Twenty-first Century Scholars Program opens doors to higher ed

May 25, 2006

Twenty-first Century Scholars Program opens doors to higher ed

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Junior high school students from Tippecanoe and surrounding counties can take a first step toward making a college education affordable.

Mark Baker
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The Twenty-first Century Scholars Program offers college tuition assistance to qualified students in Indiana whose families are in low to moderate income brackets. To enroll in the 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.

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.

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

"This program started 15 years ago and has since distributed over $85 million in scholarships," Smith said. "More than 5,000 scholars statewide have received college degrees. It is one of the country's premiere early intervention programs with many success stories."

Smith cites Twenty-first Century Scholar Mark Baker's experience as one of those success stories. Baker, a recent Purdue graduate from Decatur, Ind., earned a degree in health sciences. He is now applying to medical schools and hopes to attend the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Baker said the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program offered much more than financial support while he attended Purdue.

"Aside from relieving financial burdens, the program has also offered me many ways to give back to my community," Baker said. "Through the program's volunteer services, I have tutored middle and high school students in a variety of subjects, from genetic biology to remedial mathematics. Because of this tutoring program, I have been able to help fellow scholars and make them more interested in attending college themselves."

The Twenty-first Century Scholars west-central regional support site, for which Purdue serves as the host, works with approximately 3,000 students in seventh through 12th grade to assist them in preparing for college. More than 200 students will graduate this year and receive financial awards.

The Purdue site is managed by the Student Access, Transition and Success Programs Department in the Office of Enrollment Management. For more information about the program or related events, contact Twenty-first Century Scholars staff at (765) 496-0046, tfcs@purdue.edu.

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

Sources: Yvonne Smith, (765) 494-7991, ynsmith@purdue.edu

Mark Baker, (260) 223-2148, mdbaker@purdue.edu

Drew Koch, director of Student Access, Transition and Success Programs, (765) 496-3618, akkoch@purdue.edu

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

PHOTO CAPTION:
Mark Baker, a recent Purdue graduate from Decatur, Ind., who earned a degree in health sciences, tutors a student enrolled in the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. Baker, who also was enrolled in the program, is now applying to medical schools.ÊÊ(Twenty-first Century Scholar photo/Cheryl Hazelgrove.)

A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2006/21stCentScholars.jpg

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