Economic Diversity Reward

I came across this interesting article as part of the NYTimes and thought it tied in to our discussions regarding access and financial aid.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/upshot/07up-leonhardt.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0

A prize to the college that graduates and enrolls the most low income-high achievers. So while there is still a limit to access for students that are perhaps not as stellar by some admissions standards, there is an opportunity to really enhance educational opportunities for students that may not have had access in the past.

Vassar College was the first recipient. "Almost one in four Vassar students have family incomes low enough to qualify for federal Pell Grants." The President of Vassar is someone I think we could all take notes from, she has a background of researching economic diversity in higher education, devoted more money to financial aid then to building fancy new buildings, and she pushed her staff to recruit more low-income students. That's a pretty cool thing for a President to focus on, especially in an age where fancier buildings and money seem to be a bigger priority.

And what will they do with the $1 Million dollar prize money - devote some to orientation opportunities that are helpful to the college transition, increase scholarships for immigrants who aren't eligible for financial aid, and finance internships for low-income students.

What do you think about this prize that the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is offering annually?

PS - Apparently you can only win the prize money once.