Say Yes to Education announced that it will partner with Lycoming College in an effort to make higher education more accessible and affordable for public high school graduates.
In joining the Say Yes Higher Education Compact, private colleges and universities agree to ensure that most of the students served by the organization - usually those whose annual family income is at or below $75,000 - are eligible, at a minimum, to attend tuition-free, subject to the institution’s regular admission and financial aid process. The students must also satisfy residency and other requirements in their particular Say Yes community.
“Lycoming is delighted to become part of the Say Yes to Education community,” said Mike Konopski, vice president for enrollment management at Lycoming College. “Say Yes has done extraordinary work providing students from underserved communities with the support they need, academically and financially. Through this relationship, Lycoming will recruit, educate and fully prepare these students for a lifetime of success.”
Say Yes’s tuition benefits and other supports (which may include tutoring, after-school services, counseling and legal assistance) are available to the families of nearly 65,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in every public school in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York. The organization expects to expand to at least one additional city as soon as 2015.
“Say Yes wants its students to have access to the enrichment and educational options -- as well as the positive outcomes -- that children and families in more affluent communities demand,’’ President Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey said. “Our generous higher education partners not only offer Say Yes Scholars the prospect of affording a high-quality postsecondary education, but those institutions also provide the supports that students may need to succeed in graduating, including students from low-income and other backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented on college campuses.”
Lycoming joins a growing list of Say Yes partners, including Colgate University, Cornell University, Hamilton College, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Medaille College, Northeastern University, the University of Notre Dame, Princeton University, Rensselaer Polytechnic University, Rice University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University and the University of Pennsylvania.
About Say Yes
Say Yes, which has its headquarters in New York City, was founded in 1987 by money manager George Weiss. Its mission has evolved over its 27-year history. For its first 20 years it offered an array of services – and ultimately full-tuition college scholarships – to smaller groups of public school students. While Say Yes adopted a citywide approach in 2008, college scholarships are still available to several hundred students in the organization’s earlier chapters in Harlem in New York City; Philadelphia and Hartford, Conn.
About Lycoming College
Lycoming College is a four-year, residential liberal arts and sciences school dedicated to the undergraduate education of 1,400 students. Its rigorous academic program, vibrant residential community and supportive faculty foster successful student outcomes. Lycoming offers 36 academic majors and is recognized as a Tier 1 institution by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1812 and located near the banks of the Susquehanna River in Williamsport, Pa., Lycoming is one of the 50 oldest colleges in the nation. For more information, visit www.lycoming.edu.