For Eric Crawford, it was the uniqueness of Imperial Valley College and San Diego State University-Imperial Valley campus working together to form the Imperial Valley University Partnership that initially caught his attention.
“LS Power likes to get active in the local community and support education whenever we’re developing a power plant,” said Crawford, LS Power vice president of business development. “I had never come across a program like the IVUP and it seemed like a good way to support the community.”
LS Power is constructing the Centinela Solar Energy Facility and donated $135,000 in scholarships for the next three years to the IVUP.
Miriam Castañon said she hopes the generosity of the company will be noticed by other businesses and students alike.
“Our partnership is very unique in that we help students receive a degree in four years without them having to leave the Imperial Valley,” said Castañon, assistant director for Partnership Programs at SDSU-IV. “With the help of this scholarship money we hope to draw more students to the opportunity that partnership can provide them with.”
Castañon said when she received the news of the scholarship fund she was a bit surprised.
“I was surprised but in a good way,” she said. “We’re still a new program so for businesses to realize our potential and hard work is very rewarding.”
The scholarships, which are expected to fund two years of tuition for 10 students for the next three years, will be administered by SDSU-IV.
“There are a lot of students who want to continue their education in the area,” said Rodney Smart, director of Development and Community Relations at SDSU-IV. “This money is going to help a lot more students that a normal scholarship because it is merit based. It is also a way to reward those promising students who decided to stay in the area with a degree in four years and without the strain on their budget.”
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