Some of the poorest counties in Mississippi may soon provide high school students more incentive to pursue higher education, thanks to a grant given by the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The funding has been given to the Mississippi State Higher Education Initiative, a campus organization which promotes secondary education for high school students in “distressed” counties.
To date, 20 counties are now eligible for their communities to receive the grants totaling about $10,000 per township. Over $450,000 has been given to the organization to help in counties such as Oktibbeha, Lowndes, Noxubee and Alcorn.
MSU vice president for finance and administration Mike McGrevey is credited with creating MSHEI and for locating the capital to supply needy communities.
McGrevey said he knows firsthand how the additional money will help the state.
“I worked over four years in Kemper County, and I saw the power of how ARC can use its funds to create educational opportunities for students,” McGrevey said. “I wanted to create a forum that would expose students to any college whether it is a junior college or four-year university.”
LaNell Kellum, director of the MSHEI, said money is distributed to communities which make proposals showing the need to help students advance their educations.
“Right now, we have teams in six counties across the state that are working together to create a mindset that college is needed for everyone,” Kellum said. “These teams are composed of community leaders and must include one school member.”
Kellum said grants given to the townships are seen as start up money and should last for two years.
“Teams are using this money as seed money to help grow the program and get it off its feet,” she said. “It is our hope they will see how important this program is to their community, and they will find other private or public funding to sustain it indefinitely.”
Upon receiving the extra funding, communities spend it on programs and incentives to change the mindset of students who feel they would not succeed in higher education. McGrevey said the townships are allowed to spend the money in a way which is best for the area.
These programs make a major difference in showing students they too can obtain a college degree, Kellum said.
“Programs can range from offering ACT prep courses to students or having career days where students can visit with local college representatives,” Kellum said. “The commission has found that one of the best things you can do for a high school student is get them on a college campus. This allows them to see that they can be a part of the college experience.”
Michael Armour, state director of ARC, said the commission wanted to give the money to the university during tough economic times.
“The partnership between ARC and MSU is extremely strong and we were more than happy to give this funding to a university who still sees the need in helping those in impoverished counties,” Armour said. “We have helped the area by encouraging Toyota to come to Northeast Mississippi and plan on continuing to heavily support enterprise throughout the state.”
Proposals for towns to apply for the funding will again be accepted in February of next year.