PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
INVESTING IN FULTON COUNTY … The Northwest State Community College Foundation is fundraising to establish a $3 million college scholarship fund designated strictly for Fulton County residents who wish to attend Northwest State. Robbin Wilcox, the foundation’s executive director, and board member Kevin Whitlock recently told Archbold Rotarians how the fund would work and the impact that it could have to make college affordable for Fulton County residents. From left: Kevin Whitlock, Robbin Wilcox, Ed Nofziger (a foundation board member) and Archbold Rotarian and foundation board member Jim Wyse, who arranged the program.
The Northwest State Community College Foundation a few years ago was gifted $3 million from the estate of Henry County resident Francis O.
Fackler to create a scholarship for any Henry County resident to attend the college – whether they were pursuing a degree or to receive training that could lead them to a better job.
Over the last three years, that scholarship alone has provided some 255 Henry County residents nearly $550,000 to make college more affordable.
Robbin Wilcox, the executive director of Northwest State’s foundation, recently told Archbold Rotarians that the Fackler scholarship distributions during the 2023-24 school year accounted for 34 percent of its scholarship distributions to Henry County residents even though Henry County students accounted for just 17 percent of the school’s enrollment compared to 59 percent of the students who are from Fulton, Williams and Defiance counties.
Consequently, she said the foundation is working to raise $3 million to create a similar scholarship fund for Fulton County residents.
So far, she said they have raised about $2 million toward the goal.
She explained that the goal is to train and educate Fulton County residents of all ages to aid Fulton County economic development.
The dedicated Fulton County scholarship would remove the financial barrier that can make a college degree or training difficult even though college graduates earn about $9,900 a year more than their peers, Wilcox said.
Once completed, Fulton County residents, like those from Henry County now, could apply for scholarships to assist with tuition, books and other costs of training.
To help Northwest State reach the final $1 million needed to establish the fund, Wilcox said a local donor has pledged $500,000 as a dollar-for-dollar match.
She added that the scholarships awarded will not only benefit current Fulton County residents, but they are an investment in the future as 86 percent of Northwest State alumni live and work in the community once they have completed their studies.
For more information, contact Robbin Wilcox at Northwest State at rwilcox@northweststate.edu.