DUDLEY, Mass. – A new scholarship at Nichols College to benefit transfer students from Quinsigamond Community College has been created through contributions from two long-term Worcester business and community leaders.

R. Joseph Salois, owner and president of Atlas Distributing Inc., and Robert Vaudreuil, retired president and CEO of The Protector Group, have committed to sponsor the Nichols Connect Scholarship, which will assist QCC graduates who pursue a Nichols degree.  

“As the scholarship’s name implies, this effort will connect our institutions in a meaningful way and enhance our longstanding partnership with QCC through the Affordable Business and Leadership Education initiative,” said Bill Boffi, Nichols College vice president for enrollment. “We are grateful to Joe Salois and Bob Vaudreuil for strengthening our bridge to Worcester and extending Nichols’ exceptional educational opportunities to its students.” 

Students enrolled in a minimum of six credits at Nichols are eligible for the Nichols Connect Scholarship.  Award amounts will vary based on status as a resident student, undergraduate evening or commuter student, or student in the Affordable Business and Leadership Education initiative. 

“From my experience as a non-traditional student, I understand the motivation of students who want to take their education to the next level and the importance of a scholarship that offers them the means to reach it,” said Salois, a 1998 graduate and past trustee of Nichols College.  

Vaudreuil, a 1977 graduate of Nichols College and former chair of its Board of Trustees, added, “I see this scholarship as a win for QCC, for Nichols, and for the Worcester business community which will continue to be strengthened by the opportunities and educational resources provided by this partnership.”

For more information on the Nichols Connect Scholarship, please call the Nichols College Enrollment Office at 508-213-2038.

About Nichols College Nichols College is a college of choice for business and leadership education as a result of its distinctive career-focused and leadership-based approaches to learning, both in and out of the classroom, and through impactful research and professional education. Students thrive in a learning and living environment that is supported by an experiential business curriculum and a strong liberal arts foundation aimed at transforming them into tomorrow’s leaders. Nichols offers master’s degrees in business, leadership, accounting, and counterterrorism, as well as a range of certificate programs, to promote career advancement for today’s professionals.

Media Contacts:
Susan Veshi
AVP, Advancement and College Communications
susan.veshi@nichols.edu 

Jillian Riches
Asst. Director, Public Engagement
jillian.riches@nichols.edu