Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative establishes new endowed scholarship at Blinn

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative (BEC) has gifted $12,000 to the Blinn College Foundation for an endowed scholarship in honor of longtime board member Kenneth Mutscher.

The Kenneth Mutscher Agriculture Endowed Scholarship established by BEC will be awarded annually to a student studying agriculture. Mutscher was an avid rancher and longtime supporter of the Blinn Foundation.

Techline, Inc. also donated $5,000 to help fund the endowed scholarship, and some private donations also were received.

Mutscher, who died last May, served on the BEC board for 21 years as a representative of Washington County. He was serving as vice chairman at the time of his death.

The cooperative is one of the largest in Texas, with a service area covering more than 3,400 square miles in 14 counties.

Blinn agricultural science students from BEC’s 14-county service area – Austin, Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Lee, Milam, Travis, Washington and Williamson counties – will be eligible for the scholarship.

Matt Bentke, BEC General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, said the cooperative was eager to honor Mutscher with an endowed scholarship.

“This is a wonderful opportunity because it’s an agriculture-based scholarship, which is close to the heart of what our organization is all about,” Bentke said, “and the Mutscher family is wonderful. I couldn’t be happier for the Mutscher family, Blinn College, and Bluebonnet Electric for coming together and doing this.”

Sarita Mutscher, Kenneth Mutscher’s widow, said she is “very thankful to Bluebonnet Electric and all the other people who contributed to this.”

Ben Flencher of Burleson County, Chairman of the BEC board, said Mutscher was a valuable asset to the cooperative.

“Ken gave us 20 years of his life and his leadership,” Flencher said. “It’s just heartwarming to be able to do something for someone of this quality. Ken was one of the leaders of Washington County. He and his family have been mainstays of Brenham and Washington County for years. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

The Blinn College Foundation offers more than 200 endowed scholarships that are available to incoming and returning students from a wide range of backgrounds, majors, and experiences.

Blinn’s Agricultural Sciences Program is the largest community college program in Texas, with more than 800 students enrolled in the program each semester. For more information about the program, visit www.blinn.edu/agricultural-sciences.

About the Blinn College District

With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn’s academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges. Courses are available online and at five Central Texas campuses, and students save 42% in tuition and fees compared to the average state university. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.