June 3, 2005

Program invites junior high school students to realize college dreams

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Seventh- and eighth-graders who think a college education is just a dream are invited to take the first step in making their dreams come true by attending a Twenty-first Century Scholars Program call-out on June 10-11 in Crawfordsville.

The call-out will take place during the Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival, which will be on the grounds of Lane Place, 212 S. Water St. The Twenty-First Century Scholars Program will have a festival booth open from 1-7 p.m. on June 10 and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 11.

At the festival, interested students from Tippecanoe, Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Warren and White counties can fill out applications with a parent for the program, which provides tuition to Indiana students who might not otherwise be able to attend college. Each student that completes an application will receive a prize.

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.

"Considering the June 30 sign-up deadline, this may be the last chance for some students to enroll in the program," said Melinda Larson, site coordinator for the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program at Purdue. "The Twenty-first Century Scholars Program wants to make the dream of a college education a reality for Hoosier families."

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.

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 a part of Purdue's Office of Enrollment Management. Purdue staff members currently work with more than 2,100 students in grades 7-12 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: Aaron Martin, (765) 496-3133, martinac@purdue.edu

Source: Melinda Larson, (765) 494-7925, mllarson@purdue.edu

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

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