The president of Piedmont College in Demorest says a misunderstanding led to reports that the college intends to cut departmental scholarships. As Now Habersham clarified this morning, Dr. James Mellichamp issued a statement Thursday that “No student is going to have their scholarships taken away from them.”
He issued the statement in response to an article published Wednesday by the college’s student-run newspaper, The Roar. The news upset and worried scholarship recipients, many of whom say they rely on the money to pay for their education.
Mellichamp says “students and faculty ‘misunderstood’ a change that will be implemented in how departmental scholarships will be awarded.” He says the amount is less than $100,000 but insists it’s “not going away.” According to his statement, department chairs and faculty will still be involved in the process. Mellichamp adds, “We award over $12 million per year in scholarships to our students. We will continue to support our students in every conceivable way including by keeping costs low and financial aid assistance as high as possible.”
Thursday afternoon Mellichamp said college administrators would release a clarification to “hopefully help everyone understand why this is ‘no big deal.’ ”
