Tuition

Consider the following tuitions: Portland Community College costs $2,668 a year; Chemeketa Community College will run $2,850; tuition for Portland State University will more than double the tab at $5,764; if you want to go to a state school in Oregon, you can choose the University of Oregon, Oregon State, or Eastern Oregon which will cost $6,174, $5,911, and $6,072 respectively. The jump to private colleges in the state is even more jarring. More than double the cost of a state tuition to reach that of Marylhurst University which runs $15,570. At the far end of the spectrum is Reed College where tuition for 2010-2011 is $40,940 not including room and board or other fees and Lewis and Clark College which is $36,394 not including various additional expenses such as health insurance, meals, or “Green Energy Fees”.

It is common knowledge that the costs of a post high school education are spiraling out of control. This post is not intended to belabor that point. Instead I cite the above data to make a different point: the proceeds from this scholarship, your pledges, can make a very real impact on the ability of a student to pursue a college education. My goal is to raise $2,500 through donations and pledges. This was a deliberately chosen target for a number of reasons.

First, many of my students who may be interested in college are likely to pursue school at a public college or university. This amount will fund nearly the first full year at two area community colleges. It would get them close to halfway through a year at one of the state universities.

Second, the goal is realistically attainable. $2,500 divided by fifty miles is $50 to raise per mile. If just fifty people pledge a $1 per mile, I can reach this goal. A pledge of this size is within reach for many people. Consider dinner and a night at the movies; there between the hors d’oeuvres and the two tickets is a potential contribution. Gas right now is about $3.50 a gallon. Filling the average sized, sixteen gallon tank is the amount of this kind of contribution. Keeping the car gassed up is non-negotiable in most of our lives. I would argue that a post-secondary education is also a non-negotiable thing as well.

At present, I have been able to raise almost $1500 in pledges and straight donations and am over half way there. Please help me reach my goal.

Even if you can’t pledge now, please consider doing one of two things. Forward this blog on to the people who you know who may be interested in this project. Ask them to read about the scholarship itself and to follow along as I post about the process. As well continue to read the blog yourself. I will continue to update it weekly. Just the presence of readers indicates to my kids that there are folks out there who are supportive of the project.

In the end, know that however you choose to support this project is welcome and meaningful.

Lastly consider the value of this contribution to the student. A worker with a high school diploma can only expect to earn $1.2 million during their working years. A bachelor’s degree nearly doubles this to $2.1 million. This also brings us back to one of the big goals of the project: to inspire students to maintain forward progress in their schooling. I have talked to many students who see high school as the gateway to college; however, with the cost of college getting farther and farther out of reach for them, their incentive to even graduate is diminished. Consider the value of your readership in terms of dollars, cents, and motivation. A lack of a high school diploma cuts earning potential by a third. Perhaps it is hyperbole to assert this conclusion, but your pledge to this scholarship is assisting the student in the short term as well as their entire lifetime by raising their earning potential and providing them with critical opportunities that only education and financial well-being can offer.