KNOXVILLE — Dozens of University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students have Regal Entertainment Group to thank for helping make their education possible. The Regal Foundation is contributing up to $100,000 annually to support scholarships which benefit forty young Volunteers.
For Natalie Pierce, a sophomore at UT Knoxville double majoring in studio art and art education, the $2,500 Regal Scholarship made it easier for her to continue her education.
“I am the third out of four children, so I know how expensive college and extra fees can be with two older siblings in college as well,” said Pierce. “Being a Regal Scholar is such an honor and a blessing. This generous scholarship ensured that I had enough money for all my books and my art supplies for my studio classes, which add up quickly.”
The Regal Scholarship program, offered through UT to students for the first time last fall, provides $2,500 annual scholarships for up to forty Knox County students: ten freshmen, ten sophomores, ten juniors and ten seniors.
“We are so grateful for the partnership with Regal Entertainment Group,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “One of our primary goals is increasing access for all students who want to be Volunteers. Generosity from our great supporters like Regal make that possible.”
To be eligible for the Regal Scholarship program, students must be enrolled at or admitted to attend UT Knoxville, and they must meet the same income guidelines as those for the need-based Tennessee Pledge Scholarship (a family adjusted gross income of less than $40,000). Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis.
Amy Miles, UT alumna and CEO of Regal Entertainment Group, said, “The Regal Scholars program proudly supports these student scholars, and this year’s recipients are certainly very deserving. Through the Regal Foundation, we are pleased to make an impact on these young people’s lives.”
The scholarship program is just one of several gifts that Regal Entertainment Group and its foundation have given UT through the Regal Foundation as part of the Campaign for Tennessee.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Regal Entertainment Group is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world, operating 6,605 screens in 528 locations in thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia.
Regal Entertainment Group’s gifts to UT Knoxville include:
- UT Academics—In addition to funding the Regal Scholarships, UT’s College of Business Administration has benefited from two more investments by Regal Entertainment Group. One will establish the endowed Regal Entertainment Group Distinguished Professorship. The other will support the CBA Technology Fund, which helps maintain state-of-the-art computers, software, and other technology in classrooms in the James A. Haslam II Business Building. In appreciation, a second-floor team room in the building will be named the “Regal Entertainment Group Team Room.”
- UT Athletics—The Regal Soccer Stadium, named in honor of Regal Entertainment Group’s legacy of support for UT Athletics, was dedicated in 2008. The $7.5 million facility was paid for by private donations. An additional gift by Regal Entertainment Group will help build a new state-of-the-art football training center adjacent to the Brenda Lawson Athletic Center and Haslam Field.
- UT Medical Center—The Regal Foundation, the charitable arm of Regal Entertainment Group, with the Will Rogers Institute, recently donated $1 million to UT Medical Center and the UT Graduate School of Medicine to establish the Mike Campbell Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship. The fellowship will foster enhanced research and training for physicians specializing in pulmonary disease and also will help attract the nation’s leading pulmonary residents.
Regal’s gifts are part of the university’s $1 billion fundraising campaign, the Campaign for Tennessee. The most ambitious effort in the university’s history, the campaign places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.
The campaign secures private gifts through contributions, pledges, and planned giving to advance the university’s strategic goals, which include improving student access and success, research and economic development, outreach, and globalization. More than 98 percent of all gifts are designated for a specific purpose or program, such as scholarships or endowed professorships, and help provide the vital resources to advance key initiatives.
To learn more about applying for the Regal Scholarship, as well as other UT scholarships, please visit the university’s financial aid website. This site lists important deadlines and criteria for scholarship awards. Also, students applying to UT Knoxville for admission for fall 2012 are encouraged to visit their high school guidance counselor, who has information on the Regal Scholarship and other scholarship programs.
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C O N T A C T :
Tiffany Carpenter (865-974-1476, tcarpenter@tennessee.edu)