The McCoy Family
Dr. Carole McCoy and her husband Donald McCoy started the McCoy Family Scholarship at the time of her inauguration as the 5th president of Jefferson Community College. Dr. McCoy’s term as president started February 1, 2007 and went until June 30, 2017. Dr. McCoy is a true convert to the community college mission and advocates for students from all walks of life and of all academic abilities. Her greatest passion, however, is for adult students who are coming to college for the first time or returning to college after having decided it was not for them previously.
Dr. McCoy was this type of student. She attended college full-time one year directly out of high-school and dropped out at the end of that year. She began working full-time, married, and she and her husband had a daughter, Emily. Despite having dropped out, Dr. McCoy knew it was important for her to continue her education and took classes at night periodically at a number of different colleges. Her family and her employers encouraged her to finish her bachelor’s degree which she ultimately did more than 20 years after dropping out. She completed her MBA degree a few years later followed by a doctorate in public administration. Dr. McCoy worked full-time while completing her educational journey and credits her husband and daughter for making it possible for her. Emily has gone on to graduate with an associate’s degree in liberal arts, a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and an MBA. Don is a lifelong learner particularly in the electronics field.
Dr. McCoy speaks passionately to students and potential students about the trans-formative power of an education. She states it is one of the very few things you can never lose no matter what happens in live. Members of Dr. and Mr. McCoy’s family have all contributed to the family scholarship program in honor of Dr. McCoy’s presidency.
The scholarship is awarded to adult students coming to Jefferson Community College in their first semester at the College. The McCoy family wants adult students to have the financial help they need to get started on their college education and realize that financial aid opportunities for part-time students are relatively limited. It is the family’s belief that the first semester is the most important for an adult student and that students who successfully complete their first few courses at college will gain the confidence to continue through to graduation.