The Morgan Scholarship at Tamaqua’s Lehigh Carbon Community College campus is not going anywhere.

The directors of the John E. Morgan Foundation have notified LCCC that they will be extending the foundation’s commitment to LCCC’s Morgan Foundation Success Scholarship Program through the spring semester of 2032.

This is a 10-year extension from the current commitment, which was set to expire in the spring semester of 2022. The original scholarship was established in 2003, so these funds will have a 30-year impact.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Morgan Foundation for their commitment to LCCC and students from the Tamaqua community,” said LCCC President Dr. Ann D. Bieber. “Mr. Morgan was a gifted entrepreneur whose legacy lives on through this generous scholarship.”

The Morgan Scholarships support students who have graduated from Tamaqua Area High School as they work to earn their college degree. Several opportunities are available.

“The Morgan Scholarship comes to us in three different components,” said Ben Turrano, admissions representative. “The one that we’re referring to is the Morgan Success Scholarship. By its nature, it is the one that allows any Tamaqua student who has attended the high school for two years, and graduated with a Tamaqua diploma, to attend LCCC on a full-tuition scholarship for whatever the cost of tuition is not covered by traditional federal aid/state grand aid.”

According to Turrano, 1,959 Tamaqua graduates have attended LCCC since 2002. He explained that not every student needs or accepts the Morgan Success Scholarship based on their individual financial situation, as determined by filing the FAFSA.

“One can safely say that the Morgan Success was available to that number of students had they needed it, or that number attended LCCC encouraged by the offer for tuition scholarships,” Turrano added.

The Morgan Scholarship offers two additional opportunities for high school and college students.

“For Tamaqua students, there is something called the Morgan Guest Scholarship,” Turrano added. “If a student decides not to come to LCCC right out of high school, and go elsewhere, and they realize they need to retake a foreign language, science or math - they are able to take that through the Morgan Guest Scholarship with only a three-credit minimum requirement.”

But that’s not it, there is even a massive financial opportunity for students who graduate with an associate degree through LCCC.

“Students who come out of college and graduate with an associate degree from LCCC are eligible for something called Morgan Beyond LCCC, which is up to $20,000 more or $5,000 a semester at an approved college or university toward their bachelor’s degree,” Turrano said.

In addition to the many facets of the Morgan Scholarship, LCCC’s dual-enrollment program offers options for high-school students to get ahead of the game - both academically and financially.

Local students are able to take college credits at a significant discount while also enrolled in high school.

“LCCC offers dual enrollment at high schools, for not just Tamaqua, but we offer it at Mahanoy Area, Panther Valley, Jim Thorpe and Lehighton, as well as a whole host of Lehigh Valley schools,” Turrano said. “The program has ballooned from 60-100 students to about 2,200 students.”

Turrano said some students commute from as far as East Stroudsburg to the Morgan Center in Tamaqua to take classes.

“Having the college locally since 2003, when we opened the doors here, has in some ways put Tamaqua on the map for the region,” Turrano added.

“It’s very exciting. It’s always something that we at the college hope is able to continue, because it’s been such a success and generous blessing to the students of the Tamaqua area to attend college at LCCC, and potentially go beyond LCCC.”