In El Dorado and Arkadelphia, the dreams of Charles Murphy Jr. and Jane Ross live on. The El Dorado Promise and the Arkadelphia Promise will help make those two cities shining stars for the southern half of our state. Interestingly, the initiatives have their roots in a pair of great Arkansans who both were born in 1920.

In the previous post, I wrote about the Arkadelphia Promise scholarship program, which was unveiled last week.

The Arkadelphia Promise is being funded by the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp.

Arkadelphia-based Southern Bancorp has now become the largest and most profitable rural development banking organization in the country. The first bank it purchased was Arkadelphia’s Elk Horn Bank & Trust Co. in 1988. Since then, other banks have been purchased across Arkansas and in the Mississippi Delta. Southern Bancorp has grown stronger than ever under the leadership of Phil Baldwin.

ARKADELPHIA ? Tuesday’s announcement of the Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship, which will allow qualifying students in the Clark County seat to attend college free of charge, was big news for the community.

The new scholarship program was introduced during an Education Pep Rally held Tuesday at Badger Stadium with special guest Gov. Mike Beebe.

“All of you should now have no excuses not to go to college and not to finish college,” Beebe said to the students in the crowd Tuesday night. “There is a direct correlation between a college degree and the economic vitality of a community. You all are on your way. You should be very proud of one another, you should be very proud of Arkadelphia, and you should be very proud of these students. All of you deserve the recognition that everybody can give you. I’m proud of Arkadelphia, and I’m proud of Clark County.”

The program was developed by the Clark County Strategic Plan, a planning initiative designed to address the future development of the area in the next 10 years, and is sponsored by the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp, both based in Arkadelphia.

Arkadelphia and El Dorado are two of my favorite towns. Now, they have something else in common — something very special. Last week, people filled the football stadium at Arkadelphia High School. They were there to see the Arkadelphia Promise scholarship program unveiled. It’s something that will change the face of my hometown forever.

I thought of President Clinton’s comments last week as people filled the football stadium at Arkadelphia High School. They were there to see the Arkadelphia Promise scholarship program unveiled. The initiative is modeled on the El Dorado Promise, though there are key differences. It’s something that will change the face of my hometown forever, and it’s being made possible by the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp. No longer will the families of Arkadelphia High School graduates have to worry about coming up with the money to pay college tuition and fees as long as their children meet certain standards.

Log Cabin Democrat. Nov. 17, 2010.

Promise

When we first heard of the El Dorado Promise, a scholarship program founded by Murphy Oil Company that pays tuition and mandatory fees to Arkansas two- and four-year colleges for El Dorado High School graduates who meet qualifications, we knew it was going to be a substantial influence on the students it helps.

Now, a few years later, Murphy Oil is still sticking to its promise, and the statistics gathered in just three short years are astounding. What was once a deteriorating community is now a thriving, bustling atmosphere where parents from all over the country, and a few from other countries, are beating down the school districts doors for a chance to get their students enrolled in El Dorado schools.

According to the Promise’s website, since the programs foundation, EDHS’s graduates attending college rate has increased from about 60 percent to 81 percent.

Now, there’s another promise. From another community. And it has all the makings to be another El Dorado Promise.

It’s the Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship. And it has the same goal as the El Dorado Promise: sending graduates to college because it’s what’s best for the community and local economy.

With the support of the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp, the Arkadelphia Promise will offset the difference between what the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship (the lottery scholarship) covers and the total amount of mandatory tuition and fees at any accredited public Arkansas college or university.

Current seniors and future graduates of Arkadelphia High School join graduates of El Dorado High School in being the beneficiaries of a powerful promise: college scholarships, opportunity, a great chance to create a great future.

The Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship, announced last week, is funded by the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp. The program will pay students eligible for Arkansas Lottery scholarships the balance of their college tuition and fees.

We also give thanks this season to Southern Bancorp, the Ross Foundation, and the Arkadelphia Public Schools. Their generosity and far-reaching vision are helping an entire community of students afford the opportunity to earn college degrees. These partners recently launched the Arkadelphia Promise, making a college education a real option for every child in Arkadelphia. Just as the El Dorado Promise provides funding for students to go to college, the community of Arkadelphia has committed support and guidance to a generation of students. It is gratifying to know that these programs will provide life-changing opportunities for so many young people in our State.

This is Governor Mike Beebe.

As we gather together with family and friends this Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the many ways that our people and our State have been blessed.

We also give thanks this season to Southern Bancorp, the Ross Foundation, and the Arkadelphia Public Schools. Their generosity and far-reaching vision are helping an entire community of students afford the opportunity to earn college degrees. These partners recently launched the Arkadelphia Promise, making a college education a real option for every child in Arkadelphia. Just as the El Dorado Promise provides funding for students to go to college, the community of Arkadelphia has committed support and guidance to a generation of students. It is gratifying to know that these programs will provide life-changing opportunities for so many young people in our State.

Students who graduate from Arkadelphia High School will get help picking up the tab for college.

Representatives from Southern Bancorp and the Ross Foundation, both based in Arkadelphia, announced Tuesday that they have partnered to start a scholarship program that will help students pay the cost of tuition and mandatory fees up to the highest rate of a public university in Arkansas.

The partners did not put a cap on the amount of money they would make available but said the program will last for at least 18 years.

Southern Bancorp is the largest rural development bank in America. The Ross Foundation manages timberlands set aside for conservation, and its philanthropic arm was formed to support the educational and development …

Arkadelphia, Ark. — There were just three school districts across the nation that guarantee every one of their students a college education. Tuesday evening, Arkadelphia became the fourth.

In a special “education pep rally” event at Badger Stadium, at precisely 5:51 p.m., Dr. Wesley Kluck announced that Arkadelphia would follow the El Dorado school district, and have a “method to increase college attendance, and a process to ensure that the financial gap could be filled with outside resources.”

The Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp have partnered to make this opportunity available to students. According to the Arkadelphia Promise website that went viral during the pep rally, “the goal of the Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship is to increase the college-going rate for local students, reduce the number of students dropping out of college for financial reasons and provide a more educated workforce.”

Current seniors and future graduates of Arkadelphia High School who are eligible for Arkansas lottery-funded scholarships will have the balance of their college tuition and fees paid by a new scholarship program announced Tuesday.

The Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship, funded by the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp, both of Arkadelphia, was announced to a communitywide pep rally at the high school at which Gov. Mike Beebe was the keynote speaker. A taped congratulatory message from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was also played to the crowd.

A fact sheet describing the Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship is available at ArkadelphiaPromise.org.

The new scholarship is similar to the El Dorado Promise, a scholarship program for graduates of El Dorado High School funded by Murphy Oil Corp.