 Paul Sims/SDN Michael K. Clayborne, the president of the CREATE Foundation, provides details on the organization to Starkville Rotarians Monday. Clayborne also addressed efforts by East Mississippi Community College to guarantee free tuition to students within the counties it serves provided students meet specific requirements. By PAUL SIMS
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Funding is in place for two years to provide a tuition guarantee to students who meet the criteria from all six East Mississippi Community College counties to attend EMCC, its president said Monday.
Dr. Rick Young, EMCC’s president, provided details on the program Monday after EMCC officials were asked to provide an update on the status talks toward the program taking shape for students from Oktibbeha County.
Michael K. Clayborne, the president of the CREATE Foundation, mentioned the tuition guarantee program during his speech to the Starkville Rotary Club Monday.
He provided additional information after the meeting.
Tuition guarantee was an original goal of the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi, Clayborne said.
In 2008, the Lee County Board of Supervisors agreed to a tuition guarantee approach, Clayborne said. After Lee County’s effort, organizers went from having four school districts to having 20 school districts in about a year and a half, he said.
When asked about Oktibbeha County’s status, Clayborne said: “We understand there are some discussions taking place in Oktibbeha County now for the tuition guarantee.”
The program typically covers tuition for the graduating class of a high school to attend the community college for their region, which – in this case – would be EMCC, Clayborne said.
Young noted that CREATE officials started the tuition guarantee initiative for the community colleges within the CREATE Foundation service area.
“We chose at the time to go with Clay County because there had been a tremendous loss of jobs there,” Young said, noting that CREATE provided some seed money and there is also a private effort under way in Clay County.
“We’re trying to raise money in all of our counties. I have received donations from industries and private individuals that I will use to fund tuition guarantee for two years,” Young said Monday. “Right now, I am offering tuition guarantee in all six” EMCC counties, he said.
“Our goal is to establish an endowment to fund this for years to come. It’s a good investment in people,” Young said.
The criteria for the EMCC’s tuition guarantee program is as follows:
According to a document regarding the program’s criteria, the guarantee is a “maximum of the cost of tuition less federal and state aid and EMCC scholarships, and is for a maximum period of four consecutive semesters, excluding summers.”
To be eligible for the program, a student must:
• Be a resident of the community college’s six-county district, which includes Clay, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties.
• Be a graduate of an accredited high school in the EMCC district in May 2009 or later.
• Apply for all federal and state aid and any applicable EMCC scholarships.
• Register full-time, 12 or more semester credit hours, in the fall following graduation from high school.
• Maintain a minimum of 12 semester credit hours each semester. If enrollment drops below 12 semester credit hours at any time, the student will lose tuition guarantee funding and will be ineligible for the tuition guarantee program from that point forward.
• Keep a 2.0 grade point average.
According to the document, students are not eligible for the program if they graduated prior to May 2009, transfer from other colleges are not eligible or enroll in programs not approved for financial aid. The tuition guarantee program’s continuation is contingent on funding, officials said in the document. EMCC officials are trying to make the program as simple and as accessible as possible, Young said.
“The key to quality of life for an individual and also for a community is tied into education. What we’re trying to do is take away the barriers for people who would not have been able to go to school otherwise. ... This may serve as an encouragement for those undecided about whether to pursue higher education,” Young said.
EMCC officials decided in late April to offer making tuition guarantee available districtwide, he said. For information on EMCC’s tuition guarantee program, visit EMCC’s Web site at http://www.eastms.edu/ or call 243-1900.
|
