**For Immediate Release**
Alliance Increases College Awareness
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 11-09-05
Goodwell, OK - In conjunction with the Guymon Community
Enrichment Foundation, Inc. (GCEF) and Guymon Public Schools,
Oklahoma Panhandle State University recently received notification
from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE)
of the funding of a $10,000 Community Based Organization
Incentive grant. The one year project, “Raising College
Aspirations in Texas County,” will increase student
awareness of the importance of a college education, promote
parental and student expectations by introducing them to
the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), and
inform families of additional scholarship and grant awards
that enable students to continue their education following
high school.
Students will be offered opportunities to visit businesses
that employ degreed personnel and will also visit programs
and classes on college campuses. A major goal of the grant
is to increase enrollment in OHLAP. This OSHRE tuition
assistance program is designed to help pay tuition for
Oklahoma high school students who might not otherwise attend
college after graduating high school. The program also
requires students to pass particular high school courses
and demonstrate good citizenship.
While the grant specifically names Guymon High School,
parents in other Texas County schools will be invited to
evening workshops, according to Teri Mora, Director of
OPSU’s Hispanic Services. Mora will serve as Director
of the grant program and will work with university personnel,
area businesses who employ college graduates and public
schools to coordinate efforts. She hopes to encourage parents
to believe that higher education is attainable for their
children and will work to help them prepare those future
college graduates. Currently, only 15% of students eligible
for OHLAP in Guymon schools are enrolled, a number Mora
hopes to increase.
Working together, GCEF, Guymon schools and OPSU can make
a difference in the lives of Texas County students. Thanks
to OHLAP and the progressive Oklahomans who comprise OSHRE,
Oklahoma public school students can pursue a college education.
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