Thanks in large part to the generosity of students, staff, alumni and friends of the campus, Kent State University at Ashtabula raised over $17,000 in its #KSUGives #GivingTuesday 2020 fundraising campaign in support of the Rising Scholars program.
“We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support from our campus, alumni and Ashtabula communities in reaching another Giving Tuesday goal,” said Dean and Chief Administrative Officer Susan J. Stocker, Ph.D. “The contributors are individuals who appreciate the impact education has had on their lives, the opportunities the Rising Scholars program can create for our area going forward and the passion that those involved have for the students. These gifts will undoubtedly change lives!”
Thanks to an enthusiastic month-long effort by the on-campus community of students, faculty and staff, the campaign raised an unofficial total of $17,390. Final numbers will be released once all giving transactions and matching gifts have been processed in the coming days.
Now in its second year, the Rising Scholars program supports a select group of promising students who have been identified by their school district as having promising academic ability, but may not have access to social and educational opportunities that will allow them to reach their potential. These students are mentored by current Kent State Ashtabula students with a goal of increasing their high school graduation rates to 90 percent and having at least 50 percent of them attend a college or university after high school. Currently, 15 percent of Ashtabula County students do not graduate from high school and only 13 percent of adults over 25 have a four-year college degree.
Rising Scholars who participate in the full program, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and agree to mentor new students entering the program during their college years will be eligible to receive a scholarship for full tuition to Kent State University.
The Rising Scholars program is an expansion of Kent State’s “Rural Scholars” program, and incorporates best practices from other rural high schools. Many rural counties struggle with poor high school performance, low graduation rates, and relatively low college attendance, although national attention is focused primarily upon urban schools. The combination of six years of mentorship from older peers and a subsequent scholarship to Kent State Ashtabula is meant to prepare these students to join the local workforce and just as importantly, to serve as mentors themselves.
Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement aimed at transforming the world through philanthropy and encouraging people to do good.
Overall, Kent State University raised over $2.2 million for 100+ initiatives, including 34 featured funds like Rising Scholars, through the Giving Tuesday campaign, which ran Nov. 8- Dec. 1. The initiatives ranged from scholarships to building capital, program support, search, study away opportunities and more.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RISING SCHOLARS