Scholarships

SCC Foundation Scholarships:

The following is a brief description of scholarship programs for SCC students. Scholarships are gift money that does not need to be repaid as long as the student meets the eligibility criteria. Scholarships may be awarded based on financial need or some type of merit (such as academic), or a combination of the two. The Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) is also required for many scholarship applications.

An alphabetical list of scholarships available through Southwestern Community College Foundation and other donors that have contacted us are listed below. Click on the scholarship title for more details. Students are encouraged to review the list to identify any scholarships they might be eligible for.  Flip through the links by using the arrows at the bottom of the sidebar. Please realize that in addition to the information in the descriptions, there may be eligibility requirements beyond those mentioned below. For complete scholarship and application information, you may come by the Financial Aid Office located in the Balsam Center or contact us at 828.339.4207 or 800.447.4091, ext. 4207. To apply for scholarships, visit https://southwesterncc.awardspring.com. The SCC scholarship application portal opens on February 1st. The deadline is typically in mid-April.

The Financial Aid Office may receive scholarships throughout the academic year. Please continue to check your student email or come by the Financial Aid Office for new scholarship information. Should funding for any scholarship become unavailable, that scholarship will not be awarded during the upcoming academic year.

Scholarship Web Searches:
The following are a few of the many search engines for scholarships known to us. We recommend that you always read all the details before you provide your personal information, and be sure you are willing to accept the provider's terms and conditions. Remember: never pay anyone to help you find free financial aid.

Every year, the North Carolina Community College System provides information about scholarships across the state through a yearly Scholarship Guide.  Students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office if they are interested in any scholarships in the guide. 

Outside Scholarships:
Students are encouraged to pursue scholarship opportunities throughout their communities, from groups such as civic organizations and churches, and to research other national scholarships through reputable organizations and web sites. There are many organizations and agencies that offer scholarship information. SCC provides links to scholarship opportunities as a service to our students. SCC does not offer the scholarships, and has no responsibility for or involvement in the scholarship administration, selection and award processes. If you have questions about outside scholarships, please contact the company offering them. To view the outside scholarships we're currently aware of, please click here. 

Scholarships

Toi Walters Charlton Scholarship
  • Must be in the Advertising & Graphic Design program
  • Must have and maintain a cumulative 3.0 cumulative GPA
  • Special consideration will be given to single mothers who are eligible
  • All applicants must have applied for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA)
Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise (Harrah's Cherokee Casinos) Scholarship
  • Applicant must be enrolled full time
  • Applicant must be pursuing an Associate Degree or College Transfer Degree
  • Applicant must have and maintain a 3.0gpa or better
  • Preference will be given to the children of employees of Harrah's Cherokee Casinos
  • Preference will be given to new students each year; however, renewals will be considered
W. Paul Holt, Jr.Scholarship
  • Applicants must be pursuing an associate degree in Accounting and Finance, Business Administration, Business Administration - Entrepreneurship or Business Administration - Office Administration
  • Applicants must be enrolled three quarter of the time or more
  • Applicants must have and maintain a 3.0 GPA or better
  • Applicants must reside in Swain, Jackson, Macon Counties or the Qualla Boundary
W.C. and Stella Hennessee Sciences Scholarship
Carol (seated left) and Jack Hennessee (seated center) present a $15,000 check to Dr. Don Tomas (seated right), SCC president, to endow a scholarship on behalf of the W.C. and Stella Hennessee Foundation on Dec. 15 in Sylva. Standing behind them are Charles Wolfe (left), honorary member of the SCC Foundation’s board of directors, and Brett Woods, director of the SCC Foundation.

Continuing a long tradition of supporting healthcare in Jackson County, Jack and Carol Hennessee recently endowed a $15,000 scholarship at Southwestern Community College on behalf of the W.C. and Stella Hennessee Foundation.

The Hennessees made the donation in December of 2016 to the SCC Foundation, which will administer the scholarship.

“I’ve known Jack and Carol for several years, and I know their desire to help people is genuine,” said Dr. Don Tomas, president of SCC. “We’re pleased they’ve decided to endow this scholarship through the SCC Foundation. Their gift will benefit our students for years to come.”

The principal of the donation will remain untouched in perpetuity while a portion of the earnings from the investment will be made available to support health sciences students at SCC.

SCC currently has 14 health sciences programs and is in the process of planning a new health sciences building that will allow the college to accept more health sciences students than ever.

Over the years, the Hennessee foundation donated more than $1 million to Harris Regional Hospital. The Hennessee foundation can only donate to non-profits, so the hospital was no longer an option for gifts after it became a for-profit institution.

Through SCC’s non-profit foundation, the Hennessees are still able to impact healthcare in the region.

“Jack and I want to help the students of Jackson County to have a brighter future,” Carol Hennessee said. “The goal of our foundation is to benefit the communities and people of Jackson County. When you support health sciences students at SCC, the long-term result is that we all benefit because these are the people who will take care of us at the doctor’s office and the hospital.”

Following are criteria necessary to apply for this scholarship:

  • Applicant must have a 3.0 gpa or higher
  • Applicant must be in the Nursing or RIBN program
Wachovia Technical Scholarship Program
  • Must be a full-time student (12 or more credit hours)
  • Must be enrolled in the second year of a two-year educational/technical program
  • Must demonstrate financial need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Must demonstrate scholastic promise
  • Must use the scholarship to pay for tuition, books and transportation
Wayne Johnson Scholarship

This scholarship is open to students from Jackson County

Western Carolina University / SCC Chancellor's Achievement Award Scholarship

The Chancellor's Achievement Award for the Outstanding Southwestern Community College Student is a four-semester award that will fund tuition and fees.

  • Open to SCC students only who plan to attend WCU in the Fall. Scholarship funds are applied to your expenses at Western
  • Must have a GPA of 3.75 or higher with approximately 60 hours of transfer credit
  • Students need to apply for admissions to Western Carolina University and be accepted to Western prior to April 1 to ensure consideration for the award
  • You must enroll as a full-time, degree seeking, resident credit student
William B. Dillard Scholarship

 

  • Open to all students entering a vocational/trades curriculum and who are residents of Jackson, Swain or Macon counties
  • Must be enrolled full-time (12 credit hours)
  • Applicant must be in good academic standing with the college (2.0 cumulative GPA)
  • All applicants must have applied for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

 

William H. and Inez M. Smith Scholarship
  • Applicants must be full or part-time students who reside in Jackson County
  • Applicants must have and maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher
  • Preference will be given to students in the Cosmetology Program
William Lenson and Frances Raleigh (Rose) Groves Scholarship

William Lenson & Frances Raleigh (Rose) Groves

This scholarship was set up by a cousin of Dr. Cecil Groves, who served as SCC President from 1997-2010. 

Following is the only criteria for applying:

  • Applicants may be enrolled full or part-time and may be from any geographical area.

Here's more information about the wonderful individuals who made this scholarship possible:

William Lenson Groves was born in 1918 in the small farming community of Rock, Oklahoma. He grew up during some of the most trying times in American History – the Great Depression, drought conditions (The Dust Bowl) in the Midwest, and World War II. After high school, Mr. Groves went to college in Weatherford, Oklahoma until the start of World War II. Like most young men at that time, was drafted into military service at Fort Sill, located near Lawton, Oklahoma at age 22. William was a crew chief in the Air Force for the B-24 heavy bombers called “the Liberators”, and later the B-29 “Superfortress”, flying out of India, Burma, and China.

After the war, William continued his education and earned two college degrees – one from Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, Oklahoma and the other from La Tourneau College in Longview, Texas. Upon graduation, William would teach in the Pampa, Texas public schools for 29 years before retiring to operate his family’s farm in Rocky, Oklahoma.

During the war years, William began corresponding with a young lady, Frances Raleigh Rose, of Spindale, North Carolina. After several years of correspondence, they were married in 1958 at a small Methodist church in Rutherfordton, North Carolina and Frances relocated to Pampa, Texas, where William was teaching.

William believed that the experiences and accomplishments in his own life were an affirmation that education makes a positive difference in lives of people. With the help and counsel of his cousin, Dr. Cecil Groves, who was then president of Southwestern Community College, William conveyed to the Southwestern Community College Foundation the proceeds from the sale of his Spindale, North Carolina home for scholarships to help students.

Dr. Cecil Groves summarized the gift by saying this: "William was a generous and loving person known for his sincere kindness and humility. He always looked for the good in everyone, especially valuing the contributions of those who labored in the fields and factories to make life better for themselves and others."

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