Hammond, IN Scholarship Program

Type: Program

Status: Ongoing

Source File: http://collegebound.gohammond.com/index.php

Description:

Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, the City of Hammond, and the Hammond Common Council are proud to present the new College Bound Scholarship program.

The College Bound Scholarship program represents a phenomenal opportunity for the City and its residents and continued positive change for Hammond.

By offering a “full-ride” college scholarship to its high school graduates, Hammond will become the first city in the nation to invest public dollars in raising the level, importance and performance of its student population, and in the process secure the community’s bright future.

Further, it demonstrates the desire and commitment of the City to take the bold steps necessary to achieve its objective of making Hammond a desirable and attractive community in which to live and invest.

Goals
College Bound focuses on achieving three goals:

• Increase home ownership
• Make education a priority
• Improve the quality of life within the City

Home ownership creates stability, investment and pride in one’s community. Because of that stability, crime rates are lowered, the community becomes more attractive for new economic development and the appearance/condition of property improves as owners seek to protect their largest investment. Home owners also are more apt to become active members of the community, in part due to the pride and long-term commitment owner-occupants have towards the community in which they reside.

As Hammond seeks future quality development and investment, it must demonstrate that it is bringing about new focus and success in education. College Bound will inspire and reward student hard work and dedication with a college degree that can lead to a lifetime of opportunity, learning and higher wages. In order to prepare a larger cross-section of Hammond students for college, the City’s public and private schools will need to restructure and refocus educational efforts resulting in enhanced performance in the classroom, improved test scores and graduates who are ready for the rigorous challenges of a college education. As the scholarship initiative generates new interest in obtaining an education, it will attract and retain the best and brightest to stay and learn in Hammond. Long-term, the scholarship may even result in increasing the City’s college educated population to be more proportionate with the national average, a demographic that can bring about an array of new employment opportunities in cutting edge technologies and industry.

Increased home ownership and a concerted focus on education will undoubtedly result in an improved quality of life for Hammond residents. In fact, when coupled with the other ongoing efforts, the City’s comprehensive efforts will transform Hammond into a model community for others to emulate.

Scholarship Overview
Given the potential benefit to students and the community, it is proposed that the scholarship be awarded to eligible students beginning with the graduating class of 2006. Students graduating prior to this date will not be awarded the College Bound scholarship even if that student meets all other eligibility criteria.

The objective of the College Bound scholarship program is to provide up to 100% tuition for eligible students. The initial value of the College Bound scholarship will equal the cost of 30 credit hours (per year) of tuition at Indiana University, Bloomington. Since the cost of tuition and number of participants may increase, and the amount of funding available could fluctuate, the City will establish the exact monetary value by June 1st annually for that year’s graduating class. The annualized value shall also be used to determine the amount of award for those schools on a trimester or quarter basis of study.

The scholarship is renewable (subject to compliance with the program’s continuing eligibility) for up to four consecutive years. The College Bound Program will issue an annual report, available through the City’s web site, listing the names of all scholarship recipients, the schools attended and the amounts received.

What the Scholarship Covers
The scholarship shall apply only to tuition and college fees, including laboratory, student activity and registration fees. It may not be applied towards the cost of books, transportation, housing, uniforms or other costs.

College Bound is secondary to all other scholarships and financial aid. The actual award made to a recipient shall be offset by all other awards, scholarships and financial aid received by the student (that applies towards the cost of tuition and fees). Student loans shall not be counted in determining the award amount.

Payment of Eligible Expenses
All payments and dispersals will be made directly to an approved university or college. Payment will be made in a timely basis and within no more than 30 days from the beginning of a semester, trimester or quarter. No payment shall be made to any recipient.