From the WashACE blog this week… “Getting into one of Washington’s public universities takes a good deal of scholastic elbow grease, and, these days, a small fortune. However, an ambitious public-private scholarship program funded by Microsoft and Boeing, with matching taxpayer dollars, is giving students who focus on science, technology, engineering and math a better shot at a four-year degree. The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship provides up to $17,000 over a recipient’s four-year school experience. Boeing and Microsoft are each pitching in $25 million to kick-start the program which launched in 2011. Ultimately, the goal is to raise $1 billion for the scholarship fund by 2020, with half coming from private-sector benefactors like Microsoft, Boeing and other employers in Washington state…In our current state budget environment, a higher-ed scholarship program of this magnitude would be nearly unachievable without the generous support of private-sector employers. Our graduation caps are off to each of them!”
Get more at washace.com.