CEDAR CITY, Utah — The PacifiCorp Foundation, the charitable arm of Rocky Mountain Power, has awarded $6,000 to Southern Utah University for first-generation scholarships. The grant will provide $1,000 scholarships for six SUU students whose parents did not graduate from college. 

“Studies continue to support that ‘first-generation’ students face unique challenges before, during, and after their efforts to seek a college degree,” said D. Mark Barton, Southern Utah University’s vice president of advancement and regional services. “More than a quarter of the young adults enrolled at Southern Utah University are first-generation students, meaning both of their parents have not obtained a bachelors degree.”

“The PacifiCorp Foundation’s Rocky Mountain Power Fund is continuing to make a difference for Southern Utah University students by again providing first-generation scholarships this school year,” said Mark Cox, Rocky Mountain Power’s regional community manager. “Last year’s scholarship recipients included students ranging from an 18-year-old freshman to a mother of six children. Though the students varied in their life situations and courses of study, they all shared the common goal of providing a better future for themselves and their families by obtaining a college education.”

The PacifiCorp Foundation contributed $117,000 this past summer to Utah nonprofits for educational programs throughout the state. Other organizations to receive funding include:

• University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business (Salt Lake City) – Business Values and Ethics Program and scholarships for first-generation students;
• Guadalupe Schools (Salt Lake City) – Summer Institute learning activities and field-trips for students from low-income families;
• Junior Achievement of Utah (Salt Lake City) – Volunteer-based business, economics and ethics training for students;
• Pioneer Theatre Company (Salt Lake City) – Classroom Process Drama Project to prepare students to experience and better understand professional theater;
• National Energy Foundation (Salt Lake City) – Utah Debate Program to help students in grades four through nine improve reading, thinking, writing, speaking and listening skills;
• Utah State University (Logan) – Engineering State program for high school juniors and seniors, and undergraduate scholarships;
• Sevier School District (Richfield) – Ready to Read early childhood literacy program for children ages one through four and their parents;
• Canyonlands Field Institute (Moab) – Professor Valley Field Camp overnight outdoor school program for middle and high school students, with a focus on renewable energy;
• Center for the Advancement of Leadership (Orem) – Leadership training and experiences for students and business professionals throughout the state; and
• Uintah Schools Foundation (Vernal) – Teacher Mini-Grant Program to supplement needed classroom materials
  

The grants are part of one of four annual cycles awarded by the PacifiCorp Foundation for programs in the areas of education, health and human services, arts and culture, and civic and community betterment. For more information, visit  www.pacificorpfoundation.com.

Media inquiries:   newsdesk@pacificorp.com