Funded by the Dyersburg City and Dyer County governments, the Dyer County Promise Scholarship is an effort to provide opportunity for county residents to obtain a higher education at Dyersburg State Community College or the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Newbern. Some of the goals of this commitment are to educate tomorrow’s leaders, create a competitive workforce in Dyer County and to attract and fill current high skilled, high paying jobs. The funding is provided on a year-to-year basis and the amount of the scholarship is based on the availability of funds.

In June, officials approved the continuation of the program despite the institution of the state-wide Tennessee Promise. “The Dyer County Promise Scholarship was initiated back in 2006,” said Dr. Karen Bowyer, president of Dyersburg State Community College. “Since that time, we’ve been helping (a lot of local students) with college expenses. It’s been a great help. This year, DSCC has used $16,200 (in Dyer County Promise Scholarship funds) for Dyersburg students, $15,862 for Dyer County students and $1,350 for GED students.”