NOC Foundation Establishes Dr. Robert “Bob” Matthiesen Memorial Scholarship

The Northern Oklahoma College Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce the establishment of the Dr. Robert “Bob” Matthiesen Memorial Scholarship fund.

Through the generous support of the NOC Agriculture and Biological Science Department, this fund will assist high school seniors who have participated in the NOC Ag Interscholastic Contest with the opportunity to achieve their educational goals at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa.

Dr. Robert Lee Matthiesen, affectionately known as “Dr. Bob” was a professor of Science and Agriculture at NOC from 1993 until his retirement in 2004.  He dearly loved farming, which he jokingly referred to as his hobby, and he dearly loved teaching at NOC. It gave him great joy to help his students.  He was a “do-gooder” in all aspects of his life. His goal was always to make things better for people he interacted with.

NOC President Diana Watkins is excited for the scholarship opportunity.

“Dr. Matthiesen had just retired when I began teaching at Northern, but I’m certainly familiar with the impact he had on ag students at NOC,” Watkins said.  “I love that his legacy will continue in this manner. We have around 800 students attending the Ag Interscholastic Contest each year, all of whom will learn of Dr. Bob’s contributions to Ag Education through the announcement of this scholarship opportunity.”

Candidates must be a graduating senior and have participated in the NOC Ag Interscholastic Contest held in March each year.  The student must be enrolled as an Agriculture major at NOC.

The NOC Agriculture and Biological Sciences Division will select the recipient while the Noc Institutional Scholarship Office will administer the award.

Monies raised and/or donated for scholarship purposes shall be used to provide a $1,000 award annually to a full-time student at Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa.

Those wishing to make a gift to this NOC Foundation fund or others can contact the Foundation office at 580.628.6292  or online at  Give to NOC | Northern Oklahoma College or www.noc.edu/development/foundation/give-online/ .

Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.

NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater.  Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.

The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.

For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.