Graduate Calls on Other Alumni to Support Single Parents with Scholarships

This article was originally published in the Winter 2011 issue of Arkansas magazine, a publication of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

In 1984, Carol Feyen was a single parent struggling to continue her education. She had paid her tuition at a local community college and was halfway down the stairs leaving the building when the secretary came running after her.

Feyen recalled clearly what the woman said.

“She told me a new scholarship fund had been established for single parents. She handed me an application. She said she didn’t know how much money was available and suggested I get the application turned in as soon as possible.”

Now retired from teaching accounting at Tarrant Community College in Fort Worth, Texas, Feyen remembered taking the application home, filling it out and returning it by noon that same day.

She received a scholarship for that semester – $400 – and for several additional semesters. Feyen went on to study accounting at the University of Arkansas, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1989 and a master’s degree in 1991.

Now, 27 years after being in the inaugural class of recipients of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, Feyen is considering helping to start the first Texas affiliate of ASPIRE, which stands for “assisting single parents in realizing education.” ASPIRE, based in Fayetteville, is a national nonprofit organization modeled after the Benton County program.

“They helped me,” Feyen said, “and it seemed only logical that, if I can help them, I should try it. It’s simply paying it forward.”

PROVEN PROGRAM

Marjorie Marugg-Wolfe of Rogers co-founded the Benton County program with Ralph Nesson of Fayetteville, then director of the Economic Opportunity Agency and now executive director of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. She now serves as president of the board of directors of ASPIRE.

Marugg-Wolfe hopes to inspire the same interest in other University of Arkansas alumni.

“ASPIRE is going to other states and saying we know this works,” she said. “University of Arkansas graduates are notoriously generous with their time, talent and money. This is a proven program – vastly successful in Arkansas.”

A 2001 recipient of the President’s Community Volunteer Award from George W. Bush, Marugg-Wolfe has devoted nearly 40 years to helping first “displaced homemakers” and later single parents gain the skills and confidence they need to be successful in the workplace. A lifelong learner herself, her formal education includes a bachelor’s degree (1957), an educational specialist degree (1982) and an educational doctorate (1993), all from the University of Arkansas. She also earned a master’s degree from the University of Maryland.

“The seeds for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund and ASPIRE programs were planted at the University of Arkansas in the late 1970s when I was working on a research grant with Dr. Reba Davis,” Marugg-Wolfe explained. “Dr. Davis was researching the need for a training program for displaced homemakers in Arkansas. We developed a pilot program implemented by home economics teachers across the state.”

Marugg-Wolfe went on to become a regional director of programs in six states, but she was troubled because the programs were not helping single parents, the largest impoverished segment of society.

The Single Parent Scholarship Fund and ASPIRE programs take a holistic approach, according to Marugg-Wolfe. They help pay for students’ “survival” needs, she said.

A network of resources that she and others working with the Single Parent Scholarship Fund developed also contributes to the success of the students who receive the scholarships. One student called Marugg-Wolfe when her washing machine broke. Fearing the student would have to drop out of school because of the unexpected expense, Marugg-Wolfe found a Rogers church that offered to send a handyman over to take care of the problem. A local dentist offered his services free for another student, surpassing Marugg-Wolfe’s expectations when it turned out the student needed an expensive crown.

At Northwest Technical Institute, where Marugg-Wolfe was teaching, she watched a student on the phone in the student lounge trying to make arrangements to have her utilities turned back on. The student was missing class to take care of the crisis.

“The students who receive these scholarships have been tremendously successful,” Marugg-Wolfe said, describing students who became engineers, lawyers, accountants and a doctor. “Their stories show how this is not a typical scholarship program. We designed it to supplement the ‘normal’ scholarships and to cover things that might cause them to drop out of school, such as child care costs, vehicle maintenance and utility bills.”

SPREADING SUPPORT

For University of Arkansas alumna Christine Zini, the force of her experience as a scholarship recipient drove her to help other single parents. Executive director of ASPIRE, Zini developed the program with Pete Metzger to expand the Single Parent Scholarship program nationwide. The initial strategy has been to establish affiliates in surrounding states, with programs established in Missouri, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and in the development stage in Georgia and Mississippi.

Zini explained the process of establishing an affiliate.

“ASPIRE has the infrastructure in place to provide training and resources necessary to administer an affiliate office,” she said. “The program is presented to community leaders with encouragement to introduce ASPIRE to others in their area. The next step is to form a board of directors with six to seven people who represent different groups in the community such as clergy, lawyers, accountants and teachers. It is beneficial to have people on the board with different professional interests and experience.

“ASPIRE provides training modules and eligibility criteria to screen prospective recipients, conduct interviews and present awards, and $1,000 in seed money is then provided to award initial scholarships,” Zini continued.

Later, when the ASPIRE affiliate has a proven history and financial backing, an executive director may be hired to expand the program, Zini said.

Marugg-Wolfe said community leaders and foundations have supported the programs with funds and their time as volunteers.

PERSONAL TOUCH

Xue Lee of Gentry talks to bene- factors and other recipients about her success made possible by the scholarship program.

Xue Lee, a mother of two boys, spoke at the Benton County program’s annual benefit earlier this year. She told the audience how her family fled Laos to escape persecution of the Hmong people after the Vietnam War. She earned an associate’s degree from NorthWest Arkansas Community College and a bachelor’s degree from John Brown University. She is now enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership and Ethics program at JBU while working as an academic counselor at NWACC.

Lee talked recently about the interview process for the Single Parent Scholarship.

“There is a panel interview made up of people from the scholarship office, board members and volunteers,” she described. “Going into a room with five people and not being sure what they will ask is a little bit intimidating. They asked me questions about my educational goals and career goals.”

Reflecting on the interview experience, Lee said it boosted her confidence.

“For the most part, in the real world, job interviews nowadays are not one-on-one,” she said. “My interview for this job was with a panel. The scholarship interview gave me confidence and helped me know what to expect. When I tell students about the scholarship, I say, yes, it is a lengthy process with the essay and letters of recommendation required, but it is so worthwhile. ”

The program also offers professional counseling services that Lee found beneficial.

“Even though I had my parents for support, it really helps to know you can go to another person and get their perspective,” she said. “There are not any words to describe how grateful I am for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund.”