S C H O L A R S H I P S
Investing in the future:
Jackson Legacy Program hopes to boost college attendance, success
Beginning this Fall, hundreds of incoming freshman to Jackson Community College will benefit from a new scholarship initiative, the Jackson Legacy Program. It is designed to assist young people in Jackson County who choose to start their education at one of Jackson County’s three higher education institutions – JCC, Baker College and Spring Arbor University. Nancy Miller is the director of the Jackson Legacy Program. We recently sat down with her to learn more about this new program.
Q. Who is eligible for the Jackson Legacy Program? Miller: “Any student who lives in Jackson County and has been enrolled in a Jackson County school since eighth grade. They have to attend JCC, Baker or Spring Arbor University, and also agree to community service. Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average their first year to be eligible for a second year scholarship. Legacy is renewable for one year, with a benefit of $3,000 per year.”
Q. How did this program start? Miller: “It is similar to the Kalamazoo Promise, which started about three years earlier. Jackson has a low percentage rate of people with a college degree; only 16.4 percent have a bachelor’s degree, which is below average (national U.S. Census figures indicate 24.4 percent of the population have a bachelor’s degree). Community leaders and the Jackson County Community Foundation discussed the feasibility of doing something like this here. “Understanding that a high rate of future jobs, nearly 70 percent, will require some college, and 85 percent of the fastest growing jobs require some college, the decision was made to start the Jackson Legacy program. It should help with economic development for our area by making sure we have a qualified workforce, and it should help students get the skills they need to find a job.”
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