New Scholarship For Working Adults
August 22, 2026

Left to right, Tiffany Greer, Mary Cansler Jones and Dr. Scott Hummel gather for a recent photo. Jones is holding Janie McCamey Larkin’s diploma from Tusculum; Image by Tusculum

GREENEVILLE, TN - Working adults who have not obtained a bachelor’s degree will benefit from a new endowed scholarship at  Tusculum University  that will provide financial assistance to complete that important academic step toward career advancement.

The Janie McCamey Larkin Endowed Scholarship for Working Adults has been created in memory of this Tusculum alumna, who obtained her bachelor’s in 1986, 22 years after she entered the workforce. After she earned the degree, Larkin advanced from a clerical position to become an accountant at Magnavox in Greeneville.

	Janie McCamey Larkin, right, and Mary Cansler Jones are pictured together about 2010.

Mary Cansler Jones, a Greene County resident and a friend, co-worker and distant relative of Larkin, established the scholarship in Larkin’s memory. She was motivated to act based on the example of Larkin’s life and service to others.

“My goal was to help someone with a vision of a better life who needed the extra funds to attain a bachelor’s degree,” Jones said. “Janie’s story is what this is all about. She was always looking for ways to help others. I often said she could find a way to help you even when you didn’t even realize you needed help. I felt creating this scholarship is something Janie would have approved and is a way to carry on her legacy.”

To qualify for the scholarship, people need to be living on their own and fully supporting themselves as well as have worked full time for a least five years. First preference for scholarship recipients will be those who live in Greene County, and second will go to those who live in the East Tennessee area. The final preference will go to those who live elsewhere.

If two applicants are equally qualified based on the criteria, the tiebreaker will go to a  first-generation student – someone whose parents do not have a bachelor’s degree.

Individuals can use the scholarship to receive an associate degree. if that will progress their career, or a bachelor’s degree. They cannot seek the scholarship if they already have a bachelor’s degree.

Learning more about Larkin

Larkin had started her pursuit of a degree in 1961 at another university but ended her studies in 1964 to go to work at Magnavox. In 1984, she returned to college at Tusculum, enrolling in the first cohort of the TALL program at Tusculum. TALL was an acronym for Tusculum Adult Leaders Learning, which was a predecessor for today’s adult online undergraduate program that focuses on working adults obtaining a degree.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in  business administration.

“The TALL program gave Janie the opportunity to apply the advice she had given to others by completing a degree she had started earlier in her life,” Jones said. “She recognized that if she graduated with her bachelor’s that it would open doors for her and enhance her life.”

Larkin worked as an accountant until the Magnavox plant closed in 1997. She then retired and dedicated her time to taking care of her parents and others. She also served as the treasurer for Opportunity House in Greeneville and for her church.

Securing a bachelor’s degree bettered Larkin’s life, but she was not content with just advancing herself. She played a prominent role in the direction of other people’s lives with her encouragement. Those who knew her highlight her kindness, patience and humility and remember her fondly.

Janie Larkin passed away in 2015. Her husband, to whom she had been married for 47 years, died in 2023.


Enrollment perspective

Zack Kassebaum, Tusculum’s vice president of  enrollment management  and  financial aid, noted that there are not many scholarships for adult learners, even though National Center for Education Statistics data shows nontraditional learners represent 70-74% of the undergraduate student population in the United States.

“When it comes to scholarships, nontraditional higher education is often overlooked,” he said. “It is exciting to have an opportunity to provide extra financial assistance to hard-working nontraditional, undergraduate students through the Jamie McCarney Larkin Scholarship. This is a great example of the pioneering spirit cultivated at Tusculum.”

Kassebaum encourages working adults who have not achieved a bachelor’s degree to take that step. He said the experience will be worthwhile.

“Circumstances in people’s lives can result in their putting pursuit of that degree on the back burner, but they keep that burner on,” he said. “It is never too late to go to college and earn a bachelor’s degree. The thoughtfulness of Mary and the wonderful example left by Janie is going to transform many people’s lives. We are grateful to be a conduit for busy working adults, delivering a high-quality, convenient and affordable bachelor’s degree from Tusculum University.”


Viewpoint from institutional advancement

Having worked closely with Jones, Tiffany Greer, vice president of  institutional advancement, is excited about the way the new scholarship will support students. She is grateful for the generosity Jones showed by creating the scholarship and said Larkin’s story of perseverance and giving back is inspiring.

“True giving is not about recognition or praise,” Greer said. “It is about quietly making a difference in the lives of others. Janie was the kind of selfless leader who worked behind the scenes, cared deeply about people and gave of herself without seeking recognition. Mary has honored that legacy in such a meaningful way by creating this scholarship. Together, their generosity demonstrates the extraordinary power of giving – how one caring heart can open doors, change lives and create opportunities for generations to come.”

She said Tusculum welcomes donations to this endowed scholarship from anyone who knew and loved Larkin or were touched by her kindness and leadership. People can visit  www.tusculum.edu/giving, select “scholarships” from the drop-down menu, checkmark where people can make the gift in honor or in memory of someone and type “Janie McCamey Larkin Endowed Scholarship for Working Adults.”

“Every gift, regardless of size, can help carry Janie’s spirit of caring forward and make a lasting difference in the life of someone who is working toward finding their purpose with education,” Greer said.

Tusculum offers other scholarships as well that put a degree within reach financially. To discuss those opportunities, individuals are encouraged to email a Tusculum enrollment representative at  admission@tusculum.edu.

Further information about the university is available at  www.tusculum.edu.