BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Governor Whitmer made a stop at Battle Creek Central High School on Monday, January 6th to help encourage college attendance.
The stop was part of Whitmer’s “Don’t Stop Now” campaign, which is meant to help students pursue some form of post-secondary education.
The end goal for the campaign, as well as two initiatives introduced last year, is to help Michiganders reach a goal of 60% post-secondary attainment by 2030.
One of these initiatives, known as The Michigan Opportunity Scholarship, offers “two paths to help graduating high school students obtain a post-secondary credential.”
Path I provides graduating high school students with two years of tuition-free post-secondary education at a community college, while Path II provides two years of tuition assistance at a public or not-for-profit four-year university for students demonstrating financial need.
Whitmer’s discussions with the students of BCCHS indicated that the cost of college is the biggest barrier in pursuing post-secondary education.
Whitmer maintains that all students should apply for a FAFSA. Her goal is to have a 75% completion rate for the form in the year 2020. According to a statement, Michigan’s 2019 FAFSA completion rate was 55.9%, which was a decrease of 0.7% from the previous year.
Students in attendance reportedly had mixed reactions, saying that they wanted to learn about scholarships in addition to the different paths.
Whitmer says that all educational paths are valid, whether they be through a community college degree, and four-year degree, or a path in the skilled trades.
Whitmer is concerned that many unfilled jobs will surface in the next decade, many of which will require trade education.
The news comes as GVSU has opened a new educational outreach center in Battle Creek meant to help students with college-related matters.
