TULLYTOWN Courier carriers worth a million More than 350 carriers have gone off to higher education with help from the Courier Times. By Elizabeth Fisher Courier Times Send E-mail QUOTE "One reason we are so sucessful in the market is because of our carriers, and this is our chance to give back to them." George Stevenson, Courier Times circulation director STORY: Twenty-one year-old Michael Butville just graduated from MIT and will leave next week for Washington, D.C. to work with the Navy. His brothers - twins Peter and Andrew, both age 20 - have left for college. These three are among the cream of the Courier Times crop, former carriers who qualified for scholarships offered by the newspaper. Since 1990, 357 carriers have gone on to higher education with some extra bucks in their pockets. The Butvilles are just three examples of the benefits of working hard both in school and on the job. Since 1990, when the program began, the Courier Times has awarded $1.2 million in scholarships, according to Circulation Director George Stevenson.+ "This is a way of reinforcing our place in the community," Stevenson said. "It's a benefit to everyone to have well informed, educated people." While the majority of the awards are offered to students headed to four-year colleges, money also is available to high school graduates going on to trade schools. The program is noncompetitive. Anyone who has served the paper for at least three years and is still a carrier at the time of high school graduation may apply, Stevenson said. The maximum award is $4,000 for carriers with five years service. Those who served the paper for four years can get $3,000, and three years, $2,000. The money is paid out in increments, at the beginning of each college year. Students are required to maintain at least a 2.0 grade average for the scholarship to continue. "It makes our jobs easier to recruit and keep carriers," Stevenson said of the program. "One reason we are so successful in the market is because of our carriers, and this is our chance to give back to them." All three Butville brothers were awarded $4,000. "I had a full ROTC scholarship but the $4,000 helped me a lot," Michael Butville said. "But I still had to pay room and board, which was about $6,000. I used some of the money for that." He says his six years as a carrier taught him a sense of responsibility. Peter plans to study electrical engineering at Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisc. before joining the Navy. Andrew is studying mechanical engineering at Penn State.   Wednesday, August 26, 1998