NEWARK, NJ — On March 31, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Saint Elizabeth University announced a pilot program to guarantee a debt-free, four-year college education for 40 at-risk Newark students. The pilot program, “Guaranteed Education,” will enable the selected students to attend SEU in Morristown for four years thanks to a $1 million grant from the city of Newark.
“Less than 16 percent of Newarkers have a bachelor’s degree. The majority of black and brown students finance their education through debt. To close the wealth and education gap in the state of New Jersey, we must first start by making secondary education free, not just at community colleges, but also at four-year institutions,” Baraka said. “In Newark, we are providing 40 at-risk students with a chance to obtain a college degree without incurring college debt. Our children deserve it.”
“Saint Elizabeth University has a longstanding mission of providing an affordable, high-quality education to resolute learners from various backgrounds. We are very excited to partner with the city of Newark and Mayor Baraka in launching this important pilot program that will allow the university to further advance our mission,” university President Gary B. Crosby said. “This is particularly important as many of our students return to their communities helping to improve the quality of life for their families and neighbors, as well as the state of New Jersey.”
The city of Newark will bear the cost of the selected students from Newark families for the four-year program. The grant represents “last dollar” funding that takes into account individual students’ federal, state and institutional financial assistance, and will focus on students entering the fields of education, nursing, psychology and social work.
The pilot will be administered through SEU’s Educational Opportunity Fund program, with the students beginning their college journey at SEU in June 2022.
“On behalf of Saint Elizabeth’s EOF program, we are honored and privileged to support this critical initiative focused on encouraging upward mobility opportunities among Newark residents. It is especially fitting for this innovative pilot to be administered by the city of Newark since the EOF program originated from the challenges Newark faced 55 years ago,” EOF program director David Hill said.
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