Sydney Conrad
Staff Writer
Pierce College holds an annual golf tournament fundraiser in which faculty, students, and community come together to provide scholarships for those in need.
In a grueling economy, funding a college education is a difficult task. According to recent reports, tuition costs have increased over 13 percent in the state of Washington. The rising tuition at the University of Washington alone is astonishing. The reasonable charge of $3,761 for the tuition and fees of a resident in 2000-2001 makes the $8,701 price for the 2010-2011 school year look quite large.
It is even more for a non-resident; in 2000-2001 the cost was $12,453. For the past school year, 2010-2011, the price has risen to a whopping $25,329 in tuition and fees.
With such high prices for Universities these days, fewer students chose to continue their education after high school, and those that do may not even graduate. The average success rate across the country is a mere 59 percent.
Possibly the most prominent reason for students to not complete a degree is the lack of finances available. Therefore, colleges and universities provide scholarships and other financial aid for those who need them. One of the fundraisers Pierce College hosts yearly is a Golf Scholarship Scramble.
Held and coordinated by Assistant Director of Development Ruth Ann Hatchet, along with the Foundation Board Members and Pierce College Staff, the golf tournament is a chance for the community to support it’s students, as well as for students to serve the community.
“I volunteer for the chance to see that the community around us really cares about our students and about this being a better environment for them,” Pierce College student Jeffery Schwarz said.
With so many dedicated volunteers, the Golf Scholarship Scramble has been successfully run for the past 18 years. Although the first event was an achievement, they continued to grow.
“We started out the first year, in 1994, and raised about $12,000. The highest we have ever raised is $54,000,” Hatchet said. “However, our average over the past few years with the economy turning down is in the mid $40,000.”
The number of players have increased greatly over the years as well. As word spread and the community saw how a small contribution could help educate the next generation, more and more people wanted to take part. This year at the Golf Scholarship Scramble, 128 players attended, which is just short of the yearly average of 130 players.
“We have golfers that come back every year; they enjoy our tournament and come to support our students,” Hatchet said. “I appreciate them a lot.”
With so many returning players, the tournament must be kept interesting. Therefore, the coordinators of the event have developed new games and intriguing prizes. This year, “Monster Golf” was created, in which one must use a club to drive different sized balls into a waiting pool 20 yards down the green.
Although the quality of the tournament has grown, the price of admittance has also risen significantly.
“We have held the registration fee at 150 dollars for the last six years or so,” Hatchet said. “It started out at about 90 dollars, so it has risen a bit as tuition has risen and we need more money. But our golfers seem to understand that.”
Despite the increase in payment, the players keep coming back. As previously stated, the money fundraised at this tournament has risen to an average of about $50,000, making many scholarships available to the deserving students of Pierce College.
Pierce College alone has anywhere from 75 to 300 scholarship applications submitted each round. The Golf Scholarship Scramble provides more opportunities for students to receive one of these scholarships.
This year’s event raised enough money to award 40 scholarships to the students at Pierce.
For many students, these scholarships are the only chance to complete their college education.
Phillip Foster, a former student at Pierce College and volunteer of the Golf Scholarship Scramble, described with deep passion how receiving a scholarship funded by this Golf Tournament changed his life, and his focus.
“I left high school and worked a bunch of dead-end jobs for about ten years, so it was really scary for me to come back to school and try a different path,” Foster said. “Then, to get that scholarship, that financial help, but also the emotional support – knowing that someone believes in me – was amazing.”
As Foster said, being awarded a scholarship is more than just a financial blessing. For many students, knowing that someone believes in them and supports their decision of a college career is important.
“We have been told on more than one occasion that that is what turned it around for them,” Hatchet agreed. “Sometimes it means just as much to them to know that somebody believes in them and cares about their education as the money does.”
The Golf Scholarship Scramble is not the only chance for the community to donate.
Large organizations may give directly to the Pierce College, specifically for scholarships. Pierce receives annual donations from a corporation, the Fox Foundation, of about $45,000. One could also establish a named scholarship to honor someone in particular.
Pierce College ensures that generous donors of all forms are honored and properly thanked for their contribution. Awarded students are required to write a thank-you note to their specific donor, and show their respects at a gathering held in honor of the scholarship contributors.
“Every spring we have a scholarship luncheon which recipients are required to attend and meet the donors to express their thanks,” Hatchet said. “We also have a student or three who will make remarks about the impact of receiving a scholarship and what that has meant to them. So those are the main ways students can give back.”
The scholarships provided by the community of Pierce College make a very large impact on the recipients. Such a generous gift changes the lives of students old or young, and gives them a chance they may otherwise have never had. To see how you can change a persons life and give a scholarship donation, visit the Pierce College website or information desk on campus. Maybe you could participate in the Golf Scholarship Scramble of 2012.
