Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship deadline approaching – Opportunity for up to $30,000 to complete four-year degree.

The Weatherford College Financial Aid department is accepting applications for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship through Jan. 10, 2011. The scholarship, through the privately-funded Cooke Foundation based in Virginia, will award up to $30,000 per recipient to help students and recent alumni from community and two-year institutions pursue a four-year degree at an accredited college in the United States and/or abroad. Last year, the Foundation received over 500 nominations for these awards.

The Foundation will award approximately 60 scholarships through the Undergraduate Transfer Jack Kent Cooke Scholars initiative in spring 2011, a 50 percent increase over 2010. The amount and duration of the scholarships will vary by student based on the cost of attendance or grants received, but the awards can total up to $30,000 per year for each student. The Scholars are selected by the Foundation with assistance from a national panel of experts. Selection criteria include academic excellence, financial need, will to succeed, leadership ability, service to others and interest in or appreciation for the arts.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation was founded to support high achieving students with financial need and offers support for tuition, room and board, books and other required fees for the remainder of the Scholars' bachelor's degree, generally two or three years.

Current students are eligible, as are alumni who earned a degree from a community college or two-year institution since spring 2006 and have not since transferred to a four-year college. All candidates for the scholarship must be nominated by a faculty representative at their school.

For more information about the scholarship application and selection process, contact Dean of enrollment Management Kathy Bassham at 817-598-6427 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or Dr. William Smith, English instructor, 817-598-6428 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .   

Applications materials are available on the Foundation’s Web site at www.jkcf.org.

About the Foundation: The Foundation is a private, independent foundation established in 2000 by the estate of Jack Kent Cooke to help young people of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education. Mr. Cooke was a businessman and philanthropist who owned such professional teams as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Redskins, as well as the Chrysler Building in New York City. When he died in 1997, he left most of his fortune to establish the Foundation. Besides the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program, the Foundation’s programs for outstanding students with financial need also include full scholarships for students attending graduate and professional school as well as scholarships to help high-achieving youth develop their talents and abilities throughout high school.