Illinois Institute of Technology Launches Presidential Community College Scholarship Program

In a time of economic uncertainty and volatile job markets, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is offering valuable financial aid opportunities to community college students as part of a major new scholarship and educational outreach initiative.

Inspired by a series of conversations with Chancellor Hyman of the City Colleges of Chicago and the presidents of the City Colleges of Chicago, IIT has launched the Presidential Community College Scholarship program as a way to significantly engage students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and psychology, business and architecture (STEM+) at every education level, from K-12 through community college and four-year institutions.

In fall 2010, IIT welcomed the first cohort of Presidential Scholars from the City Colleges of Chicago. Recognized by their sending communities as accomplished students with outstanding promise for future academic work at the undergraduate level and for the pursuit of advanced and professional degrees, and leadership within their community, 26 students from the City Colleges of Chicago — as well as 28 students from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia — entered IIT as undergraduates supported by the Presidential Scholarship.

“The opportunity created by the Presidential Scholars program has offered hope to Saint Lucian students who otherwise would not have been able to consider a university career,” said Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Principal Beverley Anne Lansiquot. “For many years, we have had brilliant young people who finished our programs and were unable to move on because funding was not available. The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) graduates who were able to take up the scholarships this year are fulfilling dreams they had not even dared to dream, and the opportunities offered help all of us at SALCC and at the Vieuxfort Secondary School to encourage our current students to put everything they have into their studies, because there is now real hope for an academic future; IIT has offered them the real possibility of fulfillment.”

Academic representatives, appointed by their presidents or executive directors, will be invited to IIT for an annual meeting to review the work of their students and to further advance collaboration in working to support students in STEM+ fields.

“The scholarship is the beginning of a new walk of life, a new battle for me, to be able to make my mark on the world,” said IIT Biomedical Engineering student Courtney Regis, a former Sir Arthur Lewis Community College student. “Just having the scholarship inspires me to excel.”

Students who are nominated by their president and academic deans and admitted to the university will receive a tuition scholarship of $23,500 annually, along with an on-campus housing scholarship of $5,000 per year. In addition, students may submit an application for a grant of up to $5,000 to support undergraduate research and/or project-based work during the summer after their first-year at the university.

“The Presidential Scholarship has brought me one step closer to realizing my dream of becoming a chemical engineer,” said IIT Chemical Engineering student Joannas Joseph, a former Sir Arthur Lewis Community College student. “This scholarship opportunity shows that there is always a helping hand out there and it is up to the individual to embrace the opportunity.”

As students, Presidential Scholars will participate in 100 hours of civic and outreach activities which engage and bridge their home and sending communities with the university community, the IIT/Bronzeville neighborhood, and the city of Chicago. Each student will develop an individual plan each year to advance the diversity of students in the academic fields of study at the university, including the advancement of women, underrepresented minority students, those who are the first in their families to attend college/university, and those students from modest financial backgrounds.

Selected U.S. community colleges, universities, and community organizations are eligible to make nominations for the Presidential Scholars Program. The list of participating schools is reviewed and revised from time to time. Applicants must contact the appropriate liaison for a letter of reference in support of their applications.

2010 Inaugural Colleges and Organizations (as of November 2010)

Selected institutions are eligible to make nominations for the Presidential Scholars Program. Students interested in this scholarship opportunity must attend a participating institution. (The list of participating schools is reviewed and revised from time to time. Please contact Jerry Doyle, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid, at doyle@iit.edu or 312-567-5203, if you would like to discuss possible partnerships.)

City Colleges of Chicago — Chancellor Cheryl Hyman
Richard J. Daley College
Harold Washington College
Kennedy-King College
Malcolm X College
Olive-Harvey College
Harry S. Truman College
Wilbur Wright College
Other Community Colleges
Morton College (Cicero, Illinois)

Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (Castries, St. Lucia)
- Pre-Engineering Studies Program only
Tidewater Community College (Norfolk, Virginia)
Four-Year Institutions
Chicago State University
-Engineering Studies Program only

The IIT Presidential Scholarship application, eligibility requirements, and information on other financial aid opportunities are available here.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.