THE DANIEL M. KERRANE, JR. FOUNDATION TACKLES THE HIGHER ED CRISIS

Contact: Jeffrey Paller

Phone: 312.920.9605

Email: jeffrey.paller@dmkfoundation.org

Chicago, IL (August 2006) —

The Daniel M. Kerrane, Jr. Foundation (DMK) announced today that it has awarded 32 scholarships to students to attend any one of the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). Now in its second year of issuing scholarships, the DMK, Jr. Foundation has provided financial and educational support for 45 Chicago students to date.

These scholarships come at a time when Illinois faces a crucial educational challenge. According to a recent study released by the consortium on Chicago School Research, only six out of every 100 freshmen from the Chicago Public Schools will earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of finishing high school. Furthermore, the Chicago Sun-Times recently reported that with the state $200 million short of financial aid assistance, students are forced to bear the burden of rising tuition costs.

“There were many times that I thought it was impossible for me to go to school because I have a GED and I dropped out of school in the eleventh grade,” explained Rashida Cooper who is receiving a DMK scholarship. “I never even thought about a scholarship and really didn’t even know what a scholarship was.”

In addition to this burden, students are also at risk of academic failure. Too many high school students within CPS do not graduate, and many of those who do, graduate without the skills to take college level courses. DMK chose to target these students who may not have reached academic potential.  DMK chose CCC because each year approximately 35% of all CPS graduates who choose to pursue a higher education enroll in one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago. While most scholarship programs focus on students that have already proven their academic excellence, DMK targets students who may not have yet fulfilled their academic potential. This is imperative because 60% of CPS students graduated below the college level in reading and 92% tested below in math.

“What the foundation does is it takes students that have high potential but maybe don’t have all the financial resources or are academically under-prepared and starts with them from the very beginning,” explains Connie Mixon, DMK Academic Coordinator, who is also a professor of Political Science at Daley College.

With the state and federal governments strapped for funding, the DMK, Jr. Foundation acts as a public-private partnership that brings together private businesses and donors with the Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago. Through its comprehensive program, DMK provides “last dollar” funding that pays for costs associated with obtaining a two-year degree but also provides personalized educational support that provides individualized resources and structure to each scholar.

“Our scholarship program pays for tuition, books, transportation, child care, tutoring, and mentoring services,” explains co-Founder Lynette Kerrane-Darragh.

City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Wayne Watson adds, “That makes it part of a very select group of scholarship foundations that provides the total package.”

Each scholar is provided with a DMK scholarship coordinator to help with the financial aid process and make necessary referrals to campus and community resources. A college advisor at each school is assigned to each scholar to advise the students academically. Finally, each scholar is paired with a mentor from the community who is in a similar academic or professional field. The pair will meet for sessions once a month and perform exercises that include study skills, time management, financial budgeting, professional communication and resume writing.

Speaking about the educational support system, DMK Trustee and co-founder David Scherer says, “What we try to do is provide some of the structures we think will increase their chances of being successful.”  And the extra support has paid off. “I believe that my grades are better because I do get tutoring,” says DMK scholar Cooper.

Former DMK Scholar Laura Torres, now pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Saint Xavier, describes her experience, “When I came to the U.S. from Mexico, I didn’t even see college as an option because of my English. But I started and just kept going.” DMK provided funding to Torres to receive and AA from CCC, and has continued to provide funding to her as she pursues her B.A.

While the state of Illinois is facing a serious crisis in higher education, DMK is attempting to help address the challenge, and, the private sector is engaged in the process as well. What’s clear is that college matters and Illinois has a desperate shortage of college graduates. “More and more our society is divided along lines of education,” says co-Founder and Trustee of DMK David Scherer. “College grads are likely to have incomes that can support families and establish a pattern of higher education. That’s the American dream.”