Policy No.: 6010 Board Approved: March 16, 2004 Revised: April 21, 2020
Opportunity Fund Policy
A college-sponsored Opportunity Fund, not to exceed 1% of the projected credit tuition revenue, shall be allocated for scholarships each fiscal year. Funding for these scholarships will be allocated from the general operating funds at the discretion of the Dean of Students. The amount of Opportunity Fund awarded will vary per student; in no cases will the scholarship cover full tuition, fee, and course materials cost. PURPOSE / OVERVIEW: The purpose of the Opportunity Fund is to provide financial assistance to students who normally would not qualify for funding to match their financial needs, as determined by governmental bodies and private foundations. Institutional “opportunity scholarships” would provide HCC the flexibility to offer assistance to motivated degree, certificate, and letter seeking credit students and to non-credit students in workforce licensure programs who demonstrate a need for financial assistance to attend and complete college. The fund would help more students enroll and complete at HCC by providing timely and adequate financial assistance for tuition, fees, and course materials available for purchase in the Campus Store. Recipients will receive guidance from college staff on how to maximize eligibility for future financial aid and how to strategically plan for college expenses, with the intent of limiting repeat Opportunity Fund recipients and funding more individual students. Private and public four-year liberal arts institutions, as well as many community colleges, have a long history of awarding institutional scholarships on an individual basis, spanning both need and merit. HCC recruitment staff could be even more successful if they had available this kindof recruitment tool to address individual financial challenges, especially among a large group of “middle class” students who have fewer options in securing college financial assistance. Here are some examples of students who would be targeted to receive an Opportunity Fund Scholarship: • Degree-seeking students who would like to attend on a full-time basis but can onlyafford part-time enrollment. • Out-of-state low-income students who cannot afford to attend even though theyqualify for a Pell grant. • Middle income students living paycheck to paycheck, who do not qualify for financial assistance. • Students with interest and academic competence in program majors identified bythe College for promotion. • Low and middle-income students seeking to complete non-credit workforce licensure programs who are not eligible for non-credit financial assistance and who do not have disposable income.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs