BLAIR, Neb., June 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Great Plains Communications is pleased to announce that Jerrica Tietz and Brianna Wegner, both from Bancroft, Nebraska, are the recipients of a college scholarship from Great Plains Communications and the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), the philanthropic arm of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association.
The FRS scholarship program awarded scholarships, ranging from $1500-$5000 to rural youth across the United States. Out of over 1,400 applications received this year, fifty-three scholarships were awarded. The goal of the scholarship program is to help further higher education opportunities among rural high school students. Great Plains Communications strongly supports the youth of the rural communities they serve, and is thrilled to sponsor this worthy program.
"We are honored to be a part of the FRS scholarship program, and to assist students in our rural communities with achieving their academic aspirations," said Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications. "These two students are truly deserving of this opportunity, and have worked hard to get where they are. Their work ethic and motivation inspire all of us, both here at Great Plains Communications, and in their hometown of Bancroft, Nebraska to strive for excellence."
Scholarship recipients were selected by an independent team of reviewers from the education field. To be eligible, recipients must be sponsored by a NTCA member system, and must indicate a desire to return to their rural communities once their collegiate studies have been completed.
The scholarship program is open to all graduating high school seniors that receive local telecommunications service from Great Plains Communications. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited two-year or four-year college or university, or vocational technical school, and have at least a C-grade point average.
About Great Plains Communications
Great Plains Communications is the largest privately owned telecommunications company in Nebraska and is headquartered in Blair, Nebraska. At the core of their service offering is a 5,000 mile regional fiber network encompassing the state of Nebraska and extending into Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
They currently provide 90+ Nebraska communities with high speed Internet, High-Definition Cable Television, and Local and Long Distance Telephone services. Their business solutions range from traditional voice and data products to installation and support of large business networks with scalable Ethernet solutions. The company also prides itself on their progressive approach to accommodating the unique needs of regional and national telecommunications carriers, LECs, ISPs, and wireless carriers.
Great Plains Communications recently celebrated their 105-year anniversary, and are in their fourth generation of family ownership.