Source: The Daily Times | Staff Reports | August 27, 2019
The Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy recognizes organizations and individuals who have been “very generous” to one or more of TBR’s 40 community and technical colleges.
“ORNL and ORAU understand the investments they are making in the futures of our students with the partnerships they support for Roane State and Pellissippi State community colleges,” said Regent Danni Varlan, who presented the awards at a recent East Tennessee Economic Council meeting in Oak Ridge. “We are grateful for their leadership and commitment to education and workforce training.”
“Community colleges are so important in terms of advancing science and education in the workforce and in bringing in the talented workforce that East Tennessee is going to need in the next 10 to 15 years,” ORAU President Andy Page said.
Through the support of ORAU, Pellissippi State offers an annual middle school mathematics contest. During the past 18 years, more than 10,000 students from 32 East Tennessee schools have participated in the event.
ORAU also partnered with Pellissippi State to offer a six-week advanced manufacturing internship, and provided scholarship support to Pellissippi State students who worked as math tutors.
Andy Page, president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, accepts the Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy on Aug. 2. From left are Roane State Community College President Chris Whaley, Page, Regent Danni Varlan and Pellissippi State Community College President L. Anthony Wise Jr. (Courtesy of Pellissippi State Community College)
Most recently ORAU pledged $100,000 to support Pellissippi State’s Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science on its Hardin Valley Campus.
“Oak Ridge National Laboratory exists to tackle some of the most compelling challenges facing our nation in energy, science, technology, and national security, and we are fortunate to have both of these excellent colleges right in our backyard,” said Thomas Zacharia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL and since 2015 has supported Roane State’s unique Middle College with $119,000 in scholarships so students can graduate from both their high school and the college at the same time.
ORNL, through UT-Battelle, also has supported numerous other educational programs at Roane State.
