Abilene Christian University is offering $80,000 in scholarships and grants to local high school students who complete the Hendrick Healthcare Academy and choose a health care-related major at ACU upon high school graduation.
The new program is designed to encourage Abilene and Big Country-area students to study psychology, social work or one of several health professions, and stay local for their college and future career opportunities.
“We want to expose students to health- and behavioral-sciences-related disciplines at ACU and encourage them to stay as a licensed provider in Abilene and improve the quality of life for people here,” said Dr. Dirk Nelson, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at ACU. “There’s a need right here to help students and positively impact our community’s health, well being and productivity. This is one great manifestation of that.”
Hendrick Healthcare Academy, launched in 2023, allows high school students to learn about multiple career options in the broad field of health care. The academy is part of Hendrick Health’s long-term workforce development strategy to partner with local and regional colleges and universities to grow its employee ranks in Abilene and Brownwood. The program exposes students to rewarding career opportunities close to their West Central Texas roots. Applications for the academy are open from Jan. 1 through April 30.
“Hendrick Health is grateful for ACU’s partnership in the Hendrick Healthcare Academy. We are able to offer these incredible hands-on experiences for our students because of the resources offered by institutions like ACU,” said Toni Brockway, director of workforce development at Hendrick Health. “This generous scholarship makes a significant impact for students in the Big Country pursuing futures in health care.”
Eligibility requirements to receive the scholarships from ACU:
- successfully complete the Hendrick Healthcare Academy program, including attending lab days on the ACU campus
- apply and be accepted to ACU’s residential campus
- select a major in an academic program within ACU’s College of Health and Behavioral Sciences or major in the health professions track or biomedical science track within the Onstead College of Science and Engineering
Students who meet those prerequisites will receive:
- priority eligibility for ACU dual credit course offerings online
- discounted tuition for dual credit courses at ACU
- guaranteed $80,000 in ACU scholarships and grants toward tuition for eight long semesters ($20,000 per year)
For more information, contact Sheila Jones in ACU’s College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at joness@acu.edu or Toni Brockway at Hendrick Health at tbrockway@hendrickhealth.org.
