South Dakotan Top Bid On Tuition Auction

Thursday, February 15th 2007, 10:20 am

By: News On 6

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) -- A nursing student at South Dakota State University made the winning bid of $18,669.99 in an Internet auction for a year of tuition, room and board at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Candace Blain, a sophomore, plans to give the prize to her younger sister, Chelsea, a high school senior, but also plans to go to Oklahoma Wesleyan next year.

"She's pretty excited," Candace Blain said. "It's an excellent school and my parents talk about how life-changing it was to go there."

The girls' grandparents and several cousins also attended the school.

The small evangelical college in Bartlesville placed the eBay offer, valued at $23,000, to allow someone to attend the school who otherwise couldn't afford it and to gain publicity.

About 1,030 students attend the college, which offers 39 academic programs.