CCCC hoping Chatham Promise will provide free tuition to Chatham graduates

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Central Carolina Community College officials are hoping to gain approval from the Chatham County Board of Commissioners for Chatham Promise, a pilot program giving qualifying graduates from Chatham County high schools up to two years free tuition.

A similar program has been in place in Lee County since the spring, with more than 80 students already taking advantage; Harnett County recently implemented a similar program.

Graduates of any Chatham County high school who have taken at least 12 credit hours of courses at CCCC while attending high school would be eligible. Both career and technical education courses and college transfer courses taken through CCCC by Chatham County students would count toward that requirement.

“This is an attempt to reduce the cost of higher education for those who need it,” said Jim Crawford, a Chatham County commissioner and CCCC trustee.

Locally, high school students on track to graduate would first need to apply for financial aid at CCCC. Prospective students would begin meeting with advisors as early as their junior year of high school to ensure all financial aid requirements are met, according to Crawford.

Students would also need to apply for CCCC Foundation scholarships. For those accepted into the program, tuition costs not covered by Pell Grants or other scholarships would be covered by Chatham Promise. And students who do not qualify for financial aid would still be able to qualify for Chatham Promise and would not be required to take out student loans.

“The whole idea is to get you through two years of college debt-free,” said CCCC President Dr. T Eston “Bud” Marchant.

Qualifying students could use Chatham Promise funds for tuition and fees for up to two years. Students unable to complete their studies in that time would no longer be able to access Chatham Promise tuition assistance.

“We are trying to encourage a college-going culture, but also college completion,” said, CCCC Chatham Provost Mark Hall.

Marchant emphasized that the proposal is only for a five-year pilot program.

“This is not an open-ended program,” Marchant said. “It’s a five-year pilot program to see how the county likes it, the college likes it, the students like it.”

While the proposed costs for the program are still being calculated, Hall said funding the program would likely require about $1 million over those five years. The funding would need to be approved by Chatham’s commissioners.

Lee County’s program was initially proposed for a four-year pilot. Original estimated costs were $500,000 the first year and $250,000 the subsequent three years, but a private donor provided a large portion of the first year’s payment.

Though the college wouldn’t reveal the exact amount of the donation, Lee County has budgeted only $125,000 for the current fiscal year, according to Lisa G. Minter, Lee’s assistant county manager and finance director.

The program received an endorsement from the Chatham County Board of Education in September; the Chatham Economic Development Corporation endorsed the program last spring.

CCCC hopes to formally present the program to the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in December or January. The hope is to have an approved program in place in time to advertise it to prospective students.

“We want to give adequate lead time for all eligible families to take advantage of the program,” Crawford said. “We need to invest in our young people. This is what we should be doing as good public policy.”

CCCC, Chatham Promise, Community College