Des Moines Area Community College has established a new scholarship fund aimed at helping students who have run into barriers to higher education, using dollars donated by DMACC President Rob Denson’s family to launch the program.
Denson announced the DMACC Opportunity Scholarship to Iowa State Fair attendees Sunday. He said in an interview the community college wants to “invest in students that are serious about education,” and data from the DMACC Foundation shows those who receive a scholarship from the foundation are around 30 percentage points more likely to complete their education than those who do not receive support.
“There are a lot of individuals that (are) working hard, they’ve got families, and they know they need to improve their lives,” Denson said. “So we want to make sure that we can help them make it happen.”
The scholarship will be established with $45,000 from the Dolores Rawson-Denson Scholarship fund, created by Denson’s mother before her death last year, Denson said. His sister has also donated $5,000 to the new scholarship, he said, with the goal of raising money to expand the endowment and keep the scholarship available far in the future.
According to the Opportunity Scholarship website, in order to qualify for the program, students must demonstrate financial need through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or other documents and be Pell-eligible, as well as meet academic criteria and “commit to completing your program and advancing your future.”
The scholarship established in his mother’s name is available on a rolling basis for students to apply and Denson said he would like the new program to be as well, as no one can predict when something will impact finances or other areas of life. Recipients will be able to use the dollars for tuition, fees, books and other materials needed to complete their degree.
“We can’t do everything, but if we know we’ve got a student that’s been working hard, we’re not going to let one life event squash their dreams,” Denson said.
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