Two Freed-Hardeman University students, Whitney Pirtle and Alyssa Shirley, have been accepted into the McWherter Scholars Program. Pirtle is a junior biology major from Henderson, and Shirley is a sophomore education major from Selmer. Pirtle and Shirley were selected from applicants from colleges and universities across West Tennessee.

Dr. Wayne Scott, the vice-president of student services at FHU, nominated both Pirtle and Shirley for this honor. Scott states that Pirtle "has a good grade point average and has been a leader on campus. She was a natural when the criteria were presented to me…Whitney will represent FHU in a great way." Regarding Shirley, Scott says that she is an "outstanding young lady that represents well what Freed-Hardeman is all about." Pirtle and Shirley were required to complete an interview process with former state representative Mark Maddox in order to be a part of the scholarship program.

Pirtle describes the scholarship as "a program designed to equip and encourage selected college students in West Tennessee to use their talents and resources to become leaders in Tennessee and truly make a difference." The selected students, who will meet with Senator Roy Herron several times throughout the semester, will be put into teams to design projects; these projects and activities will focus on ways to meet the challenges of those in rural areas. Shirley adds, "It is a great opportunity and I’m certainly glad that I was chosen."