Earning scholarships for higher education has a new interactive method with Raise.me — and Newman University has jumped on board.
Vice President for Enrollment Management Norm Jones said he is excited about the program that not only introduces Newman to students as early as 9th grade, but also helps those students build confidence and encourages them to work hard for their financial future.
Jones said, “The guys that created the platform, they are really passionate about helping students — especially the ones that really need help financially — and funding higher education. They had the philosophy that they wanted to do something to get in the young person’s minds, that tells them they can do something now to help them financially in the future.
“It’s a brilliant idea,” he added. “They don’t have to hold on to the fact that they need to lean on their family or parents. This tool gives them a way to say, ‘Hey, I can help myself.'”
Raise.me is a micro-scholarship program that allows the student to take charge of their financial future. Participants simply create an account, choose which colleges they wish to follow, and start working toward small rewards that will eventually add up over time. The program awards students in small increments for good grades and community service projects.
Director of Partnerships at Raise.me Dale Gaubatz, MA, said the organization is in its fourth year.
“The Raise.me family of college partners has grown to over 240 institutions nationwide,” said Gaubatz, “as well as a few partners in Canada and the UK. Over 20,000 high school counselors and 700,000 high school students use our micro-scholarship platform.”
Gaubatz added, “We are proud to have Newman as part of the Raise.me family, and excited to support Newman’s future students along their path.”
Newman is one of 15 Kansas colleges to partner with Raise.me so far.
“Students are free to follow any college on our platform, and see micro-scholarships for any college where they meet the requirements for that school’s micro-scholarship program,” said Gaubatz. “But just as institutional scholarships work today, a student will only be awarded the micro-scholarships from the college where they apply, are accepted, and choose to enroll. Each of our college partners builds a unique micro-scholarship program, based on their own admissions requirements and philosophy.”
Jones stated, “It [the process] is about the impact on their psyche, helping them to say, ‘Yes, I can do this, I can help myself.’ Students learn that they can aspire to come to a private school. They do have the ability to affect their lives.”
Jones also noted that this program is great for those students who may not feel like higher education is a possibility for them. “Those coming from homes where no one has a college education, it seems so far out of reach that they can’t fathom college. So any tool that will help them dream a little bit and start working toward that can only be good.”
Gaubatz noted, “It takes less than one minute for students to create a free, online account. We will also be launching an app for iPhone and Android compatible systems this fall. Students and high school counselors just need to go to Raise.me.”
For more information, visit raise.me, or contact Jones at (316) 942-4291, ext. 2233 or [email protected].
