Southern AgCredit will award $10,500 in scholarships in 2009 to college and university students attending schools throughout the association's 50-county territory.

Eleven scholarships of $500 each will be distributed through the Mississippi Community College Foundation (MCCF), where a Southern AgCredit Scholarship was established in 2005. The $5,500 fund will provide a $500 award to a business administration, forestry or agriculture major at the following schools:

• Copiah-Lincoln Community College
• East Central Community College
• East Mississippi Community College
• Hinds Community College
• Holmes Community College
• Jones County Junior College
• Meridian Community College
• Mississippi Delta Community College
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
• Pearl River Community College
• Southwest Mississippi Community College

The applicants will be reviewed respectively by each of the 11 eligible colleges, which in turn will recommend a recipient to the Executive Committee of the MCCF. The committee will present the nominee to the MCCF Board of Directors for final approval.

An additional five scholarships of $1,000 each will be given to university students pursuing a degree in business or agriculture at the following schools:

• Mississippi State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Mississippi State University, College of Business and Industry
• University of Southern Mississippi, College of Business and Industry
• Jackson State University, College of Business and Industry
• Alcorn State University, School of Agriculture, Research, Extension and Applied Sciences

The applicants will be reviewed by the respective schools' selection committees.

All scholarships will be awarded on a year-to-year basis. Students who receive a scholarship are eligible for consideration in another year; however, they must still comply with the selection criteria.

Scholarship applicants must be pursuing a degree in business, business administration, forestry or agriculture; have demonstrated academic achievement; be in good standing at their respective school; and show good moral character and demonstrated leadership ability.

Preference will be given to students who are children of current stockholders or employees of Southern AgCredit; incoming freshmen; and students from the counties served by the association.

Interested applicants should contact a Southern AgCredit office or the financial aid office of their college or university.