Dayton Daily News: Wright State, Dayton Public partnership to give students chance at free tuition

Excerpt

Thurgood Marshall and Belmont High School students may be eligible for full-tuition scholarships and college-level coaching and support at Wright State University under a new agreement between Wright State and Dayton Public Schools.

Up to 20 students enrolled at Belmont and Thurgood Marshall will be selected annually to participate in Wright State’s Take Flight Program to help students with demonstrated financial need and a GPA of at least 3.2 to get college degrees. The students will be selected while in the ninth grade.

“We are looking forward to seeing what students will accomplish because of this partnership and hope that more students can benefit in the future once the program gets underway,” said David Lawrence, DPS interim superintendent.

During high school, each participating student must remain enrolled full-time at Belmont or Thurgood Marshall, submit complete applications for federal financial aid, apply for Wright State and register as a full-time, degree seeking student, and complete Algebra II by the end of their junior year with at least a B+, according to a memorandum of understanding signed this past summer.

If the student falls below the 3.2 GPA requirement in high school, Wright State officials said they will work with DPS and the student to get back on track. If they don’t make up that GPA by high school graduation, they are still eligible for scholarships and aid at Wright State University.

Lawrence said Thurgood was picked due to its STEM background, and Belmont was picked due to its Navy ROTC program which DPS felt aligned with the Take Flight program.

Lawrence noted that while Dayton students move schools frequently in lower grades, there is less movement in high schools.

This is the first district to have such a program with Wright State, the university said. The Take Flight program was established last summer but the Dayton Public agreement gives Thurgood and Belmont students additional support.

“One exciting component of this agreement is that Wright State will have a staff member in each of the two DPS high schools each and every week throughout the school year,” said Susan Schaurer, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Wright State. “Building rapport and increasing engagement between high school students and higher ed professionals has been shown to increase college-going awareness and advance a college-ready mindset within the schools where these types of programs are housed.”

Other universities have similar programs. For example, Ohio State University has a program where anyone qualifying in the “Ohio Eight” districts, which includes Dayton, can enroll in the Young Scholars program, which helps them get a scholarship.

The University of Akron has a program called Strive Towards Excellence for Akron-area students who either meet specific financial requirements or are first-generation college students, starting in seventh and eighth grade that would eventually qualify them for a scholarship to Akron.

Wright State’s website says the Take Flight Program is funded through the university taking combined federal and state grant funds with institutional grants or scholarships to meet the cost of undergraduate, in-state tuition. High school students can qualify for the program as long as they have an expected family contribution of $2,000 or less, calculated from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

“This new agreement between Wright State and the Dayton Public Schools is part of the university’s continuing efforts to support our students and help them meet their goals,” said Wright State University president Sue Edwards.

Once enrolled at Wright State, students will receive funding for up to 18 hours of undergraduate tuition per semester.

Students will also receive the following benefits:

Wright State says students will also be offered on-campus employment through the Federal Work-Study program, a federal employment program.

View the original story at daytondailynews.com