For immediate release
August 22, 2008
Contact Emily Ray
Public Relations Coordinator
(270) 824-8581
Emily.Ray@kctcs.edu
http://www.madisonville.kctcs.edu
School Counts! Increases Scholarship Awards
MADISONVILLE, Ky.--Thanks to generous donors, all School Counts! of Hopkins County completers will receive full tuition for fall and spring 2008-2009.
School Counts! funds will be applied after a combination of the student’s KEES, financial aid, and other scholarships are posted to their account. Originally, the program awarded $1,000 maximum in combination with other financial aid, meaning that some students still owed tuition to the college.
'“One purpose of the School Counts! program is to increase access to higher education for all students in Hopkins County,” said Dr. Judith Rhoads, president of MCC. “And unfortunately, finances are the No. 1 roadblock for all students.
'“After all their hard work, we didn’t want School Counts! students turning down an opportunity to attend MCC because of an inability to pay tuition,” she said.
Rhoads credits the availability of additional funding to the consistent support donors have shown the program.
'“When we announced School Counts!, we stated the program would need an endowment of $1.5 million,” said Rhoads. “Our donors have stepped up to the plate, not only in pledging gifts, but in making timely payments on those pledges.We have been able to reinvest some of the accrued interest due to timely payments and that is like a new gift all by itself, and the program should be totally self-sustaining by 2012.
'“We have had eight donors give at least $50,000 to the program, and the Hopkins County and Dawson Springs School Systems gave $85,000 cumulatively.In addition to their generous gifts, the Madisonville Rotary Club and Trover Health System have put in countless volunteer hours on our behalf,” she said.
School Counts! is a workforce readiness program for high school students in Hopkins County. To stay in the program, students must meet the following criteria each year: obtain a 2.5 GPA yearly, achieve a 95% attendance and punctuality record, complete high school in eight consecutive semesters, and take more than the minimum number of credits for graduation.
In addition to scholarships at MCC, students also receive workforce readiness certificates at the end of each school year. Including the high school class of 2008, 1,121 students are enrolled in the School Counts! program.
MCC is an equal opportunity and education institution