Columbia Buick Dealer Announced Buick Achievers Scholarship Program

Feb. 10, 2011 - PRLog -- Jim Hudson Buick, the premier Buick dealership in Columbia, South Carolina, is thrilled to announce that Buick and the General Motors Foundation have unveiled the national Buick Achievers Scholarship Program.  This program will reward 1,100 college-bound high school seniors in select majors who excel both in the classroom and out in their communities with $4.5 million in scholarships per year.

These scholarships available to Columbia high school students are renewable for four years, which could bring the total individual scholarship to as much as $100,000 provided the recipients remain eligible. The GM Foundation plans to start a new group of 100 students on renewable scholarships of up to $25,000 each year.

Buick Achievers, designed to inspire, celebrate, and enable human achievement, also will provide 1,000 students with $2,000 scholarships renewable for up to four years (with a fifth year provided for students in five-year engineering programs). Eligible majors for the program include science, technology, engineering, mathematics, design, marketing and business administration.

All told, the foundation’s annual funding could reach $18 million annually after four years.

“As a company, and as a nation, we have a responsibility to support opportunities for higher education,” said Dan Akerson, GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The Buick Achievers scholarship will help foster the next generation of leaders destined to develop future innovative solutions to global issues.”

According to the College Board, college tuitions rose at least 6 percent last year, making it increasingly difficult for students to pay for their education. The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program was developed to help address this need.

“The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program is one of the premiere scholarship programs in the country,” said Donald E. Lassere, senior vice president, Scholarship America, the nation's largest nonprofit, private sector scholarship and educational support organization. “The high-dollar value and renewability of the awards will provide recipients with a tremendous benefit throughout their college careers.”

To be eligible for the Buick Achievers scholarship, South Carolina students must be high school seniors or high school graduates entering college for the first time in the fall of 2011; plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited four-year college or university for the entire 2011-12 academic year; and demonstrate an interest in the automotive industry. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have permanent residence in the United States. Other criteria include being a first-generation college student, female, minority, military veteran or a dependent of military personnel.

Information and applications are available at http://www.buickachievers.com.  Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2011, and scholarships will be awarded for the 2011-2012 academic year.  

The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program is the latest example of GM Foundation education initiatives to invest in the youth of America.  The GM Foundation, a non-profit organization last funded by General Motors in 2001, has provided more than $26 million in education-related initiatives since 2005.

Jim Hudson Buick is proud to support college scholarships of its own for Columbia-area athletes, and is the premier Buick dealer in Columbia, South Carolina with a commitment to complete customer satisfaction.  Jim Hudson has been voted Best New Car Dealership an unmatched ten years in a row in The State's annual Readers Choice poll, which only serves to underscore Jim Hudson's exceptional customer service.  For more information, contact Jim Hudson Buick at (803) 783-0110 or visit http://www.jimhudsonsuperstore.com/

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Jim Hudson Buick is the premier Buick dealership in the midlands of South Carolina, serving Newberry, Sumter, Orangeburg, and Lugoff and carrying an excellent selection of new and certified used Buick models. For more information, visit http://www.jimhudsonbuick.com/ or call (803) 783-0110