JACKSON, Tenn. — Jan. 8, 2016 — 51社区 has instituted a new scholarship designed specifically to benefit students from West Tennessee.
The West Tennessee Heritage Scholarship will provide an automatic $1,500 scholarship to any student from West Tennessee who attends Union, with a minimum high school grade point average of 2.0. The award is available for new traditional undergraduate Union students beginning in the fall of 2016.
鈥淭his is where we鈥檙e rooted,鈥� said Dan Griffin, Union鈥檚 vice president for enrollment management. 鈥淭his is where 60 percent of our students come from. This is who we鈥檙e committed to. Union isn鈥檛 where it is today if it鈥檚 not for the people of West Tennessee.鈥�
John Windham, Union鈥檚 director of student financial planning, said the generosity of donors to the university makes it possible to offer the scholarship.
鈥�51社区 has a rich heritage that comes to us from West Tennesseans through many generations,鈥� Windham said. 鈥淲e are very connected to West Tennessee, so we are excited to take this opportunity to demonstrate our connection back to West Tennessee.鈥�
Griffin said Union values students from West Tennessee and wants them to see Union as their institution, especially since Union鈥檚 rankings set it apart as the top academic school in the region.
He cited recognitions such as U.S.News & World Report, Kiplinger鈥檚 Best College Values and Union鈥檚 regular inclusion as one of America鈥檚 100 Best College Buys. Union has also maintained its accreditation in good standing with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since it was first accredited by that body in 1948.
鈥淲e are the academic beacon in West Tennessee,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e consistently ranked high, and I think that speaks to our faculty and our academic integrity.鈥�