COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 11, 2006) – Coca-cola is more than just a refreshing beverage for several thousand college students who’ve earned scholarships from the company.
Tennessee Tech University was among the first higher education institutions to benefit from the First Generation Coke Scholars Program, and its current Coke scholars are set to tour the World of Coke and Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 16.
“These students are very appreciative of the support they’ve gotten in the form of this scholarship, and they’re excited for the opportunity to see the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium firsthand,” said Kristie Phillips, director of annual and special programs at TTU.
“This is also an excellent way for the university to maintain a positive and active relationship with a company that has provided it with such a substantial scholarship endowment,” she said.
TTU’s relationship with Coke began in the 1994-’95 academic year, and the university maintains approximately 20 Coke scholars each year. Each covers the student’s tuition and maintenance fees, which are about $4,700 annually.
Half of them are entering freshmen, and the other half are students already enrolled at TTU. They may receive the scholarship assistance up to graduation if they maintain a 2.5 grade-point average and meet certain other criteria.
At the World of Coke, the students and accompanying administrators will visit the world’s largest collection of memorabilia that celebrates the beverage created in Atlanta in 1886.
Although it was first served at a small pharmacy soda fountain located near Underground Atlanta, Coke is now served more than a billion times a day in more than 200 countries around the globe.
The Georgia Aquarium is located on a 20-acre site — situated just a few blocks from the Coca-Cola Company’s worldwide headquarters — that will also soon be home to the new World of Coke building, which is scheduled to open there in summer 2007. The aquarium opened last November.
--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 11 October 2006