Eligible Jacksonville High School students will be unconditionally accepted into the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, thanks to a new program.
The program, called Jacksonville Promise, will also help 11th- and 12th-graders prepare for college -- everything from filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to academic tutoring. Participating students will have access to $500 to $1,000 scholarships from the Wilson Charitable Trust during their freshman year of college.
"This is a very unique trial program that we're doing for the first time with any high school, and the reason that we're doing it is because of the increasing cost of education and the general view that students don't really see a path, an affordable path, to a higher education," UALR Chancellor Andrew Rogerson said.
"If you can show the student that by staying at home, if you're a local student, the cost of education with all the help you get from the federal agencies is affordable."
Rogerson, Jacksonville High School Principal LaGail Biggs and others announced the new program to juniors and seniors Wednesday. The leaders encouraged the students to review the nonbinding contract with their parents and return the completed form.
The program is similar in name and effort to others in the state, including El Dorado Promise and Arkadelphia Promise. All three seek to allow all students to attend college, in part by providing scholarships.
El Dorado's is funded by the Murphy Oil Corp. and provides funding for tuition and mandatory fees -- with with the maximum payout being the highest annual resident tuition at a state public university -- to El Dorado High School graduates attending any accredited community college or university, according to its website.
The one in Arkadelphia is funded by Southern Bancorp and the Ross Foundation. While the scholarship will cover four continuous years of tuition and mandatory fees, eligibility is tied to Arkadelphia High School graduates applying for two other scholarship opportunities and receiving the Arkansas Academic Challenge lottery scholarship.
For the Jacksonville Promise program, students are eligible if they:
• Complete the college preparatory core courses by the time they graduate from high school.
• Earn a composite score of 19 or above on the ACT college-entrance exam or a combined critical reading and math score of at least 910 on the SAT, another college-entrance exam.
• Have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 or higher.
Larry Wilson, president and CEO of Arkansas Bank and Trust of Jacksonville, has given $25,000 from his family's Wilson Charitable Trust for the scholarships for freshmen. It was a one-time donation and is all spendable, said Judy Williams, UALR's associate vice chancellor for communications and marketing.
The scholarships are meant to top off any other financial aid the students receive.
Leaders of both schools said the program is a way to facilitate the students' pathway to college.
In total, the program will give students writing and math tutoring, ACT preparation, placement tests for college admission and job mentoring with UALR alumni. It will allow more Jacksonville High students to take college-level coursework and to participate in the Donaldson Scholars Academy and/or the TRIO Talent Search programs, both of which aim to help students succeed.
It calls for group and personalized workshops for families to help them complete the form for federal financial aid, put together a financial aid package and learn about scholarships. UALR will also have a hotline for students, their families and teachers.
Students sign a contract, but it is nonbinding, meaning they ultimately do not have to attend UALR.
Brandon Knox, 17, a high school senior, said he was thinking about attending the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, but now wants to look into Jacksonville Promise.
"I mean, I qualify for most of it, so I'm going to think about it," he said. "Not going to lie, the part where they said 'free,' that's a nice incentive. This could really help out."
Jacksonville plans to extend the program down to the ninth grade and the middle school.
"The thing that immediately stands out to me is there's a set of criteria that the students must meet academically, and so through that academic process, they are able to benefit whether they join us their 10th-grade year, their junior year, or even their senior year, they can find some benefit from participating in Jacksonville Promise," Biggs said. "Of course the earlier you start, the more benefit to you as a student, possibilities to graduate with that four-year degree with minimal or no debt at all."
Metro on 11/10/2016