ATC & ACPS Announce Within Reach Partnership

May 07, 2015
For Immediate Release
Tiffannie L. Hedin
Aiken Technical College
803-508-7433
hedint@atc.edu
Aiken Technical College & Aiken County Public Schools
Announce Within Reach Partnership
ATC Foundation Board Commits $25,000 in Scholarships
(May 07, 2015, Aiken, SC) Aiken Technical College (ATC) and the Aiken County Public
School District (ACPSD) are working together to increase the number of Aiken County
students attending college. The partnership, known as the Within Reach Initiative,
engages ATC in opportunities with both ACPSD high school and middle schools over
the next several years.
The Aiken Technical College Foundation has committed $25,000 for 25 $1,000 Reach
scholarships for graduating seniors entering ATC this fall.
The beginnings of the Within Reach Initiative materialized when all high school and
middle school principals attended idea generation sessions on the ATC campus this
past fall. District leadership also attended the sessions, with Superintendent Dr. Beth
Everitt present for all three. The sessions generated ideas on how ATC and ACPSD
could partner more effectively to increase educational attainment in Aiken County.
“Recent studies indicate that Aiken County lags behind both South Carolina and the
nation in the percentage of residents with an associate degree or higher,” said Dr.
Susan Winsor, president of Aiken Technical College. “The changing nature of our
economy demands that more of our residents have some college education in order to
sustain our local economy. The Within Reach Initiative is designed to ensure that
students know the importance of college before high school graduation, and that they
make plans to attend college immediately before life’s challenges intervene.”
As part of the Within Reach Initiative, Aiken Technical College will engage in a number
of activities at district high schools. Examples include working with ACPSD to identify
students that will benefit from a two-year education, providing financial aid workshops,
and using technology to offer dual enrollment courses for high school juniors and
seniors. Beginning in the fall of 2015, ATC will place a representative weekly at two
pilot high schools chosen by the district, Midland Valley and Silver Bluff, and the
partners plan to expand that arrangement to all seven high schools in 2016.
ACPSD Superintendent Dr. Beth Everitt praised the partnership as an opportunity to
better prepare students for college. “We’re pleased to partner with ATC to help clear the
pathway to college for more of Aiken County’s high school students. On-site
representatives from ATC at high school campuses each week, additional opportunities
for college credit, enhanced virtual learning and tuition assistance will help ensure an
easier transition into college for our students.”
The ATC Foundation committed $25,000 in scholarships for fall 2015 to help address
the financial needs of local families who are struggling to afford college. The
scholarship, combined with S.C. Lottery Tuition Assistance, allows students to afford
most of the tuition and fee costs at ATC for the 2015-2016 academic year.
In future years, ATC and ACPSD will expand partnership activities to local middle
schools. In addition, ACPSD guidance counselors and others will spend part of their inservice day before the school year begins learning about two-year education and how
counselors can work with students that will benefit from attending ATC.
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Reach Scholarship Criteria
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Aiken County High School students graduating in 2015
Must enroll at ATC in 12 credits or more for the fall 2015 semester
HS GPA of 2.75 or higher
Demonstrate financial need
Preference given to students receiving Technical Advanced Placement (TAP)
credit or previous Aiken Early College participants
For more information on Reach Scholarships provided by the ATC Foundation, please
contact the ATC Foundation Office at 803-508-7413