Families were on Christine Hinkle’s mind when she decided to create an endowed scholarship fund to benefit students at Schoolcraft College. The scholarships are aimed at helping men and women who are being served by the college’s Women’s Resource Center, which provides the atmosphere, support and programs needed by adults who are entering or re-entering the workforce.

Many of these students have children and some represent the first generation in their family to attend college. Hinkle understands that a parent's success has a ripple effect on the entire family and that college aspirations have a tendency to be passed down from one generation to the next.

She also knows that there have been times when both a parent and adult child have been enrolled simultaneously. If this happens again, both the parent and the child will be eligible for the scholarship.

Named in honor of her and her late husband Lawrence, the scholarship will be funded with current gifts and an estate plan distribution. When fully funded, it will be the largest scholarship fund in the college’s history and could support as many as 30 full-tuition scholarships per academic year in perpetuity.

“This is an extraordinary act of generosity by someone who understands the transforming power of education,” said Dr. Conway A. Jeffress, Schoolcraft College president. “Mrs. Hinkle knows that education leads to hope, and that hope is contagious.”

The first scholarships will be awarded for the Fall 2008 semester, which begins September 3. Although the identity of those students isn’t yet known, the college’s director of development, Jason Valente, is certain of one thing. “These scholarships will be life-changing,” he said. “When you give someone a scholarship, you are telling them that you believe in them. They begin to recognize their own potential and they are never the same after that.”

To learn more about scholarships at Schoolcraft College:

• Schoolcraft College Foundation, (734) 462-4455
• Schoolcraft College Financial Aid Office, (734) 462-4433