December 6, 2004

Junior high students invited to get a rolling start toward college

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Junior high school students from Tippecanoe and surrounding counties can roller skate for free while taking a first step toward making a college education affordable.

The Twenty-First Century Scholars Program, which offers college tuition assistance to qualified students in Indiana, will sponsor an enrollment bash Friday (Dec. 10) at Great Skates, 135 S. Earl Ave., Lafayette. Enrollment will take place from 5-7 p.m. Seventh- or eighth-grade students who complete an enrollment application can skate until 10 p.m.

Skate rental will cost extra. Parents do not need to stay after they enroll their child.

To enroll in the Twenty-First Century Scholars Program, eligible middle 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.

Melinda Larson, site coordinator for the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program at Purdue, said she encourages middle school students to take advantage of this opportunity to make their dreams of higher education a reality.

"The goals of the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program are fundamental to a better quality of life for Hoosier families," Larson said. "Purdue wants to do its part to help more students make the dream of higher education a reality."

Aside from tuition benefits, 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.

Purdue serves as host of the west central regional support site for the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program, which is managed by the Learning Communities, Access and Retention Programs Department. The department, in turn, is part of the Office of Enrollment Management. The west central site works with more than 2,200 students in seventh through 12th grade to assist them in preparing for college.

For more information about the program or related events, contact Twenty-first Century Scholars staff at (765) 496-0046, tfcs@purdue.edu.

CONTACT: Larson, (765) 496-0046, mllarson@purdue.edu

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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