Every graduate of Bessemer City High School for the next four graduating classes will be offered at least $10,000 toward college tuition under a new scholarship announced Aug. 14 by Mayor Kenneth E. Gulley and funded by the company pursuing a multibillion-dollar data center campus in the city.
The Bessemer Built Scholarship begins with the class of 2027, this year’s seniors, and runs through the class of 2030. The money can be used at one of three partner schools, Miles College, Lawson State Community College or Stillman College, and will be paid directly to the student’s college each semester, according to program materials.
In addition to the base award, four graduates each year will receive full four-year tuition scholarships to Miles or Stillman.
To qualify, a student must graduate from Bessemer City High and be accepted and enrolled at one of the three colleges, meeting the admission requirements of the school. Organizers said eligibility rules, deadlines and award details will be posted at bessemerbuilt.com.
“Talent is everywhere in Bessemer. Opportunity should be, too,” Gulley said. “Bessemer Built tells our young people that when they are ready to take the next step, their city is ready to invest in them.”
He announced the program at the high school, joined by Bessemer City Schools Superintendent Michael Turner and Miles College President Dr. Bobbie Knight, among other partners.
The scholarship is funded by QTS Data Centers, which confirmed in July that it is the company behind Project Marvel, a $14.5 billion campus of 18 data center buildings planned on roughly 1,600 acres in the Rock Mountain Lake area.
The City Council rezoned nearly 700 acres for the campus on a 5-2 vote last November and approved a roughly 900-acre expansion, again 5-2, in April, after packed hearings where residents raised concerns about water, noise, property values and secrecy surrounding the deal.
Neighboring landowners have gone to court over the rezoning process, and city officials signed non-disclosure agreements with the project’s developer; a copy released in July shows the agreement requires the city to destroy records the developer considers confidential. Developers have said the campus would create about 330 permanent jobs.
Kimberly Hines, QTS vice president of philanthropy, said in the announcement that the company is “committed to being a long-term partner in Bessemer” and that the scholarship is one of the investments it plans in the community.
The Same House, a public benefit company that organizes community partnerships, will administer the fund. Organizers describe the scholarship as the first program under Bessemer Built, a broader initiative planned to include six workforce training tracks: electrical trades, data center operations, environmental compliance, sustainability management, AI workforce development, and real estate and finance.
Dr. Cynthia Anthony, president of Lawson State, said financial pressure keeps some capable students from continuing their education, because worry over paying for college “can lead them to think a degree is out of reach.”
The announcement came 11 days before the Aug. 25 municipal election, in which Gulley is seeking a fifth term against challengers Louise Alexander, Darral Lerone Bethel and Brenita Lewis. The data center fight has been one of the biggest issues in the race.
The first scholarships will reportedly go to seniors graduating in the spring.