MILLER FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Portland, OR (August 6, 2008) - The James L. and Marion F. Miller Foundation announced today it will provide $1,500,000 to support students attending Oregon community colleges. The colleges will have to match this amount in new funds from other sources, thus yielding up to $3 million in additional dollars for college scholarships. The Miller Scholarships will range from $500 to $3000. Coupled with the matching funds, this means between 1,000 and 6,000 students will benefit.
If each college raises the designated 1:1 match, the awards to individual colleges will range from $320,000 to Portland Community College, the largest institution in the system, to $50,000 to Tillamook Bay Community College, the smallest institution. The colleges will have until March 31, 2009 to raise their matching funds.
Chuck Putney, President of the Miller Foundation Board, stated: “We feel community colleges are a vital part of the educational system for citizens of Oregon, and attendance at these colleges is a financial challenge to many present and potential students. We expect these scholarships to assist not only the student who expects to go on to a four-year institution for a baccalaureate degree, but also the student getting an associate degree in, for example, a health care profession, or a student earning a certificate in a trade that is essential to the state’s economy. For many of these students the opportunity to attend a community college is the pathway to a living wage job and a more secure family. Scholarships of this size can often make the difference between attending college or not, between finishing a program in a timely manner or stretching it out over many years.”
To be eligible, a student must be enrolled in a defined program of study and take a minimum of two courses per term. A scholarship recipient must also apply for all federal and state financial aid that is available to that student. The Miller Scholarships are expected to fill the gap between the costs of attendance and the funds that come from federal and state aid and personal resources.
Putney further stated: “We hope that this program will boost the public perception of the importance of community colleges and encourage more funders – individuals, businesses and foundations – to support these institutions that are so critical to the economic well-being of our state.”
Initially the Miller Foundation has approved a one-year allocation of $1,500,000 for this program. Continuation into future years will be based on an assessment of the operation and effectiveness of the program.
The Miller Foundation, created in 2002 by a bequest from James F. (Jimmy) Miller, has assets of approximately $200 million and is focused on arts and education in Oregon. Thus far it has granted over $62 million to organizations throughout the state. Mr. Miller began his career in Portland with the investment firm, Blyth & Co. (which later became Paine Webber and then UBS Financial Services). Miller rose to become president of Blyth & Co. in New York in the early 1960s. He returned to Portland in 1998 where he made generous gifts to numerous arts and educational organizations before his death in 2002.
For more information, contact:
Charles H. Putney or Charles S. Rooks – 503-306-5217
Website: http://www.milllerfound.org