A couple who wishes to remain anonymous has established a $600,000 endowment at Northern Michigan University to help Kalamazoo Promise students from Kalamazoo Central High School pay for books, room and board.
Kalamazoo Promise scholarships, announced in 2005, pay tuition for students of the Kalamazoo Public Schools system who wish to attend a Michigan public college or university. The Promise covers tuition costs, but does not cover room, board and book expenses, which can still represent a substantial barrier to affording and completing a degree program.
The donors are graduates of Kalamazoo Central High School and one is an alum of Northern Michigan University. According to the gift agreement, the endowment is “an expression of their gratitude for the education and opportunities afforded them by the Kalamazoo Public Schools and NMU.”
Incoming NMU freshmen are eligible for the scholarship and it is renewable for up to four years, provided the student meets the satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid, lives in an NMU residence hall and is a graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School.
For more information on the KCHS/NMU Alumni Room, Board and Books Scholarship, contact the NMU Financial Aid Office at 906-227-2327 or fao@nmu.edu.