By Afua Serwah Osei-Bonsu
Contributor
Students at WCC have received more than $4.5 million through a pair of new state scholarship programs.
Some 2,766 WCC students have enrolled in the Michigan Reconnect program, which started in the summer of 2021. Reconnect scholarships totaling $2.07 million have been awarded.
The Michigan Reconnect program is open to state residents 25 and older who do not have a college degree. Michigan Reconnect covers tuition for eligible adults who want to pursue an associate’s degree or skills certificate at community colleges. It supports Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal of increasing the number of Michigan adults with a college degree/certificate from 45% to 60%.
Some state lawmakers have recently talked about expanding the program by lowering the age limit to 21, at least on a temporary basis, according to MLive.
A separate program open to Michigan residents who worked “frontline” jobs in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, has awarded $2.44 million to WCC students. That scholarship program has 2,409 enrollees at Washtenaw, according to Fran LeFort, media relations officer at WCC..
The initial program, Futures for Frontliners, is no longer accepting applications, but some of the students who got help with their tuition continue to work toward their degrees.
Additional support for students returning to the classroom through the two programs was highlighted this summer when Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist visited WCC to talk about a new grant to help with non-tuition expenses. A $6 million commitment by the state government will provide up to $550 each academic year to help Reconnect and Frontliner students with costs such as transportation, technology etc.
The added help is an important step in overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of a college education for many adult students, said WCC President Rose Bellanca.
Learn more at the Michigan Reconnect website
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