Dalton State has awarded more than $350,000 in scholarships for the upcoming academic year.
Since the opening of Dalton State College in 1967, “scholarships for hard-working students have been a central part of our philanthropy and the fundraising efforts of the Dalton State Foundation,” said college President John Fuchko III.
On Friday inside the college’s Bandy Gymnasium, Fuchko said that focus has continued to be at the forefront with the college’s annual Scholarship Day.
Presented by the Dalton State Foundation, Scholarship Day sees the gathering of donors and student scholarship recipients to “celebrate philanthropy’s impact at Dalton State,” said foundation Director David Elrod.
Overall, 224 scholarships totaling $353,086 were awarded to students for the 2024-25 academic year in two separate ceremonies.
“Over the decades, these investments that our donors have made in both the foundation and our students have grown from what was a few hundred dollars in the first couple of years to several hundreds of thousands dollars a year today,” Fuchko said. “That’s incredible. and of course none of this is provided by the college or the state. All of it comes from our donors, from small gifts to large endowments, who believe in the power of higher education to change lives.”
Of the 224 scholarships awarded, more than 70 were endowed, meaning they help fund a student’s higher education over a longer period of time.
This year also saw the the awarding of six new scholarships, including:
— The Bryan E. McAllister ‘77 Scholarship in Accounting & Finance, awarded to student Fernanda Vasquez.
— The Georgia United Credit Union/Tom Dickson Scholarship in Business, awarded to students Thomas Kiker, Thania Landa-Serrano and Dayana Martinez.
— The Harcros Chemicals Co. Scholarship in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), awarded to student Megan Nixon.
— The Jason Ramos Servant Leadership Scholarship, awarded to students Kaylee Sheldon and Destiny Stokes.
— The Mary Edwards Memorial Scholarship in Education, awarded to student Grant Childs.
— The Rick Zeisig Memorial Scholarship in Communication, awarded to communication students Kaycee Kendrick and Haley Silvey. This endowed scholarship, created in honor of the Dalton radio legend who passed away last year, was presented to Kendrick and Silvey by Zeisig’s wife Margaret and their son Rowdy.
“We are honored to be one of the stewards of Rick’s memory through this scholarship in his name,” said Elrod in a press release. “Knowing his love for this community and his support for young people, I can only imagine that Rick would be thrilled to know a scholarship named for him will help many students over future generations to complete their college degrees in his field of communication. We are grateful to the Zeisig family for sharing Rick with us in this special way.”
During the ceremonies, Elrod thanked faculty members from Dalton State’s School of Arts and Sciences, the Wright School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Health Professions and the Office of the Dean of Students for “evaluating our scholarship applications and assigning the scholarships this year.”
“This would not be possible without your work,” Elrod said. “I also want to thank Josh Wilson and Rebecca Dempsey from the foundation for their help today.”
Elrod also addressed the donors in the room, which included longtime Dalton State College donors and friends Ken White and Billie Little, former Dalton mayor David Pennington and former Dalton State President Margaret Venable, who retired last year.
“To our donors, if not for you, what we are about to do would be impossible,” Elrod said before announcing the scholarship recipients. “We are here only because of your vision and your generosity, and for that we thank you.”
Fuchko said the scholarships are a “tremendous investment that changes families’ lives.”
“We really cannot overestimate the importance of the difference our donors make in these young people’s lives and their family’s lives going forward,” he said. “And to our students, we cannot overemphasize the confidence that this represents in you. It’s an exciting thing. The dollars help, but the confidence that it represents in you as our future and the future of our community is significant.”
Fuchko also took time to highlight another important piece in the students’ higher education experience — their parents.
“We know as parents that children don’t always get somewhere without a little bit of help along the way,” Fuchko said. “A little bit of guidance, a little bit of direction and sometimes even some tough love. It might be nice for those of you that have parents or family members in the room, maybe you should recognize (them) for their support. We can’t do it without families and we appreciate your support of your student, not just financially, but also in terms of how you raised them, encouraged them and how you keep them focused on their classes.”
Fuchko said a significant mission of the college is for students’ success while offering them an affordable education.
“How many of you sometimes read the news and hear about the $60,000-a-year college education with $120,000 in debt?” Fuchko said. “Let me tell you, that’s not happening here at Dalton State. Our tuition and fees for a full-time student, even with the increase the (University System of Georgia) Board of Regents just approved, is under $4,000 for an entire year. Over 80% of our students graduate with no debt.”