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Press Release
by: Janine Wine
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
TCAT Dickson
Dickson, TN: The Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Dickson and the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) bestowed one of the highest honors given to an educational partner when they presented the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy to the Goodlark Educational Foundation. The award was given in recognition of numerous scholarships awarded to students enrolled in the college’s health careers programs.
Since 2023, the Goodlark Educational Foundation has generously provided $133,500 in scholarships to TCAT Dickson students with another $51,000 guaranteed for the 2026-2027 school year. In the beginning, students enrolled in the college’s Practical Nursing program benefited from the scholarships. During the 2025-2026 school year students enrolled in the Dental Assisting program also received financial support from the Goodlark Educational Foundation.
The guaranteed $51,000 will be divided among all health careers programs with the bulk of the money being extended to Practical Nursing students and some dollars continuing to be awarded to Dental Assisting students. The balance of the funds have been pledged to students enrolling in the college’s new Pharmacy Technology, Medical Assisting, and Surgical Technology programs at the colleges main Dickson campus and at the Dickson Center of Higher Education.
TCAT Dickson President Laura Travis said, “We have learned that students might have funding for their educations through financial aid, but the bills don’t stop. This is where the funding from the Goodlark Educational Foundation comes into play.”
“A lot can happen in a year,” Stephanie Murphy, Director of Nursing and Health Careers said. “The reason this phrase resonates with me is because our students can become nurses, certified Phlebotomists, EKG Technicians, Medical Assistants, Dental Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians, and Surgical Techs in one year.”
Former Goodlark Educational Foundation scholarship recipient and current TCAT Dickson Practical Nursing instructor Megan Tomlin-Tidwell recalled having a college advisor to tell her she probably was not prepared for a career in healthcare because she came from a small town and did not have the educational background others had.
“Several years later I was interviewing for the Anne Deason Scholarship from the Goodlark Educational Foundation and I shared that experience. One of the board members on the interview committee told me, ‘Don’t you ever let someone tell you what you can or cannot accomplish based on where you are from.’ That statement has stayed with me ever since,” Tomlin-Tidwell said. The foundation awards scholarships to students residing in Dickson, Hickman, and Humphreys counties.
Having received financial assistance from the Goodlark Educational Foundation herself, Tomlin-Tidwell initiated conversations with the foundation to get them to allow TCAT Dickson students to apply for their scholarships. Tomlin-Tidwell said she had spent the last six years as a TCAT instructor working to connect her students to community resources to help them pay the bills and cover necessities where they could stay in school and continue their educations.
TCAT Dickson Practical Nursing alums who have received scholarships have gone one to work within the community serving as Licensed Practical Nurses at the Dickson County Jail, and Dickson Medical Associates and have worked as Certified Nursing Assistants at NHC while working to earn their TCAT diplomas. Several of those recipients attended the ceremony to personally thank foundation members for making financial contributions to their education and to share how those extra dollars allowed them to stay in college and graduate.
Dr. Kim McCormick, Executive Vice Chancellor for External Affairs at the Tennessee Board of Regents presented the award on behalf of Chancellor Flora Tydings saying, “The Goodlark Educational Foundation has had a profound and measurable impact on workforce development in TCAT Dickson’s services area. The extraordinary level of support from the Goodlark Educational Foundation has helped students from Dickson, Hickman and Humphreys counties succeed.”
TCAT Dickson is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution, is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, and complies with non-discrimination laws: Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and ADA. Located on Highway 46 in Dickson, the technical training college also has extension campuses in Clarksville, and Franklin. Additional information about the school is located at TCAT Dickson's website .
The Goodlark Educational Foundation is the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy for providing TCAT Dickson Practical Nursing and other allied healthcare students $133,500 in scholarships from 2023 through Summer 2026 with another $51,000 guaranteed scholarships for the 2026 – 2027 school year. Pictured here from left are TCAT Dickson President Laura Travis, Goodlark Educational Foundation members Dr. Jeff Gordon and Jennifer Law, and Dr. Kim McCormick Executive Vice Chancellor for External Affairs at the Tennessee Board of Regents.
The Goodlark Educational Foundation received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy during a special ceremony recognizing the foundations commitment to education and workforce development by providing scholarships to TCAT Dickson health careers students. Dr. Kim McCormick, Executive Vice Chancellor for External Affairs, made the presentation on behalf of Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Dr. Flora Tydings.
