Bossier Parish Community College and the BPCC Foundation, Inc. have received $140,000 in matching funds from the State of Louisiana Board of Regents to establish new scholarships for BPCC students. These matching funds resulted in the establishment of the following new significant endowments that will benefit deserving students:
- The John and Joanna Magale Endowed Scholarship for First Generation College Students
- The WoodmenLife Chapter 54 of Louisiana Endowed Scholarship in Allied Health
- The WoodmenLife Chapter 54 of Louisiana Endowed Scholarship in Business
- The Jayma Ware Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Allied Health (EMT/Paramedic)
- The Bossier Volunteers Guild Endowed Scholarship
- The BPCC Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Engineering
The Board of Regents Support Fund was established in 1986 pursuant to an amendment to the Louisiana Constitution to maintain a source of state dollars for higher education grant opportunities for 2- and 4-year colleges in Louisiana.
“Bossier Parish Community College is truly appreciative of the Regents’ continued support for these types of programs which contribute to making our state and communities better places to live and work,” said BPCC Chancellor Dr. Bateman.
Bossier Parish Community College and the Magale Foundation have had a long-standing relationship over the past several years. In 2014, the Magale Foundation established the Magale Foundation Scholarship with a pledge of $100,000. The Board of Directors of the Magale Foundation agreed to leverage their gift and apply for state matching funds, which would increase the educational impact on BPCC students to create endowed scholarships for first generation college students totaling $150,000 in honor of John and Joanna Magale.
In 2019, the local chapter of Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society established the WoodmenLife Chapter 54 of Louisiana Endowed Scholarship in Allied Health and the WoodmenLife Chapter 54 of Louisiana Endowed Scholarship in Business with a lead gift of $60,000 to the BPCC Foundation. With the assistance of our Foundation staff and WoodmenLife Chapter Directors Mrs. Elizabeth Jordan and Mr. Ted Hayes, the Chapter agreed to leverage its gift to receive state matching funds from the Board of Regents, adding $40,000 to the two new endowments. With total endowment funds of $100,000, WoodmenLife’s legacy will assist students for many years to come.
The BPCC Foundation Board of Directors also submitted three existing scholarships for matching funds from the Board of Regents to garner an additional $40,000 of state financial support. These include the Jayma Ware Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Allied Health (EMT/Paramedic), the Bossier Volunteers Guild Endowed Scholarship, and the BPCC Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Engineering.
“We thank our dearest friends and partners, the Magale Foundation, WoodmenLife Chapter 54 of Louisiana, the family of Jayma LeeAnn Ware, the BPCC Department of Engineering Advisory Board, and our BPCC Foundation Board of Directors for their collective visions and desires to make Bossier Parish Community College better for our students and ultimately, for our community and workforce,” said Dr. Bateman.
The BPCC Foundation would also like to announce two new recipients of the following professorships, which were established in 2019:
- The Citizens National Bank / John R. McConathy Endowed Professorship in Business; and
- The Bossier Healthcare Foundation Endowed Professorship in Allied Health.
The recipient of the Citizens National Bank / John R. McConathy Endowed Professorship in Business for 2020-2021 is Michelle Grant. Michelle is a Professor in the Division of Business. The recipient of the Bossier Healthcare Foundation Endowed Professorship in Allied Health is Laura Bryant. Laura is a Professor in the Division of Science, Nursing, and Allied Health. The BPCC Foundation congratulates our new endowed professors on this prestigious academic honor.
The new professorships will assist the College in retaining exceptional faculty members who will lead our future students into our workforce. These two new professorship recipients join Lamont Lackman, the Contractor’s Trust Endowed Professor in Industrial Technology (established in 1999) and Terri Durel, the BPCC Foundation Endowed Professor in Nursing (established in 2016). Lamont Lackman is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; and Terri Durel is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Science, Nursing, and Allied Health.