By Daniel Hamon
In 2005, a small group of donors started The Kalamazoo Promise, a non-profit corporation that has the goal of providing "each Kalamazoo Public School graduate with the opportunity to attend post-secondary education with up to a 100% tuition scholarship."
The eligibility and requirements seem simple enough: students in the Kalamazoo Public Schools who have graduated and attended four years or more and who go to any public university or community college in the State of Michigan. Once enrolled in college, beneficiaries need to maintain a 2.0 GPA, a minimum of 12 credit hours and make continuing progress toward their degrees.
At a time when a college education is becoming the minimum requirement for entry into the job market, the anonymous donors of The Kalamazoo Promise will surely make a major impact on the lives and standards of living of many Kalamazoo, MI high-school graduates.
WOW - Thank you for sharing.... that is what we should be doing all across the US!
Posted by: Dana | August 16, 2010 at 06:23 AM
That's so great, especially in a time of economic difficulty!
Posted by: Dan | August 16, 2010 at 11:13 AM
The generosity of these donors is amazing and I agree the country would benefit greatly from this type of program. In addition, we often hear that there is a shortage of engineers, scientists, nurses, etc. A privately-funded program that pays for graduate training in these professions would also be of great benefit to people and our economy.
Posted by: Daniel Hamon | August 16, 2010 at 11:32 AM
What is the population of Kalamazoo? How many students graduate high school each year and what percent take advantage of the scholarships? How inspiring.
Posted by: Mollie Swaner | September 11, 2010 at 01:29 AM
Mollie, Kalamazoo county is 246K people according to Google; the Kalamazoo school district "serves over 12000 students in 2 high schools, 3 middle schools, and 18 elementary schools."
Posted by: Daniel Hamon | September 22, 2010 at 01:27 PM