From left: Dr. Vincent June, SLCC Vice Chancellor of Student Services and Interim Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs; Mike Tarantino, Iberia Industrial Development Foundation President and CEO ; Jude Hebert, Cleco Originator; Jermaine Ford, SLCC Associate Vice Chancellor of Economic and Workforce Development; Cyndi Provost, Iberia Parish Government Executive Assistant; Lana Fontenot, SLCC Associate Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement; Joey Zagar, President and CEO of Bayou Welding and Technologies and Trident Group and SLCC Foundation Board Member.
NEW IBERIA – Local power company Cleco is investing in students at South Louisiana Community College. Today, Cleco donated $20,000 to the SLCC Foundation to be used for student scholarships.
“Cleco is excited to offer scholarships to students from the communities we serve,” said Bill Fontenot, Cleco’s chief executive officer. “When business takes part in education, we help strengthen not only our communities, but also our workforce.”
Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 will be established for students in degree programs and short-term training courses. Students must be enrolled fulltime, residents of Iberia Parish, and Cleco customers. They must also either be displaced workers seeking training or low-income residents.
Students can apply beginning March 15 by visiting www.solacc.edu/scholarships.
“Cleco is a partner that continually puts our students and their education first,” said Lana Fontenot, SLCC’s associate vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the SLCC Foundation. “This generous investment is not only an investment in our students, but also an investment in Acadiana.”
Last year, Cleco presented four $1,500 scholarships to students at SLCC’s Opelousas campus. Students who received theses scholarships were enrolled in the Electrical or Industrial Electronics Technology programs.
Cleco is also a partner with the college’s proposed Power Lineman Technician Training Program. The four-month program would be part of SLCC’s Corporate College division, which provides short-term, non-academic training. The community college is partnering with Cleco and several other power companies for the program. It is anticipated the program will be housed at SLCC’s Crowley Campus on Hutchinson Avenue. Cleco representatives and SLCC officials posed for a photo after Cleco's announcement of a $20,000 investment.
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ABOUT CLECO Cleco is a regional energy company that conducts substantially all of its business operation through its primary subsdiary, Cleco Power. Cleco Power is a regulated electric ultility company that owns nine generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 3,310 MWs and serves approximately 287,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana and Mississippi. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com
ABOUT ACADIANA’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE South Louisiana Community College is a comprehensive community college that operates campuses in Abbeville, Crowley, Franklin, Lafayette, New Iberia, Opelousas, St. Martinville, and Ville Platte. The college serves more than 13,000 students annually and offers an array of academic programs. Students earn associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates, and industry-based certifications. It is ranked 14th among the Top 100 Associate Degree Producers as determined by Community College Week.