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CENTRE — Jerry Culberson, president and CEO of Preferred Health Services in Centre, recently funded a $2,500 tuition scholarship for a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) student attending Gadsden State-Cherokee.

In honor of his mother-in-law, Culberson designated the award as the Dessie Swan Stephens Nursing Scholarship.

The criteria for awarding the scholarship includes admission to the Licensed Practical Nursing Program, a resident of Cherokee County or a graduate of a Cherokee County public school, recommendation from a faculty member and a commitment to work in Cherokee County for three years.

To be a recipient of this scholarship a student must be full-time and have a GPA of 2.0.

The first recipient of this scholarship is Melissa K. Jones.

She was selected by the Cherokee Nursing Scholarship Committee and will receive the scholarship for the 2011 spring and summer semesters.

“Mr. Culberson has been an avid supporter of Gadsden State Cherokee and the LPN program," said Dr. Martha Lavender, assistant to the president for Gadsden State Cherokee and Division of Health Sciences. "His generosity is making nursing school a reality for a deserving student and at the same time, we are working together to build the nursing workforce of the future in Cherokee County and the surrounding region.”