POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River Community College students in various Career and Technical Education programs have new scholarship opportunities thanks to the Griffing family’s generous $30,000 donation.

The three new Griffing Family Tech Scholarships will have designated programs that qualify for the scholarship. The student needs to demonstrate financial need, be a Mississippi resident, have a high school diploma/equivalency, and maintain a 2.0 average while taking at least nine credit hours per semester.

Craig Griffing attended The River in the mid-1970s before continuing his education at The University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University. His brother and one of his nieces have also attended PRCC.

“I consider PRCC the biggest asset that Pearl River County has,” said Griffing. “With the branch campuses they have, I think PRCC is the biggest asset in South Mississippi.”

“A lot of people never have even the inkling of the thought to go to a four-year university, but they still need some kind of job training and a lot of them are in technical fields like trades, blue collar labor. The college didn’t have technical scholarships when I attended in the mid-1970s. This is my way of giving back to future generations; funding education to help society and help future generations.”

The Griffing family has already funded two scholarships at The River, the Craig Griffing Nursing Scholarship and the Zoe McGovern Griffing Teachers Scholarship. They have also supported the PRCC Foundation and The Market through financial donations as well as donated several works of art to The Brownstone Center for the Arts.

“We are grateful for the support that Mr. Craig Griffing and his family have provided to PRCC,” said Executive Director of Development Foundation/Alumni Association Delana Harris. “Their commitment to our college and students helps ensure that PRCC remains one of the best community colleges not only in the state but in the nation.

“All scholarship support is appreciated for our students but CTE scholarships provide aid for those that are looking for training opportunities that will immediately lead to employment. This helps our local economies and communities through workforce development and growth.”

The programs included in the scholarships are Griffing Family Tech Scholarship 1 (Associate Degree Nursing, Dental Assisting, Massage Therapy, Medical Laboratory Technology, Surgical Technology, and Occupational therapy Assistant Technology), Griffing Family Tech Scholarship 2 (Biomedical Equipment Repair Technology, Computer Networking Technology, Industrial Electronics Technology, Unmanned Aerial Systems Technology, and Coding Technology), and Griffing Family Tech Scholarship 3 (Electronics Technology, Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, and Refrigeration Technology, Instrumentation Technology, Precision Manufacturing and Machining Technology, Utility Lineman Technology, and Welding Technology.)

ABOUT CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION 

CTE programs specialize in skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies, and career preparation. A hallmark of the programs is providing hands-on opportunities with the equipment and tools students will use in their new careers.

In recent years, CTE programs have experienced growth with about 12.5 million United States high school and college students enrolled in one. PRCC offers students choices including certificate programs or earning an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Graduates of CTE programs have a high employment rate after completing their training or degree. Job placement rates for PRCC graduates across all the CTE programs have hovered around 80-80 percent over the past few years.

The current list of options can be found at prcc.edu/academics/career-technical-education/ with links to each program’s information page.

Questions about the programs can be directed to the CTE office of the campus where they will attend. For PRCC’s Forrest County Campus, call 601-554-5539, email jcollum@prcc.edu or visit the FCC on U.S. 49 South. The Hancock Campus can be reached at 228-252-7000. The Poplarville Campus can be reached at 6010-403-1101.

 

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