Marion High Student Graduates from College Before Graduating High School

“Although balancing sports activities and maintaining a social life while attaining an associates degree was difficult, in the end it was all worth it,” said Rachel Benson, 2017 ASU Mid-South grad AND 2017 Marion High School grad.

Rachel Benson graduated with an Associate of Arts degree with Summa Cum Laude honors on May 11, 2017 – a week before her high school graduation on May 18. She is the first Marion High School student to accomplish this feat in over ten years, and only the third student to accomplish it in the history of Arkansas State University Mid-South. In 2016 Harleigh Fagan, a West Memphis High graduate also completed her associate level degree and graduated in the same month as her high school graduation.

Tommy Goldsby Leaves the World a Better Place than He Found It

Albert Einstein, generally considered one of the greatest scientists of all time, once offered this bit of advice about making a positive impact on the world: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” I can think of many people who have attained the former but far fewer who have accomplished the latter.

I don’t know if the late Thomas B. Goldsby Jr. had heard or read Einstein’s quote, but he certainly epitomized it. Mr. Goldsby could easily be described as successful by any applicable measures, but, more importantly, he lived a life of great value to others. While he passed from this life on March 15, Tommy’s amazing legacy of philanthropy and his desire to make a difference will be felt for generations to come.

I can safely say that Tommy was one of Mid-South Community College’s most passionate supporters, not only financially, but also in the way he valued the education and opportunities offered at our institution. Tommy’s vision was that higher education could and would spark economic development in our region, but his amazing philanthropy went well beyond classroom education and extended into a genuine love of Mid-South Community College – a love that he demonstrated on countless occasions in support of every major initiative we’ve pursued.

Goldsby Scholarship Worth Its Weight in Gold

New and innovative ideas are often greeted with everything from benign interest to outright denunciation, and such was the case with the Thomas B. Goldsby Jr. Scholarship program at Mid-South Community College. Established through the tremendous generosity and vision of the Goldsby family, the program is now considered the gold standard for providing students with great higher education opportunities while still in high school. Experts all over the country are saying we need more programs just like it.

That certainly wasn’t the situation in the early days of the effort. When Tommy Goldsby came to the College to ask what we would do with a substantial monetary gift ($500,000 at the time), we told him we would create a scholarship program to give deserving, qualified high school students a head start on their higher learning experience. He liked the idea and gave us half a million dollars to get it rolling. We soon discovered that other folks weren’t quite as enthralled with the concept.

Goldsby Scholars Transfer List Tops 170; Degrees Earned Reaches 500

Participants in the Thomas B. Goldsby Jr. Scholarship program at Mid-South Community College have transferred to more than 170 prestigious colleges and universities in the country including Duke, Vanderbilt, and Syracuse.

The list of institutions has grown by about 30 schools since the last official update. In addition, the Goldsby program’s value to students and parents in Crittenden and surrounding counties has exceeded $10.2 million.