SEED tuition grants created for AA students

4:05 p.m., Sept. 14, 2005--Delaware’s new SEED program, a new state-supported tuition grant opportunity, will help qualified high school graduates attend UD’s Associate in Arts (AA) program regardless of their family’s financial status.

An acronym for Student Excellence Equals Degree, the SEED program will provide tuition for full-time students working toward associate degrees at Delaware Technical and Community College (DTTC) and UD’s AA program. The new state tuition program will begin in the fall of 2006.

Sponsored by state Sen. Harris McDowell and Reps. Stephanie Ulbrich and Nancy H. Wagner, the legislation was signed by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner Sept. 6 at Dover High School and Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington.

“The only valid measure of success for any education program is the success of the students, and investing in student success is surely the most important investment we can make,” UD President David P. Roselle said at the signing in Wilmington. “There is no doubt that the SEED program represents just such an investment. It will enhance the success of students who enroll in associate degree programs at Del Tech and in the AA program offered by the University of Delaware in partnership with Del Tech.

“The SEED program will help students stay enrolled and complete their degrees. I have no doubt that the success of this investment will be reflected in higher retention rates and graduation rates,” Roselle said.

The president noted that in addition to the AA program, there are 11 connected degree options between Del Tech and the University, allowing further study in nursing, math education, early childhood education and medical technology.

Launched last year to replace the former Parallel Program, the University’s AA degree program is supported by Academic Centers based at the Del Tech campuses in Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown. The two-year general degree in liberal arts allows students to study the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences or languages, and,most courses are taught by UD faculty. Upon completion of the AA degree, students are guaranteed admission to the Newark campus for further study towards a bachelor’s degree.

To be eligible for the SEED Program, students must have graduated from a Delaware high school with an average of either 80 percent or higher on a 100 point scale or a GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Home schooled students also are eligible. They also must satisfy admission standards of the college and enroll by the fall semester after high school graduation. Each academic year, they must complete 24 credit hours within three semesters.

State grants may be for the full amount of tuition charged by the institution or, if the student has other financial aid, the tuition balance due. The grant does not cover books, fees or other related expenses.

"This new program insures that no student in the Associate of Arts program will have to forgo an education because he or she cannot afford it," John Courtright, director of the Office of Undergraduate Studies at UD, said.

The student and family must certify that the student has no criminal record in any jurisdiction.

According to Bobby Gempesaw, vice provost for academic and international programs at UD, high school students interested in the SEED grant for the fall of 2006 should contact Johnie Burton, UD’s director of financial aid, via e-mail [jburton@udel.edu] or call (302) 831-1208.

Once enrolled in the AA program under a SEED grant, the student must make steady academic progress toward an associate degree, maintaining continuous enrollment for no less than two semesters in each academic year. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 is required, and the SEED grant cannot be used for repeated courses or those taken in excess of requirements.

It is estimated that the program will cost $1.5 million in fiscal year 2006 and about $2.6 million in fiscal year 2007. When the SEED program is fully implemented, it will provide annual financial aid to more than 450 Associate in the Arts students.

Article by Cornelia Weil

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