JACKSON, Miss. — Land Bank South, FLCA will award $10,500 in scholarships in 2008 to college and university students attending schools throughout the association’s 50-county territory.

Eleven scholarships of $500 each will be distributed through the Mississippi Community College Foundation (MCCF), where a Land Bank South Annual Scholarship was established in 2005. The $5,500 fund will provide a $500 award to a business administration, forestry or agriculture major at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, East Central Community College, East Mississippi Community College, Hinds Community College, Holmes Community College, Jones County Junior College, Meridian Community College, Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Pearl River Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College. The applicants will be reviewed respectively by each of the eleven eligible colleges, which in turn will recommend a recipient to the Executive Committee of the MCCF. The committee will present the nominee to the MCCF Board of Directors for final approval. 

An additional five scholarships of $1,000 each will be given to university students pursuing a degree in business or agriculture at Mississippi State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Mississippi State University, College of Business and Industry; University of Southern Mississippi, College of Business and Industry; Jackson State University, College of Business and Industry; and Alcorn State University, School of Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Applied Sciences. The applicants will be reviewed by the respective schools’ selection committees.

All scholarships will be awarded on a year-to-year basis. Students who receive a scholarship are eligible for consideration in another year; however, they must still comply with the selection criteria.

“Scholarship applicants must be pursuing a degree in business, business administration, forestry or agriculture; have demonstrated academic achievement; be in good standing at their respective school; and show good moral character and demonstrated leadership ability,” said Jessie Purvis, Land Bank South chief executive officer. “Preference will be given to students who are children of current stockholders or employees of the Land Bank South; incoming freshmen; and students from the counties serviced by our association.”

Interested applicants should contact a Land Bank South office or the financial aid office of their college or university.