Available soon at retail stores for $15.
I’m thrilled that my new book, 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money, will be available in 3 weeks. With all the changes to the personal finance landscape with the CARD Act and change in management of federal student loans, it’s more important than ever that college students understand personal finance.
There are 10 things that every college student needs to know. Click here to find out what they are..
I just finished reading a post in the Higher Education blog about Historically Black Colleges and Universities and I’m fighting mad.
the six-year graduation rates of 83 four-year HBCUs last year, finding that just 37 percent of black students attained degrees within six years. More striking than the low completion rate was the fact that the national college graduation rate for black students is actually 4 percentage points higher than that of HBCUs collectively, calling into question the long-held notion that HBCUs are better at graduating African Americans.
It’s not only the fact that only 37% of students at HBCUS are graduating after 6 years that’s getting me riled up. The part that stuck out to me the most is:
Asked about graduation rates Thursday, Education Sector panelists suggested that funding levels could not be discounted as a significant drag on student success at HBCUs.
“A lot of that [graduation] rate …. is grounded in money, lack of money,” Wilson said.
Some HBCU officials say they still encounter hundreds of academically eligible students each year who drop out of college because their financial need cannot be met with Pell Grants and other aid. The vast majority of HBCUs have small endowments, so there isn’t a pot of money to dip into when financial challenges arise.
I take two things from this:
1) Many students of color rely on financial aid to pay for college costs. To make sure that students of color have access to the funds they need financial educators like myself have to:
– Make sure that parents have access to more information about saving for college early and regularly.
– Reach students to plan for college costs earlier.
– Help students of color save and aggressively seek scholarships and grants.
– Assist families of color in better understanding college costs and finding the school with the best fit for them.
2) Students that graduated from HBCUs aren’t supporting the colleges and universities financially as much as they could. I wonder if there is an opportunity to assist HBCU students, and potential graduates, in becoming more successful and understanding how their contributing to their alma maters contributes to building a strong community.
I think we all know the reasons we want more youth to have access to higher education. More young people in college means fewer young people getting into trouble with the law or getting stuck in low wage jobs. If we want our communities to be strong then we have to do what it takes to support others that are striving for positivity.
In an effort to reach more HBCU students I’m making an effort to share my new book 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money with all 105 HBCUs in the United States. To kick things off I’ll be visiting Fayetville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Jackson, and Dallas-Ft. Worth this August.
From EC&M:
The Home Depot, Atlanta, recently established its first-ever trade scholarship program. Through the program, the company will award more than 600 students enrolled in building and construction trade programs $500 to help offset the cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies. In total, more than $300,000 in scholarships will be awarded to support the future leaders of the building and construction industries this fall.
The Home Depot trade scholarship program is open to students nationwide currently enrolled in a building and construction trade school program at a college, university, or accredited educational institution who will be entering into the final year or term of their degree or career program. Winners will be selected based on academic performance, leadership, and work experience. English and Spanish applications are available online at The Home Depot Web site. The application deadline is June 20. Winners will be announced in September.
Bigger Than Your Block 