LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College has received a $100,000 pledge from an anonymous donor to start the Dr. Reese and Kit Parker Emergency Assistance endowment scholarship fund to help students who are experiencing financial hardship.
The donor, who has asked to remain anonymous, was a student at LCSC when Parker served as dean of professional studies during 1982-1996. The donor said they were thankful to be able to pay it forward and give back to the college and Parker, who the donor first met outside the LCSC Bookstore. Parker, and his wife, Kit, made LC State a better place for everyone, according to the donor.
Reese and Kit worked together at the college. Reese oversaw the nursing, business and education divisions at LCSC as dean of professional studies, while Kit taught English to international students as part of the Intensive English program.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must either be enrolled in the Institute of Intensive English program or be a degree-seeking student at LCSC. The intent is to provide hardship assistance funding to keep students enrolled, with a preference to international students because international students are typically not eligible for financial aid, and are particularly vulnerable to delay, interruption, or cessation of their studies if they or their families experience a change in financial circumstances.
Funding from the scholarship can be used for but is not limited to, tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, miscellaneous living expenses, travel in the United States related to their academic program, and travel home because of an emergency. All LC State students are eligible for the scholarship, even if they receive other institutional aid.
Reese, who passed away in 2004, was born in Florida and earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. from Florida State University. He worked at Weber State, Western Michigan, Syracuse, and the Illinois Governor’s Planning Council of Developmental Disabilities before coming to LCSC. He later worked at the University of Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, and Thomas University in Georgia.
At LCSC, Reese started out as chair and associate professor in the Division of Education in January 1982. He oversaw management, supervision, and coordination of the programs in the division for 18 months and then became a dean and professor in the School of Professional Studies. His responsibilities included planning, organization, supervision, and evaluation of Professional Studies programs and personnel in the business, nursing, and education divisions. He also oversaw the college’s Portfolio Program and Individualized Study Center.
During her LCSC career, Kit taught English skills in writing, vocabulary, reading, idioms, grammar, and oral communication to international students over six levels of competence from basic to advanced in the Intensive English program. Kit taught students from more than 30 countries. During her final four years, she was the senior teacher responsible for instructing new teachers in the areas of aural/oral communication strategies. She also taught them how to use Word Perfect on Macs so these teachers could teach it to the intermediate international students. She also served as an advisor to the students. Outside the college, she taught short courses for professionals and business executives.
Kit also was a graduate of Florida State. She was a longtime teacher of English to foreign students. She taught in Jakarta, Indonesia, at TVRI-Televisi Republik Indonesia, at LCSC, and in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. She also taught at the Southwest Georgia Technical College Literacy Center for Thomasville City Schools and Thomas University, all part time, after moving to Thomasville, Ga., in 1999. Kit passed away earlier this year.