Company Provided Scholarships
The Role of Corporations in Sponsoring Educations
Over the last 50 years in the US much wealth has been consolidated and controlled by corporations. Some of them have decided to give back, realizing that they can only continue to grow and improve if they can make their field sound interesting to the best and brightest minds.
Student and employee education is important if they are to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
Companies Reinvest Wealth
It should come as no surprise that large corporations can be significant sources of scholarship support.
Corporate philanthropy is encouraged on a number of different levels. First, it helps build a corporate identity and promote pride. The monetary gifts, as well as contributions in volunteers and time, enrich the communities in which they have the good fortune to thrive.
Take as an example the Wal-Mart Corporation, which also includes Sam’s Clubs. These chains have sprung up across America over the last 20 years and they are thriving on the consumerism of their communities. Wal-Mart has already established a tradition and corporate ethos that drives many charitable pursuits in which they are involved, including scholarship programs.
Check Out the Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 list is populated with a diverse crowd of corporations:
- soft drink giants;
- IT giants;
- commodity brokers;
- grocery chains
Many of these companies offer scholarships of one form or another. There are those that give to minorities, to women, or to students with a particular field of study in mind. The best way to research these opportunities is by exploring the Fortune 500 list, and searching for that company’s scholarship opportunities. Their websites will list eligibility requirements. Also, when you choose a Fortune 500 company, you are likely to avoid any chance for scholarship scam.
Example Scholarship Selections:
- Wal-Mart: As already mentioned above, Wal-Mart gives a significant number of scholarships in each of their communities to graduating high school students. Wal-Mart Corporation has been committed to community involvement since Sam Walton first developed his business plan.
- ExxonMobil Corporation: ExxonMobile offers a variety of scholarships that represent the scope of this corporate giant. They offer a scholarship just for students in Singapore, one of their corporate headquarter locations. In the States, they offer a series of highly publicized scholarships in partnerships with SECME schools. These scholarships are awarded annually to minority students who are heading to programs in fields of math and engineering, fields that have historically lacked in diversity. Mobil Delvac, another segment of the corporation, awards Agricultural Scholarships for students studying in an agricultural program.
- AT&T: The AT&T Labs Fellowship Program awards scholarship funds and grants to women and minority post-graduate students. Once again, the field of IT or communications has been dominated by males. Companies like AT&T are cognizant of the advantages now and in the future of diversifying fields of study.
- Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola is one of the largest, most familiar Fortune 500 companies on the globe. Not only does Coca-Cola award a number of scholarships to graduating high school students pursuing 4-year degrees, but the company also has established a program that is designed explicitly for students who will attend 2-year colleges-- The Johnston Legacy Scholars Program.