Jefferson, Ga.— Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is currently accepting applications for the Walter Harrison Scholarship, a program sponsored by Georgia’s 41 electric cooperatives.

Rapidly rising costs of college tuition and fees are making it more and more difficult for students to afford a higher education. With many families facing financial hardships, college applicants are increasingly looking for ways to offset the costs of obtaining a degree.

The $1,000 scholarship can be applied to academic expenses at any accredited two- or four-year university, college or vocational-technical institute in Georgia.
Full- or part-time students who apply for the scholarship must be accepted or enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, a customer of Jackson EMC or the son or daughter of a customer and a resident of the home served by Jackson EMC.

In 2014, Walter Harrison Scholarships will be awarded to seven students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance. Factors for consideration include grade point average, standardized test scores, academic standing, scholastic honors and community involvement. A scholarship committee comprised of EMC directors and managers judge blind applications and select recipients who exceed in these areas and can demonstrate financial need.

Created in 1985 by the board of directors of Georgia EMC, the scholarship pays tribute to the late Walter Harrison, a pioneer in the rural electricity movement and a leader at local, state and national levels in the electric cooperative program.

Since 1985, Georgia’s electric cooperatives have awarded more than $154,500 to students through the Walter Harrison Scholarship program.
Students interested in applying should contact their area high-school guidance counselors or visit www.jacksonemc.com/scholarships for online application, FAQs and complete details. Completed applications are due by January 24, 2014.

Jackson EMC, based in northeast Georgia, is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to more than 210,000 members in Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.

Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 41 EMCs, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Collectively, Georgia’s customer-owned EMCs provide electricity and related services to more than four million people, half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area.