DALLAS — Dallas Independent School District students participating in the Education is Freedom (EIF) program got a big boost March 11 when the University of North Texas UNT Dallas and EIF announced plans to offer $2.5 million in scholarships at the future UNT Dallas.
The financial aid program comes at a critical time as money for college continues to tighten. Any student who successfully completes EIF’s rigorous program and meets the admission requirements of UNT Dallas will be eligible for the scholarship funds. The funds will include assistance for tuition, fees and other costs from 2010 to 2015.
“This is great news for Dallas ISD students involved with EIF,” said David Biegler, EIF’s chairman of the board. “For many urban youth, going away to college isn’t a viable option because scholarships typically cover tuition and fees only, but not room, board and living expenses. For Dallas ISD students to be able to live at home and still get a terrific education at our city’s only public four-year institution will be truly impactful.”
“Education is Freedom and the University of North Texas at Dallas share a common goal — that of educating the young people of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the larger North Texas region,” said Vice Chancellor John Ellis Price, president designate of the future university. “Now, as we partner together to help raise scholarship funds toward this effort, we will share a common task. This partnership will help us develop a culture of education in Dallas and a belief in the transformative power of education, and this investment will pay substantial dividends in the future as we seek to raise the high school graduation and college-going rates in our region.”
“This partnership is critically important because it removes many of the barriers that keep kids from attending college,” said State Senator Royce West, an EIF Board Member. “It’s a beneficial union for both groups — EIF students will have exposure and access to a four-year college program, and UNT Dallas will see an enrollment boost from quality young people who’ve spent years preparing to succeed in college.”
Education is Freedom is a nonprofit organization created to eliminate the barriers to higher education and promote equality of opportunity in college attendance. The program prepares middle and high school students for college by requiring that they maintain a strong grade point average, participate in Advanced Placement courses, minimize absences and participate in other preparatory activities. In return, students receive guidance, mentoring and help finding scholarships and financial support for their college careers.
Currently, the DISD offers an EIF model at three high schools — W.H. Adamson, North Dallas and James Madison High Schools — but plans to expand to eight schools in the next several years. Recognizing that the earlier the “college seed” is planted in the minds of students, the more likely they are to stay in school, graduate and go on to college, EIF and DISD officials have launched the drop-out prevention/college-readiness programs in two middle schools — Billy E. Dade and Thomas A. Edison Middle Schools.
UNT UNT Dallas and EIF officials have committed to work together to raise the funding for the scholarship program. To make a donation, please contact Joe Breshears, UNT UNT Dallas executive director of development, at (972) 780-3617 or joe.breshears@unt.edu. For more information about the EIF program, contact Marti Howe, executive vice president of EIF, at (214)432-8355 or mhowe@educationisfreedom.org.
The UNT UNT Dallas operates under the authority of the University of North Texas in Denton, the state’s fourth largest university, and is a component institution of the University of North Texas System. The Campus currently offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The Campus plans to become freestanding by 2010 and will be named UNT Dallas, the city’s first and only public university.
For More Information:
Gregory Tomlin
Director of Marketing, News and Information
(972) 780-3615
(817) 798-9260 (Cell)
greg.tomlin@unt.edu