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Delta Kappa Gamma International, a professional honor society for women educators, will award education major scholarships. Omega Chapter, the local chapter, will present scholarships to college junior or senior women majoring in education who meet criteria. Omega Chapter has awarded scholarships for the past four years to candidates who graduated from high school in Annawan, Cambridge,?Galva, Geneseo,?Kewanee, Orion or Toulon. The minimum of each scholarship is $1,000 for those who qualify. Scholarships will be awarded in May. Junior honorees may apply again as seniors. The deadline submission for scholarship applications is April 1. For more information, contact a high school guidance counselor or Norma Good at (309) 852-0115.

By Kristina Torres and Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia’s newest public scholarship was intended to benefit all of the state’s best and brightest college-bound students. At least that was the plan when Gov. Nathan Deal created the Zell Miller Scholarship last year.

Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.com Georgia State University students walk out of the General Classroom Building in the courtyard of the Georgia State University campus Monday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., February 13, 2012. Georgia State is one of the state’s most diverse and respected campuses. About 1/3 of students are the first in their family to go to college and about 1/2 qualify for a federal grant program for students from low income homes. Yet only 1% of GSU students receive a Zell Miller scholarship.

Election 2012: Across the nation

Instead, it favors those students who live in Atlanta’s affluent suburbs.

Those most likely to afford college without the state’s financial help are benefiting the most from the full-tuition scholarship, while students from low-income homes and the first in their families to attend college are least likely to get it, according to an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

An investigation of enrollment, eligibility and scholarship data obtained by the AJC through the state’s Open Records Act also found:

? Schools in the five most populous metro Atlanta counties — Cobb, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton and Gwinnett — graduated almost half of the students eligible for the Zell Miller award. The proportion tipped beyond when a smaller metro county, Forsyth, was added, even though those six counties account for just one-third of the state’s high school seniors.

? Metro Atlanta students from seven ZIP codes, including those for Alpharetta, Marietta and Lawrenceville, received a total of $8 million in Zell Miller Scholarships. That’s about 15 percent of the money in the program awarded by mid-January. The average award for ZIP codes was $75,566, with some receiving far less.

? All of the 15 high schools graduating the most Zell Miller scholars are within about 45 miles of Atlanta.

Deal defends the scholarship. His spokesman, Brian Robinson, said the governor “will climb any mountain, swim any river, cross any desert when it comes to finding ways to give every hardworking student a chance to go to college.”

Others question the way the scholarships are being given. During debate over the new program some critics argued it would benefit only a small number of the state’s students even though it is funded by the Georgia Lottery through tickets sold statewide.

The Zell Miller award pays all tuition for the state’s highest-achieving students. Lawmakers created it to counter the diminished payouts of Georgia’s popular HOPE scholarship, which is available to more students but pays less toward tuition.

Zell Miller scholars must graduate high school as the valedictorian or salutatorian, or with at least a 3.7 grade-point average and a 1200 on the SAT’s math and reading sections. While in college they must maintain a 3.3 GPA. HOPE scholars must maintain a 3.0. So far, 11,600 Zell Miller scholars receive payments through the program.

Some experts said the distribution of Zell Miller Scholarships was predictable, given that metro Atlanta boasts the state’s top high schools and the most affluent communities.

“I think this is somewhat expected, but going forward it raises policy implications,” said Alan Essig, executive director of the nonpartisan Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, which has suggested changes to the program. “How much of the limited lottery funds should go to the wealthiest families in the state? What we have are middle- and upper-class entitlements.”

Robinson said the scholarship exists today because of the bipartisan support for last year’s legislation. While some may say the governor was choosing between HOPE reform or status quo, Robinson said the choice was between reform and bankruptcy. The solution, he said, “created a merit-based system that treats all Georgia students equally — everybody plays by the same rules.”

“For the sake of the entire state, we need to incentivize our best and brightest to stay here for college,” Robinson said. “If they leave, they don’t come back, and those minds are crucial to our economic development. Why should taxpayers pay for a genius student’s k-12 education and then export that resource to Boston, Charlottesville or Chicago? That makes no sense for Georgia.”

Democrats, however, have said the state is more likely to benefit from helping students from all corners of the state. The Zell Miller Scholarship, they said, would be better spent on promising students who could not otherwise afford college — even if that meant changing the academic requirements.

Robinson rejected that idea. “HOPE is not entitlement for anyone. HOPE is earned,” he said. “In fact, it is detractors of the current law that want to create an entitlement.”

Deal has said it is imperative for the state to have a more college-educated workforce. About 40 percent of Georgians have a college degree, but studies show the state will need to reach 60 percent by 2020 to meet workforce needs. Deal said last year he wanted the Zell Miller program to be “distinctly Georgian” and a “point of pride for every resident of our great state.”

Georgia Tech sophomore Graham Goldberg is a Zell Miller scholar and received another scholarship from the college. The Dunwoody native expects to graduate debt-free and may even have left some of the college savings his parents set aside for him. While the average high school identified 18 students eligible for Zell Miller, Goldberg’s alma mater — Dunwoody High School — had 161.

“I don’t think it’s fair that I get the same scholarship as someone whose family makes less money,” Goldberg said. “But knowing I would get this money helped me decide to come here.”

About 20 percent of the students at Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia are Zell Miller scholars. Yet only 1 percent of Georgia State’s students are. The three schools are all research institutions, a designation that allows them to attract the most accomplished students.

But Georgia State enrolls more low-income students who are the first in their families to attend college. For example, more than half of the students at Georgia State are eligible for Pell Grants, a federal program to help students whose families earn less than $35,000 a year. Only about a quarter of students at Georgia Tech and UGA are eligible for the same grants.

Tim Renick, associate provost for academic programs at Georgia State, said his campus emphasizes high school transcripts over SAT scores. He said the SAT is a better predictor of home ZIP code than it is of college success.

“If Georgia is to move the dial it will be through the type of student Georgia State works with and not the privileged, upper students who will be well taken care of at any college,” Renick said. “HOPE has been great for our students, and if the state wants to continue that success they will target these students,” including with the Zell Miller Scholarship.

Then-Gov. Zell Miller created the HOPE scholarship program in 1993 to keep Georgia’s top high school graduates from leaving the state. If students graduated high school with a 3.0 GPA and maintained that mark in college, they received a full-tuition scholarship at one of Georgia’s public colleges.

Miller and lawmakers launched the state lottery to pay for HOPE, among other education programs. It has become one of the nation’s most generous merit-based scholarships and a model for other states. But while the lottery is one of the most successful in the nation, it cannot keep up with the demand of rising enrollment and tuition costs.

Deal and lawmakers last year reduced HOPE award payouts and implemented other changes to keep the program from going broke. At the same time, Deal created the Zell Miller award, which is paid for through the same pool of lottery revenue.

Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton, said it’s not surprising that metro Atlanta dominates the Zell Miller awards, but it is worrisome.

“I would say that’s an indictment — and I’m saying this as a non-metro person — on those of us outside the metro area, that we have failed in our public education system to qualify enough people,” Bethel said. “That’s not a reflection on the scholarship program. That’s a reflection on the state. We need to do a better job across the state in educating our children.”

Lindsay Gribble will attend Georgia Southern in the fall, and while she is on target to graduate with a 4.0 GPA from North Murray High in Chatsworth, near Dalton, she may not get a Zell Miller Scholarship. She’s not good at standardized tests and is struggling to reach the required 1200 SAT score on the reading and math sections.

She will still get a HOPE scholarship, but that won’t pay all her tuition — plus, the HOPE award amount is projected to drop almost every year she’s in college. The Zell Miller Scholarship guarantees full tuition payments even if tuition goes up.

“Other people can pay to have someone come to their house and teach them the ins and outs of the SAT so they can get a higher score,” Gribble said. “My friends and I can’t do that.”

Concerns about the Zell Miller program come as lawmakers and policy analysts are rethinking state scholarship programs.

The institute Essig leads proposed this month that students whose families make more than $100,000 receive a reduced Zell Miller Scholarship, one that covers just 70 percent of tuition. The think tank, which released a report calling for several changes to lottery-funded education programs, wrote that a reduced Zell Miller award would still give elite students a strong incentive to remain in state while providing resources to students who need the most help financially.

Representatives from rural Georgia said they were troubled by how few of their students received the scholarship. Sen. George Hooks, D-Americus, said residents of Dooley, Macon and Quitman counties spent nearly $15 million on lottery tickets in 2010, but that local high schools typically saw only two or three students receive the Zell Miller award.

“When I look over the data of the counties I represent in rural Georgia, we get very little back from the Georgia Lottery,” Hooks said. “The poorer areas are buying disproportionate amounts of lottery tickets and getting very little in return.”

Bethel, however, said that happens every day across the Georgia. “I guarantee you a disproportionate amount of income tax is collected [in metro Atlanta] and it’s being shipped out to other parts of the state. That’s how tax systems and government programs work. It’s never always spent where it’s collected.”

Robinson said every community’s high achievers can get Zell Miller awards. As part of negotiations with rural lawmakers last year, the plan was amended so every valedictorian and salutatorian in Georgia would automatically be eligible for the award.

Deal two weeks ago unveiled an alternative to address concerns about college affordability for low-income students and the rising cost of college: The privately funded REACH Scholarship.

Middle school students will be paired with mentors and receive other support to help them graduate from high school. If the students maintain good grades and stay out of trouble they will receive annual tuition scholarships of $2,500 for up to four years.

The program will start small, with just 25 students from Bulloch, Douglas and Rabun counties. AT&T donated $250,000 to support the first scholars. Deal has encouraged other donors to fund the program. The first scholarships won’t be awarded until 2017.

In the meantime, Georgia has the opportunity to change the HOPE program so the state advances educationally and economically, Essig said. He doubted lawmakers will tackle this issue now but hoped they would next year after elections.

“We need to ask what is the best for Georgia.”

Georgia’s new scholarship: Top 5 counties

Five metro Atlanta counties accounted for nearly half of Zell Miller scholars, even though they have a smaller proportion of Georgia’s ?high school seniors.

Fulton: 3,370 Zell Miller scholars, 12.5% of total

Gwinnett: 3,181 Zell Miller scholars, 11.8% of total

Cobb: 3,169 Zell Miller scholars, 11.8% of total

DeKalb: 1,800 Zell Miller scholars, 6.7% of total

Fayette: 1,150 Zell Miller scholars, 4.3% of total

Source: Georgia Student Finance Commission

Note: Percentages are rounded

Unmatched coverage

Our experienced education and state government reporters analyzed reams of data while talking with students, lawmakers, university officials and experts to reveal for the first time where Zell Miller Scholarship money goes. It’s the kind of in-depth coverage you’ll only get in the AJC.

How we got the story:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writers Kristina Torres and Laura Diamond requested and analyzed admissions, eligibility and enrollment data from multiple state agencies, including the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which administers the Zell Miller Scholarship. They interviewed students both in and outside metro Atlanta, as well as lawmakers, university officials and policy experts to reveal for the first time where the scholarship money went. It’s coverage you will only get in the AJC.

Fifteen people were indicted Friday on charges they took out federal student loans to attend college for people who never intended to go to college.

The defendants were charged with mail fraud, wire fraud and financial aid fraud, according to the indictment from the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, Charleston Division.

More detailed information on those indicted was not available from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Secor could not be reached for comment.

But the indictment states that beginning in 2006, some of the people helped others take out student loans to attend online programs at the University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University and Capella University.

Student loans are to be used for tuition, fees and educational expenses. Loan checks go directly to the schools, which in turn deduct tuition and fees. The schools then pass on the balances to students.

But the 15 people indicted caused loans and grants in excess of $400,000 to be distributed to individuals who were not eligible to receive them.

Balance checks ranging from $219 to $4,703 were mailed to undisclosed addresses in North Charleston, Walterboro, Green Pond, Ruffin, Fairfax, Yemassee and Cottageville.

There’s never been any question that Marlo Gohla, a 17-year-old senior at Appleton North High School, would go to college.

“I have a big family on both sides and a lot of my older cousins, they’ve studied abroad, they’ve attended college, and it’s just something that I always knew was for me,” she said.

Her journey through high school, and that of many of her college-bound peers, has included college prep courses and the ACT test. College visits were followed by the writing of essays aimed at gaining admittance to the schools on her short list.

Marlo also has had an eye on saving money — a habit instilled in her by her parents — working three jobs over the past two years.

“And now it’s the financial aid,” she said. “It’s just a whirlwind.”

Indeed. For high school seniors seeking financial aid and scholarships for college, it’s go time.

To that end, we’ve asked Fox Valley experts to share their input on what needs to be done now to secure money for school.

Leaving the nest

High school seniors should have applied by now to their colleges of choice. That’s required in order for financial aid offices at a college to evaluate their financial aid needs.

“We can’t process every application so we only process the students that have applied and been accepted,” explained Tina Koch, senior academic adviser at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley.

Marlo’s list of possible post-secondary schools — four of which she’s already been accepted to — includes the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, Madison Area Technical College and UW-Fox Valley. Her top choices, however, are in the Windy City.

Although a student financially may not be able to afford their first college of choice, Therese Helein, Marlo’s counselor at Appleton North, said there are resources available so nearly any student can attend college. “Financial aid can be made up of a variety of factors including grants, scholarships, work on campus and loans, and often it’s a combination,” she said.

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“We try and the government tries to find ways to help just about anyone pursue higher education,” said Stacy Doran, director of financial services at Fox Valley Technical College in Grand Chute.

Filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application is priority No. 1 in seeking financial aid. If you’re looking for insights on how it works or tips on filling out the application, a FAFSA Completion Information Session will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Appleton Public Library in downtown Appleton. College access advisor Nicole Martinez with the Great Lakes Higher Education Corp. will be the presenter.

So what’s a FAFSA?

After sending applications to college choices, the first and most important step for students and parents is to fill out and submit the FAFSA to those colleges they are interested in attending. It’s important to note there also are a variety of private sources for financial aid including local organizations, employers, foundations and corporations.

A FAFSA, which is required whether a student plans to attend a public or private college or university or a technical college, is used to determine the expected family contribution as well as a student’s financial need.

Financial aid comes in a number of forms:

» Grants and scholarships, which do not require repayment

» Loans, which may be offered to students and parents at low interest rates and usually are repaid after a student leaves school

» Work study, an award-based opportunity for part-time employment used to pay tuition, room, meals or other fees during the academic year.

“FAFSA is the No. 1 way for students to get money to finance their college education,” Koch said. “By completing one application it lets them know if they’re eligible for grants, what kind to loans and if they may actually have the possibility of getting a work study job on campus, which is a great way to get professional experience and work while you’re taking classes.”

While nearly all programs at public and private four-year institutions will be eligible for financial aid, certain programs at a technical college — say a program only six to nine months in length — may not be.

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“A technical college is going to be quite different than a four-year institution where 99 percent of the things are going to be eligible for financial aid,” Doran said, adding that technical school applicants also must identify a program of study that later can be changed, if desired, to be eligible to receive aid.

In recent years, the FAFSA form has been streamlined.

“Each year they have made improvements to the FAFSA form to make it very user-friendly,” Koch said. “I know last year I completed it with my daughter in about a half hour. And now this year, many campuses are piloting for Internal Revenue System retrieval.

“If you file your taxes electronically, or even manually, if you wait about two weeks then you can go in and click on the IRS retrieval, which will retrieve your information and load your FAFSA for you,” Koch said.

It’s called the IRS Tax Pull, which allows FAFSA filers to pull information directly from the IRS. “So it’s the Department of Revenue talking to the Department of Education basically,” Doran said.

“Even if when they initially do the FAFSA and haven’t transferred the IRS data, we strongly encourage that once their taxes are done, they go back in, access the FAFSA and then transfer the data in,” said Lawrence University financial aid director Sara Beth Holman, adding that information garnered from the tax pull also is less likely to be flagged for verification.

Marlo submitted her FAFSA Jan. 3.

“The key to the FAFSA is you need to do it as soon as possible; it’s not something that you want to wait on,” she said. So I did it as soon as I could. And you want to take your time filling it out because it’s dealing with money and taxes.”

Then the waiting game begins, Marlo said.

“And once they get back to you, you have to contact each individual school you want to attend and see what they will offer you, and I didn’t know that. I had no idea. That is where Mrs. Helein helped me with that aspect.”

April 1 is the deadline for high school seniors to have their FAFSA submitted.

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Koch advises students to go on the websites of their chosen schools to look at their financial aid information.

“Each school does financial just slightly different and has different priority dates,” she said. “So it’s important to check the priority dates for submitting the information.”

‘Private’ not a dirty word

Private schools typically award a pretty significant amount of institutional aid whether it’s need-based or merit-based. And while a private school may not work for everyone, for many students they do, Holman said.

At Lawrence, 93 percent of students receive financial aid, and the average need-based financial aid is $29,500. At St. Norbert College in De Pere, 97 percent of students receive financial aid, including loans and work. The average financial aid award per recipient there is $23,686.

Hunting for scholarship money

Marlo’s main focus right now is to obtain financial aid.

“I don’t want to bank on a scholarship,” she said.

Once she has the aid in hand she’ll start researching scholarship money.

“My best piece of advice is make friends with your high school guidance counselor,” Koch said. “And listen to morning announcements. … And oftentimes there’s either a binder or now a website that will list all the scholarships in the local community.

“I know my daughter got a $1,000 scholarship just by listening to the announcements and going down to the office and signing up for it.”

“There are a lot of options for students,” said Jill Muthig, scholarship and fund administrator at the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, which awarded 276 students with scholarships totally more than $700,000 in 2011. Some of the scholarships are a one-time payment to the recipient’s school while others are renewable for up to four years. And the majority of the scholarships go to high school seniors.

“Scholarship funds are set up at the Community Foundation by individuals and corporations, clubs or organizations that wish to help young people further their education,” Muthig said.

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Applications for those scholarships last year totaled about 750 from students at 74 different high schools. But those numbers do not include applications submitted for these scholarships through outside organizations or a school’s guidance department, Muthig said.

Students should look on the website of the college they hope to attend to see if there’s additional scholarship money available.

“The only mistake you can make is not applying,” Koch said, warning students and parents also to watch out for scams. “The rule of thumb is if people ask you for money to get money, it’s a scam.”

COST SAMPLERHere’s a sampling of full-time undergraduate fees per year for Wisconsin residents (includes tuition, fees and room and board), based on this year’s numbers. Does not include books, supplies and other costs.

University of Wisconsin SystemUW-Green Bay: $12,982UW-La Crosse: $14,070UW-Madison: $17,389UW-Milwaukee: $16,857UW-Oshkosh: $13,123UW-Stevens Point: $13,012UW-Fox Valley: $4,775 (tuition only)

Private schools

Lawrence University: $46,371; average financial aid award is $29,500St. Norbert College: $36,908; average financial aid award is $23,686

Technical Colleges

Fox Valley Technical College: Tuition, not including other fees, is based on the number of credits a student registers for. For the 2011-12 year, Wisconsin residents paid about $128 per credit ($138 online) for associate and technical diploma classes.

BEST FOR THE MONEY

Three schools in the University of Wisconsin System again scored high in Kiplinger’s report on the best college deals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison placed No. 13 (in-state) and No. 11 (out-of-state) in Kiplinger’s latest Top 100 public colleges list that factors in academics, price and available financial aid. Also making the list were UW- La Crosse at No. 62 (in-state) and No. 52 (out-of-state) and UW-Eau Claire at No. 82 in-state and No. 85 (out-of-state)

FAFSA FILING HELP

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Nicole Martinez, college access adviser with Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, will facilitate a FAFSA completion information session at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Appleton Public Library, 225 N. Oneida St., Appleton.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Applying for scholarships is another big part of the financial aid process. There are a bevy of scholarships out there, some large, some small. Some are based on academic merit. Some are based on financial need. Some are local, administered through the high school or a local service group or the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, www.cffoxvalley.org. Others are statewide or national. Check these websites for listings and details: www.fastweb.com, http://heab.state.wi.us, www.uwhelpwisconsin.edu or www.scholarships.com.

FUTURE COLLEGE FROSH

Sophomores and juniors can get a head start at Fox Valley College Prep’s annual spring College Fair from 6-8:30 p.m. March 13 at Xavier High School, 1600 W. Prospect Ave., Appleton. The event, which is open to students in Appleton and the Fox Valley region, features 100 colleges and more than 2,000 students looking to explore educational options. Admission is free. For more information, go to www.foxvalleycollegeprep.com/collegefair.

Usually when Andrew and Nancy Peters visit Alvernia University, they’re delivering homemade chili or macaroni and cheese to their son, Matthew, a junior living in an Alvernia dorm.

But when the Phoenixville couple came to campus Saturday, it was for an even more important reason.

They came to submit their son’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms, with guidance from Alvernia student financial planning staff members and FAFSA service officers.

“It’s a complicated form, and we feel more comfortable doing it in person, and using the knowledge of the people here,” Andrew Peters said.

Matthew Peters is a junior, and his parents have attended the sessions all three years.

That’s typical of those who participate, many coming back annually for the free help, said Christine Saadi, Alvernia’s student financial planning director.

Since the application requires financial data from each student’s parents, it’s the parents who need to submit the form, and many find it confusing, Saadi said.

Ten families signed up for Saturday’s seminar, one of a series that FAFSA is holding throughout the state.

At Alvernia, the professionals on hand walked parents through the online application process and gave instruction to others who planned to apply from home.

Recently, more families have seen their incomes drop from one year to the next, meaning that the data they include in their application doesn’t equate to their current financial situation, Saadi said.

Families experiencing that problem, or any other issue related to student aid, should contact FAFSA or the financial planning office at their child’s college, which may be able to offer a solution, she said.

Saadi also said parents who haven’t yet filed their income taxes should not wait until they do so to submit their FAFSA applications.

The reason is that there are deadlines they could miss, such as Pennsylvania’s May 1deadline for state grant eligibility, she said.

“It’s better to get your FAFSA on file using last year’s information, or estimate information for this year,” Saadi said.

Contact Mike Urban: 610-371-5023 or murban@readingeagle.com.

By LAURA KINSLER | The Tampa TribunePublished: February 19, 2012 Updated: February 19, 2012 – 12:00 AM

DADE CITY –

With college tuition costs creeping up every year, one local company is responding in a big way.

Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative’s Educational Foundation this year is giving away $720,000 in college scholarships to area high school seniors.

“It will be the largest distribution we’ve ever made,” Member Relations Manager David Lambert said. “Last year we gave out 75 scholarships that maxed out at $6,000. This is a huge benefit to our members. There is no other organization in the area that does what we do.”

The electric utility, which serves most of north Pasco, is a nonprofit cooperative that is owned by its members. The scholarship is available only to dependents of the co-op’s 200,000 members.

“It’s designed to help members who could not afford to pay for their kids to go to college,” Lambert said. “You don’t have to go to a four-year university. You could go to nursing school or to a technical school to learn a trade — as long as it’s an accredited school in Florida.”

Lambert said the foundation’s board decided to increase the number of scholarships to 90 and the amount to $8,000. Recipients can collect $1,000 per semester for four years as long as they maintain a C average.

“It’s a recognition that there’s a greater need,” Lambert said. “And it’s because we want to train a quality workforce that will give back to the community.”

Since its inception in 1997, the educational foundation has awarded 1,159 scholarships valued at up to $5.2 million.

“We’ve got about 360 kids in the program now,” Lambert said.

Scott Mitchell, principal at Watergrass Elementary, and his wife have twin sons who attend Florida College in Temple Terrace and a daughter who is graduating high school this year. One of the boys earned a scholarship from the foundation, and Mitchell’s daughter is applying for one.

“It’s a real struggle to pay for three kids in college at the same time,” Mitchell said. “We had done some planning and saving and had set aside some money. But the scholarship was a huge help.”

The Pasco Education Foundation administered $520,000 in scholarship money last year. Executive Director Chip Wichmanowski said the numbers involved in Withlacoochee Electric’s program are impressive.

“That’s fantastic, and it’s a great opportunity for students whose parents are members of the co-op,” Wichmanowski said. He speaks from firsthand experience — one of his children received a college scholarship from the co-op a few years ago.

The deadline to apply is March?7. For information go to www.wrec.net.

By LAURA KINSLER | The Tampa TribunePublished: February 19, 2012 Updated: February 19, 2012 – 12:00 AM

DADE CITY –

With college tuition costs creeping up every year, one local company is responding in a big way.

Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative’s Educational Foundation this year is giving away $720,000 in college scholarships to area high school seniors.

“It will be the largest distribution we’ve ever made,” Member Relations Manager David Lambert said. “Last year we gave out 75 scholarships that maxed out at $6,000. This is a huge benefit to our members. There is no other organization in the area that does what we do.”

The electric utility, which serves most of north Pasco, is a nonprofit cooperative that is owned by its members. The scholarship is available only to dependents of the co-op’s 200,000 members.

“It’s designed to help members who could not afford to pay for their kids to go to college,” Lambert said. “You don’t have to go to a four-year university. You could go to nursing school or to a technical school to learn a trade — as long as it’s an accredited school in Florida.”

Lambert said the foundation’s board decided to increase the number of scholarships to 90 and the amount to $8,000. Recipients can collect $1,000 per semester for four years as long as they maintain a C average.

“It’s a recognition that there’s a greater need,” Lambert said. “And it’s because we want to train a quality workforce that will give back to the community.”

Since its inception in 1997, the educational foundation has awarded 1,159 scholarships valued at up to $5.2 million.

“We’ve got about 360 kids in the program now,” Lambert said.

Scott Mitchell, principal at Watergrass Elementary, and his wife have twin sons who attend Florida College in Temple Terrace and a daughter who is graduating high school this year. One of the boys earned a scholarship from the foundation, and Mitchell’s daughter is applying for one.

“It’s a real struggle to pay for three kids in college at the same time,” Mitchell said. “We had done some planning and saving and had set aside some money. But the scholarship was a huge help.”

The Pasco Education Foundation administered $520,000 in scholarship money last year. Executive Director Chip Wichmanowski said the numbers involved in Withlacoochee Electric’s program are impressive.

“That’s fantastic, and it’s a great opportunity for students whose parents are members of the co-op,” Wichmanowski said. He speaks from firsthand experience — one of his children received a college scholarship from the co-op a few years ago.

The deadline to apply is March?7. For information go to www.wrec.net.

February 18, 2012
ABAC Financial Aid and Admissions Information Night set for Tuesday

Staff Reports The Moultrie Observer The Moultrie Observer Sat Feb 18, 2012, 09:58 PM EST

TIFTON — The Office of Enrollment Management at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will host an Apply to ABAC/Financial Aid night Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Agricultural Sciences building on the ABAC campus.

Enrollment Management Counselor Brooke Jernigan said all prospective students are welcome to attend, no matter where they are in the admissions and financial aid process.

“We will be there answering questions and helping every prospective student on an individual basis,” Jernigan said. “It’s a drop-in event with no set program.”

Students seeking financial aid must have their Personal Identification Number from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid web site and a copy of their 2011 tax returns for parents and students, if applicable, to receive assistance with the financial aid process.

“Students who wish to receive financial aid at ABAC during the 2012 fall semester should complete their financial aid applications as soon as possible,” Jernigan said.

For more information, interested persons can contact Jernigan at (229) 391-5018.

Copyright 2012 Moultrie Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WAUSAU (WAOW) –  Karlyn Wormuth and her sister Kendal are taking the next step in their education.

With Karlyn already in college, and Kendal on her way, the fear of student loans, bills and financial aid weigh heavy on their minds.

“You don’t want that added stress on your family, and you to make sure you pay everything on time,” Kendal Wormuth said.

That’s why the two headed to Northcentral Technical College for a statewide event. The event offered parents and students assistance in applying for college financial aid. A task that can sometimes be daunting.

“Tuition, books, meal plan…it all adds up,” Kendal said.

Financial experts say, with the growing need for financial aid, students are encouraged to apply early. The first step, filling out a free application for federal student aid. A form that must be completed by every student and can be their ticket to getting money for college.

“Every student doesn’t realize there is so much out there. So much opportunity for them to apply for financial aid and pay for college,” Department of Public Instruction Supervisor Sharon Hunter said.

Financial experts say hundreds of thousands of financial awards are given out every year. in 2011, students at NTC alone received more than 19-million dollars in grants and loans.

“College is so important. In 2013 63% of jobs will require some type of degree beyond high school,” Hunter said.

For the Wormuth sisters, they say they know the value of getting the financial help they need, to live the life they want.

“It’s reassuring to know it’s there,” Karlyn said.

“You want everyone to have the same opportunities as you and this gives all an equal chance,” Kendal added. 

Students and parents are invited to attend a free financial aid resource fair today where representatives of local colleges and universities will be present to answer questions.

Assemblyman Luis A. Alejo (D-Salinas) and Alisal High School are hosting the Cash for College event today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Alisal High School, 777 Williams Road in Salinas.

The resource fair will be beneficial to students and parents as they have a chance to learn about grants, scholarships, loans and other financial resources available to help pay for college.

Representatives from eight institutions will be available to answer and help students with financial aid applications, including Cal Grants. Cal Grants are funded by the state of California and the federal government. The awards do not have to be paid back.

To apply for this award, visit http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=20.

The following schools are scheduled to attend: California State University, Monterey Bay; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Santa Cruz; Cabrillo College, Hartnell College, Heald College and Monterey Peninsula College.

The event was supported by local businesses, restaurants and radio stations.

Pograms that help first-generation students celebrated

University and high school students in Monterey County have joined forces to help people in need by collecting toiletries throughout the month of February.

Feb. 25 is National TRiO Day, a celebration of the positive impact of federal programs that help low-income and first-generation students enter college and earn a degree.

TRiO is a series of federally funded programs to help students with financial hardships. The programs started in 1964 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty.

Students from CSU Monterey Bay, and Soledad and Watsonville high schools, are collecting toiletries for Shelter Outreach Plus in Marina and the Women’s Crisis Support/Defensa de Mujeres in Watsonville. If community members want to help collect items contact Chloe English of CSUMB’s Student Support Services at 582-4451.

Items needed include toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, deodorant, razors, tissues and toilet paper.

Through the end of February, donations can be deposited in bins at the Alumni and Visitors Center, the University Center, the Student Services Building, the Student Center and the two high schools. The drive will culminate on Feb. 25 when student volunteers will collect donations and distribute raffle tickets outside the library, the Student Center and the Alumni and Visitors Center.

Salinas Sun Street Centers leaders travel to D.C.

Last week, alcohol abuse prevention and treatment specialists from Salinas joined 3,000 others from all over the United States in Washington D.C. as part of a training and leadership forum.

Local Sun Street Centers prevention coordinators — Brenda Corona and Darlene Acosta — attended the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s 22nd annual National Leadership Forum from Feb. 6 to the ninth.

They learned the latest strategies to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.

Corona facilitates a coalition in Salinas and Acosta in south county on a monthly basis. The mission is to prevent alcohol-related injuries and fatalities, prevent youth access to alcohol and drugs and the initiated use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

The National Leadership Forum features more than 100 training courses to help community and state leaders prevent and reduce substance abuse and its related problems.

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“Making the Grade” is The Salinas Californian’s weekly education column on local school events, teachers’ special lessons, key administrative moves and students’ hard work from the many school districts in the Salinas Valley area. Help inform the community about what’s happening in education by contacting Griselda Ramirez at 831-754-4297 or gramirez@thecalifornian.com.