Purdue News
Purdue News
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February 27, 2004 Twenty-first Century Scholars Program unlocks doors to higher edWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Seventh- and eighth-graders who will need financial assistance to attend college are invited to a call-out event sponsored by the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. Scholar Search: Enroll and Excel will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 6, in the food court area of the Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette. Students from Tippecanoe, Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Warren and White counties can fill out applications for the program, which provides tuition to Indiana students who might not otherwise be able to attend college. Shirts, pens and food coupons also will be distributed at the event. To be accepted into the program, junior high school students must apply by June 30 of their eighth-grade year. They also must meet income guidelines, apply for financial aid and take a pledge. The pledge includes staying drug-free, graduating high school with a GPA of at least 2.0 and being admitted to an eligible Indiana college, university or technical school. Aside from tuition benefits, which cover whatever is not paid through financial aid, the program offers free summer camps and visits to colleges and universities throughout Indiana. Other college preparatory activities include tutoring, mentoring, community service projects and newsletters on planning for college. Melinda Larson, site coordinator for the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program at Purdue University, said the program benefits both prospective college students and Indiana's economic future. "The goals of the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program are fundamental to a better quality of life for Hoosier families," Larson said. "Purdue University wants to do its part to help more students continue their educations, reduce the high school dropout rate, prepare students for the work force, decrease the use of drugs and alcohol among middle and high school students, and improve individual economic productivity and the quality of life for all Indiana residents." Since the program was started in 1995, more than 3,400 participants have earned bachelor's degrees from Indiana colleges and universities. Nearly 4,000 additional participants have been awarded associate degrees. Approximately 750 program participants currently attend Purdue. Purdue is host of the West Central regional support site for the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. The site is administered by the Learning Communities, Access and Retention Programs Department, which is directed by Purdue's Office of Enrollment Management. Purdue staff currently work with more than 2,000 seventh- through 12th-graders to help them attain a college degree. For more information about the program, related events or to request an application, contact Twenty-first Century Scholars staff at (765) 496-0046, tfcs@purdue.edu. Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu Source: Melinda Larson, (765) 494-7925, mllarson@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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