Roane State Community College receives $10,000 toward student scholarships

Roane State Community College has received a $10,000 donation from longtime college supporter Dr. Doan L. Phung. Dr. Phung’s most recent gift will be split between two separate endowments: the Phung Family Scholarship Fund and the Herman Postma/PAI Corporation Scholarship Endowment.

According to an article on Roane State Community College’s website, Dr. Chris Whaley, the college’s president, was quoted as saying, “We are so grateful to Dr. Phung and his family for supporting our students as they work to reach their goals. We have a shared mission of changing lives through the power of education. It takes all of us being committed to this effort to make a difference.”

Dr. Phung currently divides his time between Las Vegas and Vietnam. His first encounter with the Knoxville, Tennessee area came in 1961 when he was transitioning from graduating from Florida State University to continuing his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He returned to Vietnam after graduating from MIT with his master’s degree to work at the Vietnam Nuclear Research Institute. 

A few years later, Dr. Phung returned to MIT in pursuit of his PhD, leading him again toward Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Later, he established the PAI Corporation in Oak Ridge. He subsequently established endowments at both Oak Ridge Schools and Roane State Community College.

The Phung Family Scholarship is awarded to an enrolled student every academic year. The Herman Postma/PAI Corporation Scholarship is merit-based and is awarded annually to a high school senior continuing on to Roane State Community College.

In addition to Dr. Phung’s financial support to the Oak Ridge and Roane State communities, he has also established a program in Vietnam in support of K-12 students there, which he estimates has helped more than 100,000 students.

For more information about Roane State Community College, visit the school’s website.