Cape Cod Community College Honors 154 Students at Evening of Excellence with $225,000 in Scholarships

Scholarships from $400 - $4,000 were awarded to current, incoming, and graduating students.  The selections were based on academic excellence, accomplishments, and in some cases, financial need or personal circumstances.  Recipients ranged from students directly out of high school, entering the College in the fall, to many returning students studying toward their degree, to students graduating with a perfect 4.0 average.

The awards included 8 new scholarships presented for the first time: 

• The Geraldine C. Ewing Scholarship, given in memory of a 4Cs nursing student who passed away last year;
• The Friends of Pleasant Bay Scholarship, given to a student from Harwich, Orleans, Brewster or Chatham, pursuing a career in Environmental Studies;
• Three Bays Preservation Award, presented by Three Bays Preservation, Inc. also to a student pursuing Environmental Studies;
• The Hospitality Award, presented in memory of Cape Cod restaurateur, Vincent Catania; 
• The James and Eleanor Smith Memorial Scholarship, presented by Kathleen Luisi;
• The Deborah A. Skinner, Memorial Scholarship, presented in memory of a Foundation Board member who passed away last year;
• The A. Scott Williams Award, presented in memory of the son of Ann Williams, Foundation Board member, and chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee;
• The Dagny and Frank Miller Public Service Scholarship, presented in memory of the Millers who were longtime residents of Sandwich.

Many of the evening’s speakers shared memories, and offered words of tribute to Frank and Maureen Wilkens.  Frank Wilkens, well-known philanthropist and extraordinary benefactor of the College passed away in April.  Mr. Wilkens was a self-made man who knew the benefit of hard work and education.  Together, the Wilkens’ philanthropic mission has been to support job training and education, to help people reach their full potential, and to better support themselves and their families.  Through the continued generosity of the Wilken’s family, the Wilken’s family scholarship fund assists single parents to pursue an education.  Ten, $4,000 Wilkens scholarships were presented at the 2011 Evening of Excellence. 

Presentations were announced by Elizabeth Lewis, Chairperson of the Cape Cod Community College Educational Foundation, Laurent Fisher, Executive Director of the Foundation, and Susan Miller, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.  Professor Patricia Allen, the 2010 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, was the honored faculty speaker.  Morgan Opie, class of 2011, from Cotuit, spoke on behalf of all of the scholarship recipients about the many ways that excellence is fostered at the College.

Since the formation of the Educational Foundation in 1983 as an independent, non-profit organization, more than $5.5 million has been distributed to students as scholarships.  The scholarship program is a cornerstone of the Foundation’s mission.  The Foundation raises more than $1 million annually to fund scholarships, improve College facilities, support innovative programs for students and faculty, and to promote the essential role the College provides to the Cape Cod and Islands community.