James B. Brown Memorial Scholarship

The James Berdet Brown Memorial Scholarship is available each trimester to adult students enrolled in TCAT certificate or diploma programs. The awarded funds are for the program in which the student is enrolled at the time of application submission, recipient selection, and assignment of scholarship funds. The scholarship is intended to aid in the purchasing of required program learning materials and equipment, paying for national/state certification exams, and/or hardship living expenses.

Eligible Participants

  • Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a TCAT credential program.

  • Applicants must have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

  • Recipients will be selected based on both merit and need, with preference given to displaced workers.

Before You Start

Step 1 – Ask someone to write a letter of recommendation in support of the application.  It cannot be an immediate family member, TCAT classmate, or a faculty/staff member at the college. Seek someone who knows why you are pursuing the career path you have chosen and why you need financial assistance. Examples may include a clergy member, former educator, family friend, current or former employer, etc. If you have the letter signed and scanned, there is an option to attach it to the application form, but it can also be e-mailed later.

Step 2 – Request an appropriate person at your TCAT to be ready to complete the Campus Certification form which will be e-mailed to them after submission of the primary application. Qualifying college personnel who can complete the form are:  an Instructor and/or Program Director in your major program or a full-time Student Services or Financial Aid officer at your college. You will designate the individual on your application.

Step 3 – Complete and submit the online application found HERE by the deadline listed below.

The James Berdet Brown Memorial Scholarship Application can be accessed at James Berdet Brown Memorial Scholarship - Tennessee Board of Regents

Summer Trimester Deadline – Noon on July 31, 2024

All materials (application form, letter of support, and campus certification form) must be submitted by this time.  If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Tracy Kortuem at tracy.kortuem@tbr.edu.

About Mr. James B. Brown

James Berdet Brown passed away unexpectedly in January 2015, at age 47, following a brief illness. A kind, generous, and fun-loving person, James enjoyed living in Nashville for the last 15 years of his life. For ten of those years, James worked as an unemployment claims agent with the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development. He was beloved by his co-workers and known for his sense of humor and the way he cared about those filing for unemployment. He also enjoyed working part-time for Contemporary Services Corporation, providing event security for many entertainment and sporting events in Nashville. The James Berdet Brown Memorial Scholarship was founded by James’ sister Kathy-Jo Brown Hayden and her husband Lee Hayden to carry on Mr. Brown’s legacy of encouraging others and helping those in need who work to improve their circumstances.