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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The College of New Rochelle has been awarded a $250,000 College Access Challenge grant from the New York State Higher Education Services Corp., a state agency that helps students pay for college.
“This is an important and significant grant that will aid the college in continuing to fulfill its mission of providing access to students who have traditionally been denied access to higher education,” said Darryl Jones, dean of the School of New Resources at The College of New Rochelle.
The grant will be used by the School of New Resources to provide scholarships to qualified students who lack high school or General Educational Development diplomas and are looking for postsecondary education opportunities, the college said.
“We are extremely excited and see great promise in the College Access grant, which will aid our adult students in the School of New Resources,” Jones said.
“The College Access grant will not only provide the required academic coursework for receipt of the GED, but will also equip students with financial literacy skills and ultimately aid in meeting the demand for a better-educated workforce.”
The money will enable The College of New Rochelle to select qualified and motivated students from the Bronx for placement in the School of New Resources’ specially tailored College Access Program, the college said. Forty-five students are expected to have the 24 core college credits needed for the General Educational Development diploma by December 2013. That will then make them eligible to receive federal student financial aid for college coursework.
The College Access Challenge grant program is a national initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education and run in New York by the state Higher Education Services Corp.
“Earning a college degree can be one of life’s most important achievements,” Judith Huntington, president of The College of New Rochelle, said in a statement. “From a financial standpoint, the difference in annual earnings between a college graduate and someone who has only a high school degree is astounding.”
Huntington cited U.S. Census Bureau statistics showing that the average annual salary of someone with a bachelor's degree is $51,206, versus $27,915 a year for a high school graduate.
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