PC Launches New Service-Based Scholarships for Laurens County Students

“I am in hopes that an avenue of usefulness is opening before me in the county … One indomitable, energetic spirit might accomplish wonders, and perhaps right here and now is the very field which God designs me to fill. I see where grand purposes might be wrought out and vast work done and the more I think of it, the more the work grows in my vision.”  – from the diary of the Rev. William Plumer Jacobs, May 5, 1872

True to its origins as a beacon of hope, Presbyterian College is launching a new scholarship initiative this fall designed to impact local students and their communities.

The public launch of the Laurens County Service Scholars initiative will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the Laundry on the Thornwell campus in Clinton.

The Service Scholars initiative is a tuition reduction program that provides not only affordable access to a PC education for all county residents but also invests in the local community through a commitment to transformational service.

All students who are residents of Laurens County and who meet the admissions requirements for PC may submit an application for consideration for a tuition reduction of $30,000 per year in addition to any state and federal funding or other outside scholarship aid. Those selected as  Laurens County Service Scholars are required to complete 30 service hours per semester at approved partner service organizations in Laurens County.

“Service is what brought PC into existence, and it’s woven throughout our strategic plan for the future,” said the Rev. Dr. Buz Wilcoxon, PC’s chaplain and dean of spiritual life. “It’s fitting that our first ever service-based scholarship program is rooted right here in and for Laurens County. This ambitious initiative will not only make a PC liberal arts education an affordable reality for our neighbors in the community, but the impact of these students returning to serve throughout the county will be exponential in its effect.”

Service has been a vital part of a PC education throughout its history – from the inception of Student Volunteer Services, the CHAMPS program, service days, partnerships with Thornwell, and many other programs. It’s motto, “While We Live, We Serve,” has inspired generations of students to help others and make their communities better places.

The Laurens County Service Scholars program ensures PC’s future of service to its local neighbors, said president Dr. Anita Gustafson.

“Presbyterian College’s impact in Laurens County is broad and deep,” she said. “In addition to making a nationally-ranked liberal arts education more affordable to our county’s students, we are investing in expanding our service to the broader community right here at home. Our hope is that these students will graduate from PC and choose to stay here in Laurens County to work and continue to serve.”

Each year, PC will publicly hold a Laurens County Celebration of Service event to highlight the work done by Service Scholars throughout the county.