CTC offers free tuition to “Wounded Warrior” spouses

Officials from Central Texas College (CTC) recently announced a new initiative that will provide free tuition for spouses of soldiers injured in combat. Through the new “Wounded Warrior” spouse scholarship program, free tuition will be provided for up to 30 semester hours in one year, for spouses of Purple Heart recipients.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the Fort Hood Area Community Covenant event, held at CTC on June 6. Scholarships applications will be accepted beginning August 1, 2008, for classes beginning after August 1.

“Central Texas College has a long history of serving the educational needs of military personnel and their families,” said Dr. James Anderson, CTC chancellor. “We are proud to extend support to spouses of wounded warriors in this way.”

CTC will also work with “Operation Life Transformed” whose field network will help identify and award scholarships to those who need them most as quickly as possible. “Operation Life Transformed” works with spouses of wounded military personnel to provide them training in workplace skills that will allow them to pursue flexible and mobile careers.

Qualifying spouses may fill out a CTC admission application and complete any pre-registration requirements prior to August 1 to expedite processing. To verify eligibility, qualifying spouses must present a copy of the military member's DD214 or orders reflecting the award of a Purple Heart since September 2001, along with a copy of a marriage license and a Department of Defense ID card or other type of photo ID.

The scholarship covers in or out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees. To maintain eligibility for the scholarship, spouses must take a minimum of six semester credit hours and maintain a 2.0 grade point average.

More information is available on the CTC website at www.ctcd.edu/militaryspouses. The scholarship application will be available online and at CTC site locations by early July. Applications may be submitted to any CTC location or to CTC's online mentors for students not located near a site location.

The Wounded Warriors Spouse Scholarship Program will be funded by the CTC Foundation. Anyone interested in donating to the scholarship program should call the Foundation at 254-526-1472.

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