The 4th Annual Dean’s Scholarship Luncheon was held Wednesday, Oct. 4 at the new Media Center at the Reserve Campus.

The room was filled with industry partners supporting the student scholarship drive. Blending school colors of red, yellow, blue and silver amid the tables and decorations was a reminder of the upcoming blending of colleges.

On July 1, 2018, the Reserve Campus of South Central Louisiana will become River Parishes Community College – Reserve Campus. The transition began July 1, 2017 and is slowing taking shape.

All non-credit programs have been switched over and are working well. The Work Ready U Program (formerly GED) is now under the direction of Dr. Bruce Waguespack. The Staff and Instructors are in sync and working well together.

There are plans to expand the program by adding a recruiting component for the coming year. The Work Force Training and Industry Training elements have also been combined. This collaboration gives the Reserve Campus additional resources, which will enhance training programs.

The Guest Speaker for the luncheon was Brad Lambert, Deputy Secretary, Louisiana Economic Development. Mr. Lambert gave a very informative discourse on his area of expertise and the outlook for Louisiana’s and specifically the River Region’s economic future.

Our River Region is the perfect example of what work force growth should look like. With industry growth and expansions our future is now.

This annual event is important for the campus as it raises needed funds for student scholarships. These scholarships are especially geared toward young working families who may not qualify for other types of financial aid.

They often find themselves working full time while they work toward their goal for a life-changing career. The scholarship helps with tuition, fees and book costs. This is the one scholarship that all students may apply across all programs.

It gives a special opportunity to those programs that do not receive scholarship funding on a regular basis. This year I would like to acknowledge several community members who helped to make the event extra special.

They are Scott Schwaibold with Matherne’s Grocery, Donna Waguespack with St. Charles Printing and Pamela Allen with Elite Affairs — a special thank you for all of your extra efforts.

Penelope Freeman is Campus Dean for South Central Louisiana Technical College. She is at the Reserve Campus. Email her at penelopefreeman@ scl.edu.