Murphy Oil Offers Scholarships

Murphy Oil Corp. of El Dorado announces a scholarship program that offers to pay college tuition and fees for all El Dorado High School students. (Above, a screenshot from the Web site.) Change font size

Murphy Oil Corp. of El Dorado on Monday announced a scholarship program that offers to pay college tuition and fees for all El Dorado High School students.

The program, called "The El Dorado Promise," is a tuition scholarship that can be used at any accredited two-or-four year, public or private, college or university. Students can use the scholarship at higher education institutions in or out of state.

The scholarship is available to all students who graduate from El Dorado High School, reside in the district and have been an El Dorado Public School student since at least the ninth grade.

The scholarship amount is determined by length of attendance in the El Dorado Public School District. Graduates who have attended all 13 years in the district will receive 100 percent of the scholarship. Students who attend 9-12 grades will receive up to 65 percent of the scholarship, the company said.

More than 300 students graduate from El Dorado High School each year.

"This is a huge day," Bob Watson, superintendent of El Dorado Public Schools, said in announcing the scholarship. "As of today, El Dorado High School graduates will have an unprecedented opportunity to continue their education. For some students, this is life-changing. Students who have worked hard, but would not have been able to attend college because of financial limitations, now have the means to do so."

Ken James, director of the state Department of Education said the scholarship is "much needed" in Arkansas, where he said only 15 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree.

"The Arkansas Department of Education lauds Murphy Oil Corporation for its incredibly generous gift to El Dorado students and for the enormous impact this $50 million investment in students will have for education throughout Arkansas," James said.

Students who graduate from El Dorado High School in the spring of 2007 are eligible for the scholarship. Applications are available at www.eldoradopromise.com.