Murphy Oil's 'El Dorado Promise' vows $50 million in aid
by Michelle Hillen
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
EL DORADO — In what one parent here called the most significant event since the 1920s oil boom, Murphy Oil Corp. pledged $50 million Monday to help El Dorado High School graduates pay for college over the next two decades.
Wild applause, a standing ovation and a couple of high fives among students greeted Superintendent Bob Watson’s announcement of the corporate gift during an assembly in the school auditorium.
“This is, in my mind, absolutely the best thing that could ever happen to public education,” Watson said.
El Dorado-based Murphy Oil intends to fully fund the program, titled “The El Dorado Promise,” with $5 million a year for 10 years. That sum should cover, or help cover, college tuition for participating El Dorado students for at least 20 years, the company said.
The 4,421-student El Dorado School District includes a highschool enrollment this year of 1,335. On average, 65 percent of district graduating classes pur- sue higher education, Watson said, but added that the availability of scholarship money could bump that to 85 percent.
The tuition scholarship is good for up to five years of study in pursuit of an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at any public or private college either in Arkansas or out of state. The maximum aid available will match the highest tuition payable at an Arkansas public university. For the 2006-07 school year, that is $3,005 per semester.
“The El Dorado Promise” gives students who may have been unable to afford college the opportunity to attend the school of their choice, Claiborne Deming, president and chief executive officer of Murphy Oil, said.
“Historically, in south Arkansas, our natural resources were the reason for our wealth,” Deming said at the school assembly. “It is less true in this more-complex era, where intellectual capital is the necessary ingredient. Higher education opens up the door.”
Janease Traylor, a high school senior, said the program means she can afford her chosen school, the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where she plans to major in psychology.
“I was so excited and relieved,” Traylor said. “It changes a lot financially. I wasn’t sure if I could go or not, and now I’m sure that I am going.”
Lane Bauman, a junior, has her sights set further north — on the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
“It is just a blessing to have all of this money to go to school,” Bauman said. “I thought I would go in-state, but now, since this, I am going to apply for Notre Dame.”
Gov. Mike Beebe, who flew into El Dorado for Monday’s announcement, tried to put Murphy’s gift into perspective for the students.
“This gift is $50 million. That is $5 million for 10 years that Murphy Oil is investing in you, your little brother, your little sister, your neighbors and the folks coming on down the line,” Beebe said.
The governor, who took office this month, also noted that this was happening in a part of the state that has often felt neglected.
“One of the things I consistently heard during the [2006 gubernatorial] campaign was how people in south Arkansas feel disconnected, left out, forgotten and ignored by the rest of the state of Arkansas,” Beebe said. “This is an example of how the people of south Arkansas are sending a message to the rest of Arkansas that we are going to do it better. We are going to take care of our own. We are going to elevate the quality of life ... for our young people.”
Ken James, Arkansas’ education commissioner, issued a statement praising Murphy Oil for an “incredibly generous gift to El Dorado students and for the enormous impact this $50 million investment in students will have for education throughout Arkansas.”
“This is much needed in a state where only 15 percent of the populace hold bachelor’s degrees,” James said.
Modeled after the “Kalamazoo Promise,” a tuition-aid plan started in November 2005 in Kalamazoo, Mich., the El Dorado scholarships will first be available for students who graduate this spring and are accepted into college. The scholarship money will be paid directly to the highereducation institution.
Scholarships will be available to all students who graduate from El Dorado High School, live in the district, and have been an El Dorado Public School student since at least ninth grade. How long the student has been in the district also factors into the equation: Students who have attended all 13 years here will receive 100 percent of the aid. Students who have attended ninth through 12th grades will get up to 65 percent.
The Michigan program, funded by anonymous donors and first available to the class of 2006, pays for four years of college but is restricted to Kalamazoo graduates who attend public universities in that state.
“When Kalamazoo did it, it was so successful, we thought that is a wonderful gift that we can provide this wonderful community,” Deming said, referring to Murphy Oil’s corporate board.
Deming said that when the plan surfaced at the board meeting in December, members said, “This was the easiest decision we made all day.”
Vince Dawson, a guidance counselor at El Dorado High School, said he knew firsthand of the gift’s value. He has three children in El Dorado school — a ninth grader, a seventh grader and a second grader — and is paying for a fourth to attend college.
“I am just so excited,” Dawson said. “As a counselor, I am so excited for my kids who are graduating this year. And, as a parent, I am just speechless.”
Janet Rice, who has three children in the district, said the scholarships will free up money for them to possibly put toward graduate school should they choose to further their education.
“We will still keep saving for college, but there is just not as much pressure about it,” Rice said.
Monday’s announcement apparently was a well-kept secret. Rumors swirled before the assembly, but many among the teachers, parents and students attending had no idea of the magnitude of what was coming.
“I had heard rumors, like we were going to get some of our college paid, or maybe they were building a new high school, but I didn’t think it was going to be this huge,” senior Scott Zimmerebner said. “This is just like a tremendous weight off of my back.”
Lila Phillips, the parent of a ninth grader, was equally surprised and excited.
“This is probably the biggest thing to happen here since the oil boom,” Phillips said.
El Dorado, known as “Arkansas’ original boomtown,” has a population of roughly 21,500. It is the county seat of Union County.
Watson speculated that the scholarship program, coming from one of the city’s largest employers, could lead to an influx of new residents and students for the district.
“You always hope so. You always want to see your school district grow and prosper,” he said. “We have got some room for growth, and if we didn’t, that would be a good problem to have.”
Fortune magazine ranked Murphy Oil as 193rd on the magazine’s list of the nation’s largest companies last year, with revenue of $11.9 billion. The oil and gas refiner supplies service stations at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores.
Watson also acknowledged a concern, particularly in the first few years of the scholarship program, that some students will be unprepared because they have not taken the core curriculum required to gain admittance into college, Watson said.
“You have got to remember, a lot of young people, when they select their course of study in high school, don’t have college in mind. All of the sudden this money is here and you are going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We are going to have to step up to be sure that every child is prepared.”
James, in his statement, noted that the state’s Smart Core curriculum “is in place to give students the academic foundation they need to succeed in college.” He encouraged El Dorado students to take Smart Core “or the most challenging set of courses they can in high school.”
Watson said the promise of college tuition likely would inspire more students to take core classes and pursue higher education.
El Dorado High School Principal Larry Walters echoed that sentiment.
“We are going to try to break the bank,” Walters told Deming. “And if you’ve got more, we are going to come and get it, too. We are going to do our part. What an opportunity for the students of El Dorado High school and this town.”
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