Alice Lloyd College Alumna and Alumnus Establish Endowed Scholarship

On Tuesday, December 12, Benny Ray Bailey (class of 1964) and Nikki Bailey (class of 1988) presented President Stepp with a check for $50,000 to establish the Benny Ray and Nikki Bailey Endowed Scholarship Fund. The endowment will provide tuition scholarships for students from Breathitt, Perry, Knott, Floyd, Johnson, Leslie, and Martin Counties in Kentucky.

Benny Ray and Nikki have both dedicated their lives to facilitating positive change in East Kentucky. After leaving ALC, Benny Ray graduated with a BA from The University of Pikeville, an M.S from Indiana State University, and completed his doctoral studies at Ohio University. In 1969, Benny Ray returned to Pippa Passes to service as Director of Outreach Programs, and subsequently founded Alice Lloyd College Outreach (ALCOR), a summer program focused on community empowerment and healthcare within the region. In 1972, he partnered with Dr. Grady Stumbo (ALC class of 1965) to found East Kentucky Health Services Center, the first clinical facility in Knott County. Serving as a state senator for twenty-one years, Benny Ray brought bills to the floor that would reform both healthcare and the coal industry – two vital pieces of the eastern Kentucky economy.

Beginning in 2000, Benny Ray and Nikki have established scholarships at every public high school in Knott and Floyd counties and have scholarship funds at other colleges within the region. The Baileys operate the Benny Ray and Nikki Bailey Foundation to assist groups in East Kentucky building better communities and improving the lives of the next generation. Benny Ray is a strong advocate for young people to stay in the mountains for college, and then return to their home communities to work and serve.

President Jim Stepp said, “We are grateful for Benny Ray and Nikki’s commitment to helping us educate Appalachian students. Their support will provide opportunities for young people to earn a quality, character-based education right here in the mountains.”  

For 100 years, Alice Lloyd College has continued providing affordable, character-based education to young people in the Appalachian region. Tuition guarantee scholarships are funded through endowment earnings and annual fundraising from alumni and generous friends nationwide.

If you are interested in establishing an endowment fund or would like to contribute to the Benny Ray and Nikki Bailey Endowed Scholarship Fund, please contact Allison Holbrook Southard, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.