The Stamford Partnership, a public-private nonprofit focused on economic and community development, has announced plans to roll out a local version of the Promise Program, a scholarship initiative offered in more than 50 localities.
Under the terms of the Promise Program, students who attend public high school in Stamford that show their “promise” with high academic achievement, a consistent attendance rate and participation in community service projects can qualify for a $5,000 per year scholarship toward tuition in their studies for either a two-year associate degree or a four-year bachelor”™s degree. The Stamford Promise is scheduled to launch next summer.
In this edition of Suite Talk, Business Journal Senior Enterprise Editor Phil Hall discusses the program with Jon Winkel, executive director of The Stamford Partnership.
What is the genesis of the Stamford Promise Program?
“The Promise scholarship model is nationally known and quite successful. We”™ve been tracking that as a potential opportunity for Stamford for quite a while, and we saw that the Hartford and New Haven Promise Programs are incredibly successful. So, we thought that Stamford should have something similar.”
How does the program work?
“It”™s pinned upon having college and university partners who have an eye on advancing their applications from your community. Typically, you would see that from the underserved cities or underserved populations in the state that the Promise Program is launched within.
“In order for the university to go ahead and make that commitment, because it is a very generous scholarship, they ask that the host city does a couple of things. The first is raise enough money and to have a person on site in that town to make sure that those students are being fully supported and are adhering to their promise.
“Also, we need to raise additional funds to have need-based enhancements for those scholarships. This way, if a student who needs some additional financial assistance is part of the program and the Promise scholarship doesn”™t go far enough, we should be able to enhance it with some additional dollars to make sure that they can go to school.
“The actual promise itself is the students maintain a certain GPA for all four years of high school, and we”™re thinking that”™s going to land somewhere between 3.0 and 3.5. For this particular program, they need to have a 95% attendance record and commit and complete a community service project. And if they do those three things and they”™re a Stamford resident and they attend the Stamford public high school, then they will qualify for that scholarship automatically.”
Does it matter which college the students are going to?
“They would have to go to a participating college or university. So right now, we”™re looking at the University of Connecticut as our anchor institution for this. And if you look at Hartford and New Haven models, they”™ve also been able to get the state university system ”” Central, Southern, Western ”” and we think as soon as we”™re able to turn us on officially, we”™ll get them involved as well.”
UConn recently suspended its scholarship program for low-income students. How is that going to impact their potential participation in this program?
“It shouldn”™t have an impact. This is a separate program from that ”” they”™re similar but disconnected.”
Do you have plans to involve any of the other colleges in Fairfield County?
“It would have to be a participating school. We”™re concentrated on schools within a 20- or 30-mile radius. Stamford, of course, is near the New York state line, so in a couple of years we can start looking at schools like Pace or SUNY. But for the time being, it”™s got to be focused on Connecticut schools ”” primarily those state university system schools like UConn.”
This program is going to be launching in the summer of 2021. So, when should students start applying for the scholarship?
“We”™re going to make an official announcement sometimes toward the end of this year. And then they can start applying in the first quarter of next year. But there”™s a couple more milestones we have to run past ”” and we”™ll put up a draft of the interest form so that students can still get their information in on time.”
Your criteria of between a 3.0 and 3.5 GPA and a 95% attendance rate is a high bar. What kind of initial response are you expecting from scholarship?
“We”™re hoping for a minimum of 20 students in the first cohort.”
You cited similar programs in Hartford in New Haven. How has their success rate been?
“Incredible. They”™re just full of graduation rates and increased performance. It”™s absolutely incredible what they”™ve achieved.”
Where do the funds for this program come from?
“The participating universities provide the scholarship and then the partnerships contribute a fundraiser. We”™re working with a family foundation, a private foundation and a philanthropic organization, I”™ll be able to share their names once we have the fund fully subscribed.”
Ultimately, how will this program benefit Stamford?
“There”™s also an economic development benefit that comes along with this as well. Citizens in Stamford have a huge incentive to stay here, raise a family here and either buy a home or keep their home here because they have this incredible incentive for their kids to go to college. While this is definitely for the kids, it also has a huge benefit for the student”™s entire family, just because of the financial side of it.”
