To recognize talented Montana students and to encourage them to continue their education, PPL Montana has awarded more than $12,000 in scholarships to nine college-bound students based on their academic record and extracurricular accomplishments. 

“Education is the basis for our quality of life. It is the foundation for a strong economy, for astute public leadership, and for a stimulating cultural environment,” said Lisa Perry, PPL Montana’s community affairs manager. “As seen in the recent PPL Montana Quality-of-Life survey, the affordability of the state’s higher education system is a key issue affecting Montanans. 

“We see these scholarships as one way we can contribute to developing tomorrow’s leaders,” she said, noting that PPL Montana also awards grants for environmental education projects, funds education initiatives through the company’s Community Fund, offers curricula that support classroom activities, and matches employee gifts to eligible high schools, colleges and universities.

"Our goal through all of these efforts is to make a difference for today’s students and to support workforce development,” Perry said.

PPL Montana’s Education Scholarship Program provides $2,000 scholarships and recognizes talented students who plan to attend an accredited Montana college or university. This year’s recipients and their college choices are:

• Lorne J. Stitt of Drummond, who will attend Carroll College.
• Amy Liebig of Kalispell, who will attend The University of Montana.
• Crystal Ann Crouse of Harlowton, who will attend Montana State University.
• Kale Martin of Conrad, who will attend The University of Montana-Helena College of Technology.

The Family Scholarship Program is earmarked for high school students who are sons or daughters of PPL Montana employees and retirees. Scholarships of $1,000 were awarded to:

• Ashlee Boucher of Colstrip, who will attend Dickinson State University in North Dakota.
• Channing Olson of Colstrip, who will attend Montana State University-Billings.
• Jacqueline Hill of Billings, who will attend Montana State University.
• Roy Fahrenbruck of Forsyth, who will attend North Dakota State College of Science.

In addition, Terina Stacks, a sophomore at Montana State University-Billings majoring in math education, received $650 from the PPL Montana Women’s Softball Endowment fund. The fund was established at the university in 1999 with a $10,000 contribution from PPL Montana. A committee from the university selects the recipient.

PPL Montana commissioned the Quality-of-Life study to find out what Montana residents thought were key issues facing the state, then provided the information to government and private-sector leaders to encourage public-policy discussion.

The complete Quality-of-Life survey results, as well as information on PPL Montana’s scholarship programs, are available on the PPL Montana Web site.

PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has electric generating facilities throughout the state with a combined generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts. PPL Montana has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena, and employs 500 people. The company operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric power plants along Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market.

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