South Plains College has received a hefty grant that will provide scholarships for local high school graduates.

The college received a $2 million grant from the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Charitable Foundation, and will provide scholarships to graduates from high schools in Lubbock and Hockley Counties.

The grant creates the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Opportunity Scholarship Endowment, and is the largest single grant ever received by the South Plains College Foundation.

“It was the desire of J.T. and Margaret Talkington that the Talkington Foundation consider grants not only in Lubbock County but also in Hockley County,” said Norton Baker, president of the board of directors of the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Charitable Foundation.

In time, the endowment is expected to provide more than $100,000 annually to fund scholarships. The college’s goal is to provide scholarship support for an additional 100 students.

The South Plains College Foundation provided nearly $539,000 in scholarship support to 722 SPC students in 2011-2012, and they expect to fund around $583,000 for the current academic year.

SPC officials expect that the first scholarships from the Talkington Opportunity Endowment will be awarded to students for the fall 2014 semester.

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