Giving college students a choice: the black college fund pilot project

OLYMPIA – Choosing where to attend college is often a challenging task for many high school students, and paying for college is even more difficult. Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, is proposing a bill to establish a black college fund pilot project to allow some students to use their state-funded need grants awards to study at Morehouse College, Howard University, Spelman College, Grambling State University or Tuskegee University.

“I want to provide students with the opportunity to study in specialized programs in other states that may not be available in our state,” Jacobsen said. “If a local student is accepted and has chosen to attend a historically black college, money shouldn’t stand in the way.”

Jacobsen is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5365, which would direct the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish a pilot project that would allow up to 100 needy students to use their state need grants awards to study at identified out-of-state institutions. Students would have to be residents domiciled in Washington for at least one year before college enrollment. The board would adopt eligibility criteria for student and college participation.

“The academic and social support often found at these schools yield an exceptional graduation rate, leading many graduates to excel in graduate and post-graduate pursuits,” Jacobsen said. “I am hopeful that this pilot program will encourage more of our students to pursue and complete their education.”

SB 5365 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Higher Education Committee at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22 in Senate Hearing Room 3 of the John A. Cherberg Building in Olympia.

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