Post by Okwes on Jan 6, 2006 2:02:21 GMT -5
Needy inner-city students offered two years of college — free (MN)
Exciting new program for minority students who
graduate from Minneapolis and St.Paul public schools.
This initiative clearly shows that K-12 education is
not enough to be competitive in today's workforce.
Also, it puts pressure on our community to help
students of color graduate from high school.
Last update: January 03, 2006 – 11:55 PM
Needy inner-city students offered two years of college
— free
No kidding. A new program offers needy inner-city
students two years of college -- free.
Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune
In an attempt to boost the number of Minnesota
minority students who go to college, a new program
will offer two years of free tuition to needy city
residents who graduate from public high schools in
Minneapolis and St. Paul this spring.
Organizers hope the "Power of You" program, the first
of its kind in Minnesota, will help at least 200
students attend college next fall. Students must
attend Minneapolis Community and Technical College
(MCTC) or St. Paul College. Both are two-year schools.
In 2007, four-year Metropolitan State University will
join the program.
MCTC President Phil Davis said the effort was prompted
by discouraging reports that less than 5 percent of
minority ninth-graders in thestate's two biggest
cities earn a four-year college degree by the time
they turn 25.
"That's something we can't let go unchallenged," he
said. "We wanted to remove real and perceived
barriers, so we said let's just say the first two
years of college are free. We wanted to create hope."
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman touted the program in his
inauguration speech Tuesday, saying he hoped it would
help boost the graduation rates for minority kids.
Leaders of the Minneapolis and St. Paul school boards
also reacted enthusiastically. "I'm excited. I'm
looking forward to its launching," said Elona
Street-Stewart, St. Paul school board chairwoman. In
Minneapolis, school board Chairman Joseph Erickson
called the offer "a wonderful idea." The promise of
two years of free education should increase awareness
of college opportunities and motivate students, he
said.
To receive free schooling, students must be residents
of Minneapolis or St. Paul and graduate from a public
school in the city, including charter and alternative
schools. Students will be selected based on need.
Tuition and fees at a school like MCTC are about
$4,050 a year, Davis said. For low-income students,
most of that would be covered by a federal Pell Grant.
The program will fill any gaps in tuition and fees
funding. Students will have to cover book and
transportation costs.
Participants in the program will be expected to carry
a full class load of 12 credits and must take a
first-semester class that aims at building confidence
and study and time-management skills. Students who
need help with English will attend a summer camp
before they start college. And students must keep
their grades up to stay in the program, which will
also offer regular counseling and mentoring. "If
they're not prepared and they get nothing beyond
financial help, they're not going to be successful,"
Davis said.
Although the program promises to pay only for the
first two years of college, Davis said schools are
committed to seeking merit-based scholarships that
will bridge the leap to a four-year institution.
One of Davis' hopes is that the program makes college
a more realistic goal for urban students. Davis said
that when he recently asked random students at
Minneapolis' North High School how much they thought
annual college tuition was, the most common answer was
$30,000 a year.
"If there's no way you could afford it, why would you
plan for it?" Davis said. When he told them otherwise,
he said, "their faces light up -- it's not in their
imagination that it's possible."
Mark James, a senior at Minnesota Transition Junior
ROTC in south Minneapolis, said the initiative would
save him and some of his college-hopeful friends a lot
of financial trouble. He plans to attend North
Hennepin Community College to save his mom money.
"If I can get my generals for free, that'd be nice,"
he said.
Shane Harris, a senior at Minneapolis' Patrick Henry
High School, said some of his friends don't know much
about financial aid and have parents who didn't attend
college. He said the program could change the way some
of the kids think about their future.
"Anything being paid for is a good thing because you
don't have to worry about it," Harris said. "They
should really try to promote it in the high schools
now while kids are looking for scholarships."
The program is working closely with the two cities and
community organizations to spread the word and to get
younger students thinking about college. Students who
don't take the right kinds of classes, starting in
junior high, can limit their chances.
"If we can convince students that they can go to
college and must go, then we will change behavior, not
only in high school but in third grade and fifth
grade," Davis said.
The five-year budget for the program, which organizers
hope will serve at least five successive graduating
classes, is anticipated at about $2.8 million. So far,
more than $450,000 has been raised from General Mills,
St. Paul Traveler's and the Perlman Family Foundation.
An official kick-off is set for Monday at MCTC.
Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380 Myron Medcalf,
Jackie Crosby and Steve Brandt contributed to this
report.
©2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Exciting new program for minority students who
graduate from Minneapolis and St.Paul public schools.
This initiative clearly shows that K-12 education is
not enough to be competitive in today's workforce.
Also, it puts pressure on our community to help
students of color graduate from high school.
Last update: January 03, 2006 – 11:55 PM
Needy inner-city students offered two years of college
— free
No kidding. A new program offers needy inner-city
students two years of college -- free.
Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune
In an attempt to boost the number of Minnesota
minority students who go to college, a new program
will offer two years of free tuition to needy city
residents who graduate from public high schools in
Minneapolis and St. Paul this spring.
Organizers hope the "Power of You" program, the first
of its kind in Minnesota, will help at least 200
students attend college next fall. Students must
attend Minneapolis Community and Technical College
(MCTC) or St. Paul College. Both are two-year schools.
In 2007, four-year Metropolitan State University will
join the program.
MCTC President Phil Davis said the effort was prompted
by discouraging reports that less than 5 percent of
minority ninth-graders in thestate's two biggest
cities earn a four-year college degree by the time
they turn 25.
"That's something we can't let go unchallenged," he
said. "We wanted to remove real and perceived
barriers, so we said let's just say the first two
years of college are free. We wanted to create hope."
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman touted the program in his
inauguration speech Tuesday, saying he hoped it would
help boost the graduation rates for minority kids.
Leaders of the Minneapolis and St. Paul school boards
also reacted enthusiastically. "I'm excited. I'm
looking forward to its launching," said Elona
Street-Stewart, St. Paul school board chairwoman. In
Minneapolis, school board Chairman Joseph Erickson
called the offer "a wonderful idea." The promise of
two years of free education should increase awareness
of college opportunities and motivate students, he
said.
To receive free schooling, students must be residents
of Minneapolis or St. Paul and graduate from a public
school in the city, including charter and alternative
schools. Students will be selected based on need.
Tuition and fees at a school like MCTC are about
$4,050 a year, Davis said. For low-income students,
most of that would be covered by a federal Pell Grant.
The program will fill any gaps in tuition and fees
funding. Students will have to cover book and
transportation costs.
Participants in the program will be expected to carry
a full class load of 12 credits and must take a
first-semester class that aims at building confidence
and study and time-management skills. Students who
need help with English will attend a summer camp
before they start college. And students must keep
their grades up to stay in the program, which will
also offer regular counseling and mentoring. "If
they're not prepared and they get nothing beyond
financial help, they're not going to be successful,"
Davis said.
Although the program promises to pay only for the
first two years of college, Davis said schools are
committed to seeking merit-based scholarships that
will bridge the leap to a four-year institution.
One of Davis' hopes is that the program makes college
a more realistic goal for urban students. Davis said
that when he recently asked random students at
Minneapolis' North High School how much they thought
annual college tuition was, the most common answer was
$30,000 a year.
"If there's no way you could afford it, why would you
plan for it?" Davis said. When he told them otherwise,
he said, "their faces light up -- it's not in their
imagination that it's possible."
Mark James, a senior at Minnesota Transition Junior
ROTC in south Minneapolis, said the initiative would
save him and some of his college-hopeful friends a lot
of financial trouble. He plans to attend North
Hennepin Community College to save his mom money.
"If I can get my generals for free, that'd be nice,"
he said.
Shane Harris, a senior at Minneapolis' Patrick Henry
High School, said some of his friends don't know much
about financial aid and have parents who didn't attend
college. He said the program could change the way some
of the kids think about their future.
"Anything being paid for is a good thing because you
don't have to worry about it," Harris said. "They
should really try to promote it in the high schools
now while kids are looking for scholarships."
The program is working closely with the two cities and
community organizations to spread the word and to get
younger students thinking about college. Students who
don't take the right kinds of classes, starting in
junior high, can limit their chances.
"If we can convince students that they can go to
college and must go, then we will change behavior, not
only in high school but in third grade and fifth
grade," Davis said.
The five-year budget for the program, which organizers
hope will serve at least five successive graduating
classes, is anticipated at about $2.8 million. So far,
more than $450,000 has been raised from General Mills,
St. Paul Traveler's and the Perlman Family Foundation.
An official kick-off is set for Monday at MCTC.
Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380 Myron Medcalf,
Jackie Crosby and Steve Brandt contributed to this
report.
©2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.