A California resident, who never attended Augusta Technical College (ATC), has created a $15,000 scholarship in the name of her late cousin, who graduated from ATC.
The Robert Fields Annual Scholarship will be available to students enrolled in the construction-related training offered by ATC. It was created by Adrian Arnold (2nd from left), a Clinical Informatics Nurse in Sacramento. Arnold is an Augusta native but did not study at ATC. Still, she wanted to honor her cousin, who passed away in 2011.
“My cousin, Robert A. Fields, was dedicated to a lifetime of improving himself and those around him,” Arnold was quoted in a news release. “As an honor to his mother, Ms. Elease Harris, I chose to financially support the construction trades students at Augusta Tech. Prayerfully, these resources will be used to assist many in improving their educational endeavors in her son’s name.
The Augusta Tech Foundation will administer the scholarship. Cheryl Ciucevich, ATC’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement, told ABD that every dollar available to provide financial support for the school’s unique student body can make the difference in a student’s ability to complete their education.
“Most of our students are living at the margin, and so it is very challenging for them to go to school, to have to give up work,” she said. “Our average student is 27 or 28 years old. Many of them also have children that they have to worry about childcare. So, any scholarship is going to help them to get through our guided pathways and into a career.”
This scholarship targets an area of study that the President and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce said is vital for the future. Chris Clark spoke at the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Luncheon. He said training students in advanced manufacturing and trades, including construction, must increase.
“We have more jobs in Georgia today in manufacturing than we’ve ever had as a percentage in our history,” he said. “These jobs require certifications, degrees, and they are high-tech. They are incredible opportunities out there, but we’re not putting kids into those pipelines nearly like we need to do.”
Word of the new scholarship at ATC came just days after Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced a new milestone for the Georgia Lottery Corporation (GLC). Kemp said the amount raised by GLC for education in the Peach State has topped $30 billion.
“On behalf of generations of Georgians, Marty and I are proud to congratulate the Georgia Lottery on this historic milestone and celebrate its impact on so many students, some of them twice as former Pre-K students and HOPE recipients,” a news release quoted Kemp.
The students who have benefited from GLC funds include those attending ATC.
“In addition to the HOPE Scholarship that most people are familiar with, there’s also the HOPE Career Grant. So many of our programs are supported by that, and it is tied directly to those industries that have a high need for a skilled workforce,” said Ciucevich. “You can get the HOPE Career Grant to support you in many of the programs we offer at Augusta Tech, and that brings you basically tuition-free.”
Ciucevich said ATC offers training across myriad fields, all the programs created to be responsive to the in-demand jobs in Metro Augusta.
“We’re providing a variety of workers across a number of different fields that are really the background of our community. We don’t celebrate enough how much they contribute, whether that’s in construction or that’s in healthcare, whether that’s in mechanical engineering or other things,” she said. “And when you go out, you have the skill set and the credentials that you need to secure a job. We have a 99% placement rate. Our students graduate, and they have jobs.”
Anyone can create a scholarship for ATC students by committing a minimum of $500 a year for three years. It is also possible to create an endowed scholarship with a minimum gift of $10,000. It can be awarded in installments over several years.
To find out more about funding scholarships at Augusta Tech, contact the Foundation office at 706-771-4023 or foundation@augustatech.edu.
