The Woods offers help to Ivy Tech graduates

By Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star

ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS Sun, May 18 2008

— St. Mary-of-the-Woods College plans to make bachelor’s degrees more affordable for recent and future Ivy Tech graduates through new scholarship and grant opportunities.
The Woods will provide Ivy Tech graduates with grants that can be applied toward tuition for the campus-based program or the Woods External Degree program.
“We feel Ivy Tech is a high-quality choice for students who want an associate degree, and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College is excited about helping those students continue on their path to a bachelor’s degree,” said David Behrs, president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
The Woods will award a $2,500 grant to any female Ivy Tech graduate who is accepted as a full-time student in the campus-based program.
It also will award a $2,000 grant to any female or male Ivy Tech graduate who is accepted as at least a half-time student in the WED distance education program.
The grants can be awarded yearly for up to three years if the student maintains the required full-time or half-time status and a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average.
They are available to Ivy Tech students who graduated in 2006 or 2007, and the grants will be available to all future Ivy Tech graduates.
Behrs hopes the new grant program sends a strong statement to Ivy Tech students. “If you’re interested in The Woods, don’t let cost be a determining factor,” he said.
Michael Fisher, Ivy Tech director of admissions, called the program a great opportunity for Ivy Tech students, making it easier “to get a four-year degree at a prestigious place like The Woods.”
He noted that The Woods and Ivy Tech have had a close working relationship for many years.
Jaime Frey, Ivy Tech’s disability services adviser, obtained an associate’s degree from Ivy Tech and then a bachelor’s degree from The Woods.
“I think Ivy Tech students will be much more open to the possibility when they know financial assistance is available,” Frey said.
Female Ivy Tech graduates who enroll in the campus-based program also may be eligible for the Woods’ new merit-based transfer scholarships.
The scholarships are available to female students who apply to be full-time, degree-seeking students in the campus-based program, and dollar amounts range from $2,000 to $10,000 per year. Scholarship amounts will be awarded based on a student’s transfer grade-point average.
The $2,000 Ivy Tech grants for the WED program are on top of an already highly discounted tuition rate. The WED program allows adult students to complete a bachelor’s degree in one of more than 25 majors.
Next year, tuition for the WED program will be $370 per credit hour. Tuition for the campus-based program will be $20,900 for full-time students.
The new Ivy Tech grants build on previous work that was done to make transfer easier from Ivy Tech to The Woods.
In June 2007, representatives from The Woods and Ivy Tech signed 29 statewide transfer agreements. The transfer agreements, referred to as “2 Plus 2 agreements,” allow students to attend their first two years of college at Ivy Tech to earn an associate of science degree, then transfer into a specific campus-based or distance education bachelor’s degree program at The Woods as a junior.
The new Woods grant program is available to Ivy Tech students statewide, Behrs said.
The latest initiative is yet another effort to increase enrollment at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. “Our number-one priority is to grow enrollment,” Behrs said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

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