the most financially strapped students throughout Oregon, specifically those pursuing an associate’s degree, certificate or professional license.

“This is a tremendous gift for all of Oregon’s community colleges,” said Jennifer Wheatley, Rogue Community College Foundation executive director. “To the best of our knowledge, this gift is the first investment of this type by a private foundation, and the collaborative nature of it is outstanding.”

The Miller Foundation – an independent, private organization established to enhance Oregonians’ quality of life of through support of the arts and education – has offered to donate $1.5 million in total to the 17 community colleges. The challenges range from $50,000 for the 10 smallest community colleges up to $320,000. Rogue Community College is slated to receive $60,000.

In order to receive the matching funds, each college’s foundation will have to raise an equal amount in new money – atop the amounts they raised for scholarships between May 2007 and April 2008.

“Rogue Community College is important to our students’ futures and to southern Oregon’s economic health,” said RCC President Peter Angstadt. “Taking classes can lead to better skills and higher wages for individuals, which creates more productive citizens for the community. But attending college can sometimes be financially challenging,” he acknowledged. “Scholarships help students with the cost of education.”

“The RCC Foundation has one of the most robust scholarship programs in the state,” Wheatley said. The foundation received more than 750 scholarship applications for the 2008-09 school year and awarded nearly $600,000 last spring to approximately 60 percent of all applicants.

“We had an outstanding year and were able to award more scholarships than ever before, but we still have room to grow. There were over 300 students that we weren’t able to support,” she explained. “The RCC Foundation would like to get to the point where any student who
wants to attend college will have some financial support. If the college meets the Miller Foundation challenge, that could provide funds for at least 100 additional scholarships.”

To access Miller Foundation scholarships, students should first complete the federal student aid form – known as the FAFSA, and seek an Oregon Opportunity Grant. Eligible students who submit a complete RCC Foundation application would then be considered for the Miller Foundation Scholarship in addition to all 170 RCC Foundation scholarships, Wheatley said.

To be eligible for the Miller Foundation scholarship, students must be seeking an associate’s degree, a certificate or a professional license.