Brad and Kay Bryant were on the PC campus in 1973, during the oil embargo and the recession that followed. Both of their families were affected by the national crisis. Kay’s father took on a second job to help pay Kay’s tuition. And Brad’s father, a residential developer, saw the housing market grind to a halt during the economic crisis.

Years later, both more deeply appreciated the sacrifices their parents made so that they could stay at PC. But many of their classmates weren’t so fortunate.

Kay recalls classmates being fully immersed in campus life one semester who were not there the next. Brad remembers counseling fraternity brothers who wanted to finish their degree at PC heartbroken over the fact that a parent had lost a job, the mortgage was due, or an unexpected hospital bill meant they had to withdraw from PC.

“No Blue Hose, or their family, should be faced with deciding between an unforeseen financial emergency and giving up on their dream of a PC degree,” Kay said.

Because of this belief, the Bryants support the Forever BLUE Fund. Established in 2020, the fund provides financial assistance to students who have demonstrated persistence and are on track for graduation. Due to financial emergency, however, they may be at risk for withdrawing.

The fund provides grants to students for expenses related to the Cost of Attendance based upon demonstrated need and awarded through a process administered by the Office of Financial Aid.

BLUE stands for Bridging Life’s Unexpected Emergencies. The annual fund is part of the College’s strategy to recruit, retain, and graduate low-income, first-generation students. These students, along with their families, may believe the smallest financial calamity would derail their attainment of a liberal arts education.

One of PC’s core values is that the economic status of any prospective student should not prohibit her or him from the pursuit of a liberal arts education on a church-related residential college campus.

Studies reveal that students of color are more likely to be low-income and the first in their family to attend college. As a result, the fund serves to increase the capacity of PC to equitably meet the need of the College to provide a diverse, high-quality learning experience for the entire student body.

“It’s our way of paying it forward,” says Katherine Bryant, Brad and Kay’s daughter.

“When you reflect on the fact that so many of our alumni follow PC’s ethos of service through careers in teaching, ministry, and public service, careers that society does not value monetarily, it is incumbent upon all of us to help these wonderfully prepared students finish PC strong and with as little student debt as possible.”

To be eligible to receive funding, students must:

• Have unmet financial need due to loss of state or other external scholarship and grant funding, or due to a financial emergency
• Maintain full-time enrollment in an undergraduate degree program
• Be in good academic standing

Students receiving financial assistance may be required to attend a financial literacy course.

Brad helps guide the state of Georgia’s needs-based scholarship program. Since he works with a needs-based scholarship program, Brad understands that some donors feel that they can’t make a difference because they don’t have the financial resources to endow a scholarship.

“The BLUE Fund offers every donor, regardless of the size of their gift, the ability to help change the life of a Blue Hose,” he said.

“Together, our collective giving retains deserving students. To understand the power of your gift, think about one of your classmates that never walked down the Plaza because life interrupted.

“As a fellow student, what would you have given if you could have helped them stay in school?”