By Taylor Boyd
A new initiative in an adjacent locality is helping to underscore the need for the Patrick County Promise Program, which was developed by the Patrick County Education Foundation (PCEF) three years ago.
The Harvest Foundation recently announced a $10.3 million, 13-year grant to the Student Excellence in Education (SEED) Fund, which gives every current K-12 student in Martinsville and Henry County the opportunity to attend Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) for free.
Because the foundation is limited by federal guidelines, Patrick students, and those in other localities, are not included.
Dr. Greg Hodges, president of P&HCC, said the announcement has prompted a renewed interest in the Patrick County Promise Program, which would provide eligible Patrick students with paid tuition, textbooks, and fees, along with the option of attending P&HCC for up to two and a half years for free.
“I think all of us understand there is a growing number of students for whom their families make a bit too much to qualify for full financial aid, but they’re not in a position where they can afford to come to college with no funding,” said Hodges, who also is the executive director of the PCEF.
He explained the Promise program would invest in students who are in what he describes as a ‘catch-22 situation’ – those who are ineligible to receive financial aid because they come from a home that makes just above the poverty level.
Being in that position “does not mean that your family can afford the $5,000 a year to come to a community college, or the double or triple of that to go to a four-year development,” Hodges said.
The ability to transition students into a community college, training program, or transfer program would be a returned investment to the community, he said, adding that is because an educated, skilled and trained workforce “enhances economic development, it enhances job skills, it enhances the overall regional attractiveness to land new business and industries into the region.”
When the program was developed, Hodges said it was believed a $2 million endowment would be needed to provide $200,000 per year to Patrick students. Based on the current enrollment rates and other factors, he estimated the amount needed for Patrick students has decreased to $125,000 per year.
Hodges said other factors include “the percentage of Patrick County students who are going to Patrick & Henry now with no resources needed, in other words it’s free to the family, is continuing to grow each year, which means we actually need less for the Patrick Promise,” Hodges said.
He estimated that nearly 48 percent of Patrick students currently attend P&HCC with no financial barrier at all due to the federal financial aid and many scholarships offered.
“Nearly one out of two are able to come to our institution not needing any other financial resources. We know the resources we’re providing” are helping, he added.
The Promise program currently has about $7,000, he said.Donations to the Patrick Promise Program can be made at https://patrickhenryfoundation.com and clicking the “donate now” at the top of the page. Then go down to Designated Gifts and select “PCEF-Patrick County Promise” in the menu.