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Needy inner-city students offered two years of
college — free
No kidding. A new program offers needy inner-city students
two years of college -- free.
In an attempt to boost the
number of Minnesota minority
students who go to college, a
new program will offer two
years of free tuition to needy
city residents who graduate from
public high schools in
Minneapolis and St. Paul this
spring.
Organizers hope the "Power of You" program, the first of its kind in
Minnesota, will help at least 200 students attend college next fall.
Students must attend Minneapolis Community and Technical
College (MCTC) or St. Paul College. Both are two-year schools.
In 2007, four-year Metropolitan State University will join the
program.
MCTC President Phil Davis said the effort was prompted by
discouraging reports that less than 5 percent of minority ninth-
graders in the state's two biggest cities earn a four-year college
degree by the time they turn 25.
"That's something we can't let go unchallenged," he said. "We
wanted to remove real and perceived barriers, so we said let's just
say the first two years of college are free. We wanted to create
hope."
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman touted the program in his
inauguration speech Tuesday, saying he hoped it would help boost
the graduation rates for minority kids.
Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune
Last update: January 03, 2006 – 11:55 PM
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