MONROE, Mich. -- The family of longtime educator Betty Swartout has established the Betty Swartout Memorial Scholarship with The Foundation at Monroe County Community College.
The Betty Swartout Memorial Scholarship will provide $1,000 annually to a Monroe County Community College student who is entering the second year of a pre-education transfer program or planning to pursue a degree in the field of elementary education.
Majors of study that qualify include degrees in early childhood development or teacher paraprofessional with a commitment to complete studies in a baccalaureate elementary education program. Applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Preference will be given to students who attended Monroe Public Schools.
The donors funded the scholarship due to a desire to invest in the future of education, and MCCC was chosen for the scholarship due to its locality, said Joshua W. Myers, executive director of The Foundation at MCCC.
Betty Swartout educated Monroe children for more than four decades. The eldest of eight children, she took to teaching naturally. Her father was a high school principal, farmer and scientist who advocated for education. Swartout, raised on a tobacco farm in the hills of Virginia, received her high school diploma at age 15 and graduated from Lincoln Memorial University with a bachelor’s degree in education at the age of 18. She later received her master’s degree in education from Eastern Michigan University. Swartout taught at the former Boyd School before moving to Manor Elementary School when it was established in the late 1950s. Her daughter, Cathy Osgood, described her mother as a “happy, outgoing person who had a passion for learning and expanding knowledge.” After retiring in 1995, Swartout traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe. She was dedicated to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, helping them learn to read, among other things.
Friends, family and former students can donate to the scholarship online by visiting www.monroeccc.edu/foundation/swartoutmemorialscholarship.
For more information on the Betty Swartout Memorial Scholarship, contact The Foundation at MCCC at (734) 384-4214. For more information on available scholarships and financial aid, please contact the MCCC Financial Aid Office at (734) 384-4135.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition.
The college’s mission is to enrich and transform lives by providing opportunities and excellence in higher education. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located at 7777 Lewis Ave.,Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.