“Rockford Promise helps City of Rockford Government increase property values, decrease crime and strengthen our economy.”
That’s from a recent Facebook post by Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.
There’s a lot to like about the scholarship program and I encourage you to read about it in the Rockford Register Star this weekend. I wrote a column that will be posted this weekend and will appear in print Sunday.
Rockford Promise works with Rock Valley College, Northern Illinois University and Rockford University and has grown to 182 full-tuition scholarships. That’s a good number that could be better with increased funding. One-hundred-fifty-one of those who earned scholarships plan to attend NIU. That’s possible because the city of Rockford uses a portion of its casino revenues to contribute $1.5 million annually to Rockford Promise.
There are plenty of students who would like to go to RVC or Rockford University, but Rockford Promise doesn’t have enough money to meet the demand. That’s where you come in. Got to rockfordpromise.org for details.
It’s not just about four-year degrees. RVC students can earn certificates that qualify them for jobs that don’t require college degrees.
There’s a lot more about the program in this weekend’s column. One of the things I didn’t mention is that Rockford Promise might be motivating students to get better grades.
There has been a 2 percent increase in students with a weighted GPA of 3.0 or better since 2019. There are other factors in play, but the idea of free college tuition is a powerful motivator.
Rockford Promise scholarships are earned. Students need to have a 3.0 or better grade point. Once they are in a college, they need to maintain good grades if they want to keep their scholarships.
Thank you to Kaylene Groh, executive director of Rockford Promise; Cole Bathje, advancement manager of Rockford Promise; RPS Superintendent Ehren Jarrett and Jeffrey Lowary, Data Research Manager at RPS, for providing me information and being patient with me as I was writing.
