With college tuition becoming more and more expensive every year, it’s vital that big companies and organizations step in and award scholarships to students in need. One such company that focuses on education as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is Encore Capital Group, which recently awarded four California students with funds to attend community college.
Encore Capital Group provides 124 students from across the country with $1,000 grants to help with their college tuition. Image: Merrimack College via Flickr CC.
Earlier this month, Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California announced four $1,000 winners of the Encore capital Group community college scholarship program. According to Nasdaq, “The program, Encore’s largest philanthropic initiative to date, provides 124 students from across the country with $1,000 grants for tuition at select community colleges.”
Encore Capital Group is an international specialty finance company with operations in eight companies. Aside from its business dealings, Encore is known for unveiling the industry’s first and only “Consumer Bill of Rights,” which speaks to the company’s dedication to respectful consumer treatment. Not only is Encore committed to its customers, but to the promise of CSR. Past board members like John Oros and current President Kenneth A. Vecchione have helped to promote Encore’s strong approach to corporate citizenship and responsibility. “We believe that our business success is tied to the success of our efforts to strengthen the economic, social, and cultural fabric of our communities,” explains the company.
“We are pleased to help students continue their education,” says Sheryl Wright, Encore’s Senior VP of Corporate and Government Affairs. “For many, college is the path to economic empowerment, and given the escalating costs of higher education, our grant could mean the difference between a student getting his or her degree or having to give up on the dream.”
Getting required courses such as math and science out of the way at a local community college is a way to help students focus more on liberal arts classes that are more in-line with their career path if and when they do go to a traditional four-year college. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for students to attend classes at community colleges as a way to jump-start their higher education, and scholarship programs that make doing so more accessible are invaluable.
