Mitchell Fund for Excellence Passes $1M

The Dr. Charles H. Mitchell Fund for Excellence, a scholarship fund awarding dozens of student scholarships each year in honor of the former Seattle Central College president, surpassed the $1 million dollar mark in awards this spring. The fund has supported scholarships for 372 students since it was created in 1999.

“I think my father would be quite satisfied with the results,” said Kevin Patrick. Mr. Patrick, his father T. Keith Patrick, and several others initially set up the fund at Seattle Central College.

The fund was established to honor the leadership and impact of former Seattle Central College President Dr. Charles H. Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell served as president from 1987 to 2003. He was also chancellor of the Seattle Community Colleges from 2003 until 2008. 

The Charles H. Mitchell Fund for Excellence was created by the Patrick family with the belief that all students should have the opportunity to succeed. Scholarship recipients are Seattle Central students chosen by a selection committee, based on their desire to succeed. They are encouraged to pay the award forward to future generations by contributing to the fund when they have the financial means. Others are also welcome to contribute to the fund in honor of Dr. Mitchell.

“Scholarships such as the Mitchell Fund for Excellence make it possible for many of our students to pursue their dreams and improve the lives of their families,” said current Seattle Central President Sheila Edwards Lange, PhD. “We are grateful to the Patrick family for their generous gift and their faith in our students.”

“[My father] was more a fan of helping people who had a passion for something and were pursuing it. The passions of people he helped support varied from entering the seminary, help getting a criminal justice degree to be a police officer, to getting an accounting degree to support a family back home, first generation immigrants, or to get a new business up and running,” Patrick said.

Seattle Central College depends on community partnerships and the support of generous donors to provide practical, quality educational opportunities that help students succeed and benefit the community. For more information about contributions and other giving opportunities or scholarships, please email advancement@seattlecolleges.edu.