Charity Dillard Cutline: Charity Dillard is a current WCC student here because of the Michigan Reconnect program. Jacob Kuiper | Washtenaw Voice
Number of Reconnect students, money spent more than doubles in past year
By Jacob Kuiper
Staff Writer
WCC marks a new milestone in supporting affordable education, as the number of students in and money spent on the Michigan Reconnect program more than doubled this past year.
The total number of students utilizing the program in Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 was 1,529, well over double the total number of students from the year before. All together, 2,151 students have taken advantage of the program at WCC. The total amount of money spent on the program also doubled from $1,011,379 to $2,311,960 since it began in February 2021.
The human impact, however, is difficult to sum up in numbers. Before the creation of the Reconnect program, Charity Dillard was working for UM Medicine and was largely unsure about her future career path. She wanted to move into a higher position but was frustrated by education roadblocks.
“I wanted to go back to school because I applied for a job and I didn’t get it and I’m 100% sure it’s because I didn’t have a degree,” she said. The establishment of Reconnect changed that.
A current 3-1 Communications transfer to EMU, Dillard had no immediate plans of continuing school before this program, citing expense as her biggest obstacle.
“I probably still would have been dragging my feet because I didn’t want to pay for it,” she said.
The ease of applying and staying in the program also motivates her to complete her degree.
“I’ve gone through a lot of colleges… and this was the easiest thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Dillard.
Officially known as the “Michigan Reconnect Grant Recipient Act,” the program seeks to help “those seeking associate degrees or industry recognized certifications or credentials,” by providing free in-district tuition and help with other fees. It also seeks to “provide those individuals with greater access to the education and skills needed to succeed in, and meet the demands of, an evolving economy in which there is continuing demand for a talented local workforce,” per the bill’s language. This is all in pursuit of increasing the number of Michigan residents with a college degree or skill certificate or credential to 60% by 2030.
In order to qualify you must meet certain requirements:
- Be over age 25
- Be a U.S.citizen and a Michigan resident of at least one year
- Have a highschool diploma or GED.
- Not currently have an associate or bachelor’s degree
Other important requirements include applying for the Reconnect scholarship and completing the FAFSA. You also must apply to your specific institution.
Once in the program, you must complete at least six credits per semester for two semesters within a 12 month period, and you must hold at least a 2.0 GPA. If you meet three requirements you can continue in the scholarship until you complete your degree or for up to four years from the date you began your program.
Laura Chodoroff | Washtenaw Voice
