Not everyone who attends a state college or university qualifies for a lottery-funded scholarship. Many students who fail to meet the 3.0, or B average, benchmark to earn a Hope Scholarship in Georgia, for example, are hard-working dedicated students who advance steadily toward graduation. Some of those students could benefit significantly from a three-year, $500,000 grant at Dalton State College.
The grant by the Goizueta Foundation of Atlanta will fund the Hispanic/Latino Achievement Scholarships as well as provide support for the college’s Office of Enrollment and Student Services effort to provide tutoring and other assistance to students. The funds will serve an important and growing constituency on the Dalton campus.
The three-year grant is designed to help the college serve the needs of its growing number of Hispanic students. A decade ago, about 2 percent of the students at the college identified themselves as Hispanic. Last fall, nearly 12 percent of the 5,700 students at Dalton State did so. The growth in Hispanic enrollment on the campus reflects both a burgeoning Hispanic presence in the region and the growing number of Hispanic students who are earning high school diplomas.
The grant arrives at an opportune time in the college’s history. College officials say it will help them meet a pressing demand for financial and other assistance to Hispanic students. It is particularly useful at this time, officials say, because many of the college’s students and their families have been hard hit by the current economic slowdown and are finding it difficult to pay for college expenses.
To qualify for the scholarships, students must have earned 30 hours of credit and have a grade point average between 2.0 and 2.99 on a 4.0 scale. They must be full-time students and prove a need for financial aid. The requirements for the grants are not onerous. They are fair.
Dalton State administrators currently are working to identify and notify students eligible for the grants. Those who meet the criteria can receive 75 percent of tuition fees as well as an additional $300 annually for books. There is no specific time frame for the awards. Scholarships will be awarded as students meet qualifications to receive what are sure to be welcome and popular awards.
The purpose of Goizueta Foundation, established by Roberto C. Goizueta, the late president and CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., is to assist organizations that empower individuals and families through educational opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. The foundation’s long-standing relationship with Dalton State College — it previously has funded previous grants and scholarships and endowed a chair in the school of education — has helped fulfill and extend that mission. The just-announced Hispanic/Latino scholarship grant continues and enhances that work.