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| PROMISE scholar Knute Scholl, a mechanical engineering major from Madison, enjoys a pepperoni roll with Governor Bob Wise during a reception honoring WVU's 1,300 PROMISE students. Scholl applied to two out-of-state schools, but credits PROMISE for keeping him in the Mountain State. Wise, who spearheaded the creation of the program, said retaining West Virginia students was a critical goal of PROMISE, citing the state's declining high school enrollment coupled with a low college-going rate. |
Freshman Nai Ying Chao, a graduate of Robert C. Byrd High School, was seriously considering attending the University of Maryland, but changed her mind after the state introduced the PROMISE Scholarship Program last year.
Knute Scholl, a mechanical engineering major from Madison, also applied to two out-of-state schools, but credits PROMISE for keeping him in the Mountain State.
The
valedictorian of Iaeger High School, Robert Mitchem, said he
always intended to come to WVU, but receiving the PROMISE award
made it financially feasible.
This is just a small sampling of West Virginia University's record freshman class—some 4,000 strong, with nearly 1,300 attending WVU on the PROMISE award that provides free in-state tuition, regardless of family income, to high school students who earn a 3.0 grade point average and a composite score of 21 on the ACT college entrance exam.
"I'm proud to be among the first recipients of the PROMISE Scholarship," said Chao. "It especially encouraged me to stay in the state and motivated me to take another look at WVU. The University has an excellent pre-pharmacy program, and now my family can use the funds we're saving to put me through pharmacy school."
Mitchem
said he worked hard in high school so that he could get scholarship
aid to attend WVU's College of Human Resources and Education,
which he called "the best in the state." When PROMISE
was introduced, he was overjoyed. "This is where I always
wanted to come," said the secondary education major who
plans to teach math, "but I knew I had to get some financial
assistance. The PROMISE Scholarship made it possible for me to
get here without taking out a lot of loans."
Scholl called the scholarship "the determining factor" when it came down to making a choice between Florida State, Virginia Tech, and WVU. "Of course, I've always loved WVU, so it wasn't a difficult choice," he added, "but it was the deal breaker. What PROMISE also does," Scholl noted, "is motivate students to maintain good grades."
WVU officials are also reminding students of this goal. "Make no mistake: PROMISE rewards students for working hard and being successful, but they will also have to continue to demonstrate superior grades to keep their scholarship," said WVU President David C. Hardesty, who along with Governor Bob Wise and PROMISE Executive Director Robert Morgenstern, hosted a campus reception for WVU's freshman scholars.
Students must maintain a 2.75 grade point average during their freshman year, Morgenstern noted, and a B average in subsequent years to maintain the award.
Nearly 3,500 high school graduates are attending West Virginia's colleges and universities on PROMISE Scholarships this year. In fact, the nearly 1,300 attending WVU make up more than a third of all those in the state—and helped the University set a record enrollment this fall with 23,492 students and the largest freshman class ever.
While talking with WVU's PROMISE scholars, President Hardesty recently made them this promise: "We will provide you with the outstanding faculty, supportive programs, and educational resources that you need to succeed. You have the ability to achieve greatness, and we will do everything we can to help you reach that goal."
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Whitney Holmes, a journalism major from Nutter Fort, said she worked hard in high school so she could get college scholarships, but the PROMISE was the most substantial. "It's a huge motivation to attend an in-state school . . . and to work hard to keep it. I have to study five times harder than I did in high school, but the scholarship motivates me to do that," she said. |
Governor Wise, who spearheaded the creation of the program, told the freshmen that "retaining West Virginia students was a critical goal of the program," citing the state's declining high school enrollment coupled with a low college-going rate. He also promised to work hard for them so that job opportunities are available once they graduate.
Calling them the "PROMISE pioneers," the Governor noted, "People ask me all the time, 'What is the best economic development tool the state has going?' I tell them the PROMISE Scholarship Program is one of them."
Morgenstern agreed: "We met the first test of PROMISE—keeping our best and brightest in the state. Now, we have another challenge in front of us. For students, it is fulfilling your requirements and graduating in four years. For the state, it's providing opportunities to keep you here after you graduate."
Brenda Thompson, assistant vice president for enrollment services at WVU, said the University's PROMISE scholars bring an average high school GPA of 3.74 and a cumulative ACT score of 24.7 to the University. "It's a very academic-minded group," she said.
Laura Gronell, a graduate of Wheeling Park High School and an exercise physiology major, said she plans to return to her high school to tell students what an "awesome opportunity" PROMISE presents. "This award is something high school students should strive for," she said; "I plan to tell them if they work hard, most will be able to maintain a 3.0 GPA and obtain good test scores."
Professor Jack Byrd, who teaches industrial engineering to freshmen, said he views the PROMISE Scholarship Program as a critical investment in building the new economy of West Virginia. "These students are our future," he said, "and I know from talking to them that many would have gone elsewhere to college if these scholarships were not available. Some had their choice of universities to attend, yet decided to stay in-state."
Byrd said he has witnessed a "higher level of seriousness" in this year's PROMISE students than from previous freshman classes. "They are taking advantage of learning centers and other academic support services, and their performance on assignments in my class is well beyond expectation," Byrd noted. "Furthermore, they are elevating the level of performance of other students in my class."
Governor Wise also noticed this studious
trend on his visit to campus. "As I was coming in tonight
(for the reception), a student stopped me on his way out and
said 'I'm a PROMISE scholar, Governor, and I just wanted to stop
by and thank you for this great program. However, I can't stay.
I've got a big test tomorrow and need to study.' I think that
speaks well for our PROMISE students, don't you?"