EL DORADO, Ark. -- The El Dorado Promise, a scholarship program that will enable all El Dorado, Ark., High School students the opportunity to pursue higher education, has been announced Bob Watson, superintendent of El Dorado Public Schools.
Established and funded exclusively by Murphy Oil Corp., headquartered there, the El Dorado Promise is a tuition scholarship that can be used at any accredited two-or-four year, public or private, college or university. Students may use the scholarship at higher education institutions in or out of state.
This is a huge day. As of today, El Dorado High School graduates will have an unprecedented opportunity to continue their education, said Watson. For some students, this is life changing. Students who have worked hard, but would not have been able to attend college because of financial limitations, now have the means to do so.
The Promise is available to all students who graduate from El Dorado High School, reside in the district and have been an El Dorado Public School student since at least the ninth grade.
The scholarship amount is determined by length of attendance in the El Dorado Public School District. For example, graduates who have attended all 13 years at EPS will receive 100% of the scholarship. Students who attend 9 through 12 grades at EPS will receive up to 65% of the scholarship.
The maximum amount of the Promise scholarship is based on the maximum level tuition payable at an Arkansas public university. In 2006-2007, the highest tuition rate in the state was $3,005 per semester.
We are committed to making El Dorado a great place to live and work, and we created the Promise to further invest in El Dorado's greatest resource: our children, said Claiborne Deming, president and CEO of Murphy Oil.
Students who graduate from El Dorado High School in the spring of 2007 are eligible for the Promise scholarship. Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the higher education institution.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.