March 20, 2018 – The Collin College Foundation expects to award $1 million in scholarships to students in the coming year, a milestone the foundation announced at its annual Stetson and Stiletto Standoff fundraiser on Feb. 17.
According to Dr. Neil Matkin, Collin College district president, the record-breaking total means more scholarships will be available to help the growing number of students who need them. “Scholarships are lifelines for our students on their way to more lucrative careers through higher education,” said Dr. Matkin. “Access to education not only impacts the students but also our economy, and scholarships help students who need it the most.” According to Dr. Matkin, the scholarship total crossed the $1 million mark through a combination of increased fundraising and good returns on endowment investments.
Tammy McSwain, who chairs the Collin College Foundation board of directors, said “Last year, we gave away about 650 scholarships, but this year we expect to give away up to 800. Our hope is to get the message out that we have more money available this year so students should apply now for scholarships.”
Scholarship applications for fall are open now, with the deadline on March 25. Graduating high school students as well as current or prospective Collin College students are encouraged to apply for scholarships at www.collin.edu/foundation/students. To qualify for a scholarship, the student must first apply for admission to Collin College, a free process that can be done at https://apply.collin.edu.
Dr. Matkin added that scholarships also boost student success. A recent study showed that students on scholarships through the foundation earn more credit hours, have higher rates of course completion, are more likely to return for the next semester and have higher grade point averages compared to students without scholarships. The average grade point average for a student on a Collin College Foundation scholarship is 3.4.
The Stetson and Stiletto Standoff is the foundation’s signature fundraiser, and this year’s event beat its goal by raising more than $210,000. Donors, guests and community members tested their knowledge in a cowboy- and cowgirl-themed trivia competition, while supporting scholarships. The event was held at the college’s Spring Creek Campus Library in Plano, and FOX4 sports anchor Mike Doocy hosted the trivia match.
“We are so thankful to all of our donors and sponsors for a wonderful Stetson and Stiletto Standoff and a wonderful year,” said McSwain. “With the help of our partners and patrons, we know the sky is the limit.”
This year’s Stetson and Stiletto Standoff sponsors were: TITLE SPONSOR: PBK. ALAMO PARTNERS: AECOM, Milton and Mary Kate Buschbom and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano. RIO GRANDE PARTNER: Collin College Student Housing Foundation (CCSHF) and CORE Construction.YELLOW ROSE PARTNERS: Collin College Leadership Team, CCSHF, Farmersville EDC, Independent Bank, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., Page Southerland Page and Skanska. SILVER SPUR PARTNERS:Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd and Hullett, P.C., American National Bank of Texas, ARTA Travel, Atmos Energy, City of Celina/Celina EDC, Steve and Kim Davison, David and Christine Downs, Wendy Gartenberg Memorial Scholarship, The Gomel Group, Lee Martin and Irene Joyce Tevis Memorial Scholarships, Maso Family, David McCall, McCall Parkhurst & Horton, McKinney CDC/EDC, Medical City McKinney, Medical City Plano, Jim and Rebecca Orr, Perkins + Will, Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union, The Shops at Willow Bend, Shep and JoeAnn Stahel/IBM, State Farm, Strasburger and Price, LLP, and the City of Wylie/Wylie EDC.
Visit www.collin.edu/foundation to learn more about the Collin College Foundation.
Collin College serves more than 53,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates. The only public college in the county, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and work force development. In addition, the college operates the Collin Higher Education Center, which serves 3,200 additional students each year in partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Texas A&M Commerce, Texas Tech and the University of North Texas.