Murphy Oil, a company based in El Dorado, Arkansas, announced today that it's going to give scholarships for all El Dorado High graduates in the next twenty years, up to fifty million dollars. The only stipulations for receiving this grant are based on residency (the last four years of school must be at EDHS) and undergraduate institution (an accredited associate or bachelor program, whether in-state or out-of-state).
i found this story on the Arkansas Times' website, the weekly alternative to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a loathsome right-wing rag of a paper. The program's website can be found here with more details.
Even though this is on the opposite side of the state from my hometown (about as far away as anything can be in Arkansas), i'm still really proud of this local company giving back to its community and state. A lot of people are calling for the Waltons (of Wal-Mart fame) to up the ante, and perhaps they will. Let's hope that others will be inspired, either to give to the El Dorado program or to start their own similar fund in their hometowns.
i for one am looking forward to the studies and statistics that will start to develop over the next ten to fifteen years, as entire high school classes are given the opportunity to go to college. It will be interesting to see how the numbers pan out with regards to success rates and post-graduate opportunities and experiences.