Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) has announced new scholarship opportunities made possible by a $150,000 donation from Enel Green Power (EGP) for students majoring in wind energy or education.
The gift, paid over three years, is the largest donation by a single wind energy company in Panhandle State history, the university claims. Two initiatives have been approved this year that will see students benefit from the scholarship: Pathways to Success and Panhandle’s Future.
The majority of EGP’s investment will fund the Pathways to Success wind energy scholarship, which is designed to set those interested in wind energy on a degree program that sees them through high school graduation to a bachelor’s degree. In partnership with High Plains Technology Center (HPTC), students can earn their wind energy technician certificate at HPTC and then transfer to OPSU to earn their associate and bachelor’s degrees.
University President Dr. Tim Faltyn says, “This program changes the game for the wind energy workforce. Anyone who wants a career in wind energy can get their wind technician certificate and enter the workforce immediately. When they are ready to move up, the can come to OPSU, and we can give them the skills and education to become supervisors and managers and further their career. What better place to do that than in the most productive wind farms in America.”
In addition, the Panhandle’s Future scholarship is a program that will provide funding for education majors committed to teach for a minimum of two years in the panhandle area following graduation.
“Our region suffers from a lack of qualified teachers,” says Faltyn. “Through this program, we are giving local students the opportunity and the incentive to build a career educating the youth of our region. Enel’s support is not just an investment in their industry but an investment in our communities and our way of life. It is truly appreciated.”
EGP operates 10 wind power projects across the state.
