Free College? Check out Opportunity 14 in Houston

In the mid 60s some family friends visited from California. Their oldest daughter Gracie, had been my best friend when they lived across the street from us in Rosenberg, TX - in the late 50s they decided to move to Baldwin Park, CA.

Living in California sounded so exciting and different than Texas. They came to visit a few years after they moved... I was so impressed with my friend's new sophistication...

During our hours of conversation she told me something that sounded remarkable to me. She said that college was FREE in California (at least in community colleges). I couldn't believe it- and told my Mom that I planned to move there after high school so I could take advantage of the opportunity.

I ended up staying in Texas, which was fine. Thinking about it now, I wonder if CA has a higher percentage of college educated people than Texas.

The new program discussed below sounds revolutionary for Houston. The reporter didn't mention if DREAMERS (undocumented students) are eligible.  For those making comments on HC article - there seems to be concern that some people (white people? working class?) are being shafted by this program.  In the requirements listed there is no mention of race or ethnic group.  It is a shame that whenever there is some new benefit for income eligible people there seems to be a complaint of deprivation.  I can say this for race/ethnic based scholarships - if there were so many students of color benefiting from these programs, wouldn't the universities be full of minority students?  Go to most nearby campuses and take a look around at the ethnicity and race of students and faculty.  Except for colleges like Howard, Texas Southern, and Southern Louisiana, college faculties are FULL of white people (mostly men), as are student bodies.  The growing number of ethnic groups you see on campuses are Asian and South Asian - not Latino and Black kids.

KUDOS for Houston Community College

July 13, 2008, 11:16PM
'OPPORTUNITY 14'
HCC program makes college free
Scholarship will cover two years of expenses for eligible students

By JEANNIE KEVER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

The first two years of college will be free for certain students under a new program at Houston Community College.

That's good news for Maria Jaime Sanchez.

"I never even thought about not going to college," said Sanchez, who just graduated from Lee High School. "My mom said, we'll find a way. But I don't know. I still have to pay rent and bills."

She will continue to work. She juggled two jobs until recently and now works at the Kolache Factory. She'll enroll at HCC for the fall semester.

HCC officials say 18-year-old Sanchez is among the first to qualify for the grant program, called Opportunity 14.

Kelly Zúñiga, executive director of the HCC Foundation, said as many as 1,500 students may qualify during the first year.

Opportunity 14, named to signify two years of education beyond the final year of high school, will pay for college expenses — including textbooks — not covered by federal and state grants. Students must be eligible for a Pell grant, the nation's best-known program to help low-income students attend college.

Ultimately, as many as 6,000 students could take advantage of Opportunity 14, Chancellor Mary Spangler said....

Opportunity 14 will be marketed to potential donors — as well as potential recipients —as an economic development tool, focusing on Houston's need for a skilled work force and the higher earning potential conferred by even a two-year college degree.

It springs from the same philosophy as the Kalamazoo Promise, which guarantees full scholarships to graduates of the public schools in Kalamazoo, Mich., and the Dallas County Community College District's Rising Star program, which provides up to $4,000 for tuition and books to low-income students.

Opportunity 14 would offer up to $2,000 a year, for a total of $6,000 per student.

Michael Dee, a former HCC Foundation board member who just resigned to take a job in Singapore, worked on the project for more than a year, arguing that an associate degree boosts earning power by $500,000 over a lifetime.

jeannie.kever@chron.com
APPLICANTS FOR OPPORTUNITY 14 MUST:

• Live within HCC's service area, which includes school districts serving Houston, Stafford, Missouri City, Fort Bend, Katy, Spring Branch, Alief and North Forest.

• Have graduated from high school or earned a GED within the past year.

• Complete a Federal Application for Federal Student Aid.

• Enroll for at least 12 semester credit hours at HCC and once there, maintain a 2.0 or better GPA.

for link to complete Chronicle article click here