A scholarship that will further connect West Georgia Technical College and the THINC College and Career Academy was made official in a signing ceremony earlier this week.

A memorandum of understanding establishing the J. Randy Jackson Legacy Scholarship was signed by West Georgia Technical College President Steve G. Daniel and Jamey Jackson, the surviving son of J. Randy Jackson, the former chief administrative officer at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia.

Jackson, who died in May 2016, helped find the funding needed to get the THINC Academy – which is housed on West Georgia Tech’s LaGrange Campus – up and running.

The scholarship – begun with a $50,000 endowment by the Jackson family – will be offered to incoming freshmen to West Georgia Tech, with preference given to students graduating from THINC.

“The one year mark (of his death) has come and passed this weekend, but his name, contribution and legacy lives on through our community and beyond,” Jamey Jackson said of his father. “His focus on workforce development contributed benchmark labs at West Georgia Technical College here in LaGrange as well as THINC College and Career Academy, but the list by no means ends there.”

Jackson challenged both individuals and companies to contribute toward the J. Randy Jackson Legacy Scholarship, which will allow students to continue their education locally while learning the highly marketable skills required for certain manufacturing jobs.

The scholarship will continue in perpetuity thanks to the $50,000 endowment, and while the scholarship focuses on THINC students, it does not show a preference toward a specific discipline because that was what his family felt would best honor Jackson’s memory.

During the ceremony, several individuals spoke in Jackson’s memory on his contribution to education in west Georgia.

“He had a very deep passion for kids,” Kia Chief Administrative Officer Stuart Countess said of Jackson.

“He was very much involved with these students, and he heard what they had to say when it came to change and lives and their future. That’s where his eyes were, always about what was going to happen in future generations.”

The signing event took place in a hallway at the literal intersection of West Georgia Tech and the THINC Academy.

President Daniel said Jackson “would have been proud” of the partnership between West Georgia Tech and THINC.

“I count on all of us to help build this scholarship so that it can change even more lives,” Daniel said. “This is just the start. Let’s build this and help more students.”