Regal Scholarship makes college possible for local graduates
KNOXVILLE — For senior Alex Perry, being a Regal Scholar made his The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, career possible.
“Everybody knows college is not cheap,” Perry, who graduated from Farragut High School and is majoring in public relations and minoring in psychology, said. “The Regal Scholarship took a big burden off me and my parents. I'm grateful that I won’t have any debt when I graduate, which will make it possible for me to go on for my master's in public relations.”
The Knoxville-based Regal En-tertainment Group’s foundation invests $100,000 each year in the program. These dollars cover tui-tion and room and board for 40 UT students from Knox County. For volunteers from lower-in-come families, the need-based scholarships help make the dream of earning a degree from UT a reality.
“I’ve met a lot of great people at Regal through the scholarship,” Perry said. “More than just providing the scholarships, Amy Miles, the CEO; Ken Thewes, the chief marketing officer; Richard Grover, the VP of marketing and communications; and Sandra Heinig, the PR director — they all like to get to know the scholarship winners and make us feel supported. Last summer I had a PR and marketing internship at Regal. I drafted press releases and other things, and I learned a lot. It was a great opportunity that wouldn’t have happened if I weren’t a Regal Scholar.”
The Regal Scholars program, offered for the sixth year in a row, provides one-year renewable scholarships to 10 freshmen, 10 sophomores, 10 juniors and 10 seniors.
“One of our primary goals is increasing access for all students who want to be Volunteers, and the generosity of partners like Regal makes it possible,” UT Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said.
To be eligible, students must be admitted to UT and meet the same income guidelines as those for the need-based Tennessee Pledge scholarship.
“This is one of our favorite things at Regal that we do,” said Miles, a UT alumna. “As part of the corporate culture at Regal, it is important for us to give back to the communities that we live in. We are extremely proud of the Regal Scholars and our partnership with The University of Tennessee.”
Students applying to UT should visit their high school guidance counselor and ask for more information about the Regal Scholars program, as well as other scholarships.
The scholarship program is just one of several ways that Regal supports UT. The company has endowed two Regal Entertain-ment Group distinguished professorships in the Haslam College of Business and supports the college's technology fund.
The company also has helped make several new UT athletics facilities a reality. Regal’s generous support of UT athletics has led to the creation of the Regal Soccer Stadium, the Regal Enter-tainment Group Plaza and the Regal Scoreboard at Lindsey Nel-son Stadium. Regal also established the Mike Campbell Pul-monary Medicine Fellowship at UT Medical Center and the UT Graduate School of Medicine. The fellowship fosters research and training for physicians specializing in pulmonary disease.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Regal Entertainment Group is the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States. The company operates theaters in 46 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas.
For more information on UT financial aid and scholarships, visit the One Stop website.
Regal Scholarship holders for the 2016 year are:
• Freshmen — Raul Arreola-Moreno, and Julian Ball, Central High School; Christopher Forsyth, Powell High School; Chandler Lepper and Alexandra Nussbau-mer, Halls High School; Alexander Owens, Farragut High School; Amanda Peebles, L&N STEM Academy; Morgan Powell, Fulton High School; Caleb Thomas, Hardin Valley Academy, and Adam Young, Carter High School.
• Sophomores — Kendra An-derson and Daisey Smith, Powell High School; Daryl Brown, West High School; Kristi Cao and Thomas Nipper, Hardin Valley Academy; Madelyn Collins, West High School; Michael Costner, Farragut High School; Jacob King, Halls High School; Preston Laine, Webb School of Knoxville, and Meet Patel, Carter High School.
• Juniors — James Deal, Halls High School; Quentin Eustace, West High School; Sarah Hunter and Jenine Omari, South Doyle High School; Thomas Jean, Gibbs High School; Austin Lim, Farragut High School; Rachel Poppert, Berean Christian High School; Lucas Sheridan, Central High School; Hannah Wunschel, Be-den High School, and Khanh Vu, Knoxville Catholic High School.
• Seniors — Savannah Calla-ghan, Central High School; Ashley Coward, Hardin Valley Academy; Adam Koson and Michelle Van Guilder, Halls High School; Samantha Medina, Bearden High School; Bethany Miniard, Webb School of Knoxville; Alexander Perry and Emily Windle, Farragut High School; Tabitha Smalley, Knoxville Catholic High School, and Brandon Taylor, Carter High School.
