College president Dr. Faye Pappalardo with Jennifer Terry, first recipient of the Helen Pappalardo Scholarship for nursing and allied health students.

To take advantage of Carroll's excellent faculty, modern facilities, and industry-current equipment, students may need more than ambition and good study habits. For some, even the modest tuition and fees charged by a community college are barriers to attendance. The Carroll Community College Foundation oversees both yearly and endowed scholarship funds to help those in need of financial assistance.

In spring 2001, college president Dr. Faye Pappalardo established an endowed fund in her mother's name to provide scholarships to students pursuing an associate degree in nursing or allied health at Carroll Community College.

Carroll nursing student Jennifer Terry was the recipient of the first Helen Pappalardo Scholarship award, in May 2002. Terry, holder of a bachelor's degree in environmental studies, decided nursing was her calling and chose Carroll Community College as her school. She graduated as part of the college's first practical nursing class last July, also receiving the college's inaugural Practical Nursing Program Achievement Award.

A second scholarship program, for students accepted into the clinical phase of the nursing program, is supported by the Lisa M. Sotack Endowed Scholarship Fund. Established anonymously in August 2002 by a couple wanting to honor a close friend's memory, the Lisa M. Sotack Scholarship will be awarded to a Carroll County resident in good academic standing with demonstrated financial need. Ms. Sotack worked in the nursing field for 21 years, starting as a floor nurse, transferring to emergency medicine, and finally psychiatric nursing, where she spent most of her career.

The newest fund to support the college's nursing students, the Clagett Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, was established in November 2002. The family's commitment to nursing education reflects its profound appreciation for the professionalism, dedication, and compassion of the nurses who have served several generations of Clagetts in need, and its recognition of the increasing shortage of nursing professionals locally, regionally, and nationally.

The family's personal experience with nurses, from neonatal critical care to hospice at the end of life, led to the establishment of the fund. The memorandum of understanding establishing the endowment captures the family's views: "The extent to which nurses implement treatment plans was a revelation. The best ones care not only for the patient but the patient's family and friends. They are truly angels, manifesting kindness, selflessness, and empathy in a stressful and demanding profession."

To contribute to Carroll scholarship funds, contact Steven Wantz in the Office of Institutional Development at 410-386-8154.

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