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.

This fall, 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.

“I am extremely proud of the Presidential Scholars and excited to see these students take the educational path I did from City Colleges to IIT,” said City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman. “As a huge supporter of the sciences, mathematics, technology, and business, it is important that we provide initiatives like this one not only to engage students in these areas, but offer financial aid to help them to pursue the education that will lead to promising careers.”

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.

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.

“Many of my classmates have come thousands of miles to study at IIT. Even though I grew up in Chicago and attended a public high school and later the City Colleges, my own chances of being able to afford to go to IIT may as well have put me 8,000 miles away,” said IIT Materials Science and Engineering student Ian Armstrong, a former Truman College student. “The Presidential Scholarship afforded me the opportunity to study with some of the world's best and brightest students in a curriculum that is both challenging and supportive.”

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.