MMCC Announcements

The Bicknell family name has been around the Mid Michigan area for a long time.  From merchants, bankers, teachers, attorneys, pharmacists, physicians to promoting 4-H for Clare County youth, the Bicknell's compassion for Mid Michigan has always been evident.

That kind of positive influence certainly leaves a legacy.  However, the Bicknell's have decided to enhance that legacy even further by endowing a scholarship at the Mid Michigan Community College Foundation.

The Bicknell family has supported a nursing scholarship at MMCC for years.  The idea was planted when Ron Verch, past MMCC president, suggested to James Bicknell III that he set up a scholarship fund.  After Jims' parents passed away, he decided to establish the scholarship in memory of his father and mother, Stuart and Dorris Ann Bicknell. 

The scholarship was established to support MMCC's nursing students. This decision was influenced, in part, by a young lady who worked for the Bicknell's while she was also enrolled in MMCC's nursing program.  Her hard work and dedication truly impressed the Bicknell's. 

Jim and his wife, Doris, continued to contribute to the scholarship.  Their support provided much needed help for nursing students. 

The Bicknell's support for students was evident even as Jim passed away in 2007.  Doris requested that donations be made to the Bicknell nursing scholarship in lieu of flowers.  The family requested the same consideration when Nancy, Doris' daughter-in-law, passed away in 2008.  Nancy's husband, Jim Bicknell IV, felt it was important to continue supporting the scholarship.  Nancy was a pharmacist who worked in the Mid-Michigan area for many years and was a strong supporter of educational endeavors.

Over the years, in good times and bad, the scholarship fund has continued to grow with further support from the Bicknell family.  Doris and her son Jim, realized that the fund, with a little extra work and commitment, could become endowed. 

Endowed funds, unlike traditional scholarship funds, are invested and maintained in perpetuity.  The investment income from the fund is used to support the scholarship. In this way, an endowed fund in the MMCC Foundation lives on forever. 

The new Bicknell Family Nursing Scholarship will support the nursing students at Mid Michigan Community College indefinitely and the family has left a legacy that will endure. 

While most of the Bicknell family have established homes elsewhere, their legacy and commitment to the community lives on. 

Jim Bicknell, an emergency room physician and Vice President of Medical Affairs at MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland, is working with the MMCC Foundation to continue growing the fund.

"Supporting the nursing students at MMCC is important to our family," said Dr. Bicknell.  "For a lot of students, our scholarship means that they can focus on their studies rather than worrying about their finances."

The Bicknell's, and many others like them, are truly making a difference in the lives of students.

In fact, the need for scholarships has never been greater.  With enrollment at record levels, the College is working to meet the needs of displaced workers and an increasing number of students who recognize the value of attending MMCC. 

Gifts to the MMCC Foundation represent an investment in students.  For more information about supporting the MMCC Foundation visit www.midmich.edu/foundation or call Matt Miller at 989-386-6600.