$2.6M Donation Doubles Scholarship for New Career Scholars

Wayne State College proudly announces an anonymous donation of $2.6 million to support the College’s Career Scholars Cooperative Education program. The donation will directly benefit new freshmen by doubling the amount of the scholarship provided in the first three years of the program, beginning in the fall of 2024.

Wayne State’s Career Scholars program, which was launched in 2020, combines classroom education with real work experience for college credit. At its core, the Career Scholars Program supports workforce and economic development in Nebraska.

The program offers students an opportunity to afford their four-year degree while also providing those students with career experience. Students interested in the program must be passionate about earning a degree in business, communication, criminal justice, information technology, or industrial technology and want an opportunity to have a robust, year-long hands-on learning experience during the final two semesters of their studies at Wayne State. The program also supports students pursuing their education degree.

During their time at Wayne State, students in the Career Scholars program participate in career readiness activities, including business site visits and job shadowing, all while learning the fundamentals of professional practice. After three years on campus at Wayne State, they complete their senior year while living in Norfolk, Grand Island, or Columbus, Neb., where they will be hired and mentored by one of our participating business cohorts. Students earn 18 credit hours while working 30-40 hours per week at a paid job using skills relevant to their degree in their last year in the program.

Under the current program, freshmen receive $2,500, sophomores receive $3,000, juniors receive $3,500, and seniors receive $15,000. Under the newly revised benefits, freshmen will receive $5,000, sophomores receive $6,000, juniors receive $7,000, and seniors will remain at $15,000, beginning with the incoming 2024 cohort, for a total of $33,000 during their four years in the program.

“This support of the Career Scholars program, which matches the funds already provided by the state of Nebraska, will be a real difference-maker for our students,” said Marysz Rames, president of Wayne State College. “Our innovative approach to hands-on education provides students with the real-world learning they desire. The new funds will make it easier for students to focus on the program so they can be prepared to take their place in the workforce in four years with a minimum amount of debt. We are so grateful for this support.”

Interested students are encouraged to learn more about joining this community of scholars and apply at https://www.wsc.edu/career-scholars.

For information about the Career Scholars program: Dr. Michael Keibler, Executive Director of Cooperative Education, at 402-375-7198 or [email protected]