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October 5, 2009 —
As the Michigan Promise Scholarship inches closer to the chopping block, University officials are waiting for a final resolution before determining a course of action.
The demise of the scholarship, which provides up to $4,000 per person, would affect 1,270 SVSU students.
The Michigan House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass a higher education package that would cut the scholarship. Even so, it’s too soon for the University to determine which action to take, says Robert Maurovich, vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management.
“This could still go either way, so we need to wait and see what happens,” Maurovich said.
Though the scholarship now is in limbo, the eligible SVSU students had their accounts credited during the fall registration process. Regardless of what happens, the actual funds from the scholarship wouldn’t have arrived until later this semester, said Maurovich.
The loss of the scholarship would serve as a financial blow to the qualifying students, says James Muladore, vice president of Administration and Business Affairs.
“It’s an important financial component,” Muladore said. “For many, it’s an additional resource that helps fray the cost of attending college.”
The state initiated the $140 million scholarship at the start of the 2007-08 academic year. Students who achieved qualifying scores on the MEAP test were eligible to receive up to $1,000 in state aid each of their first two years in college.
Those who maintained a GPA of at least 2.5 and had completed half of their program of study after two years were then eligible to receive up to $2,000.
After voting in favor of the higher education package that would end the scholarship, the House also passed a supplemental bill that would reinstate the program. The supplemental bill would allocate $120 million for the program, likely by means of a tax increase.