Associate-degree graduates of Richmond Community College can earn a bachelor’s at Wingate University for $2,500 per year or less, thanks to a new partnership between the two institutions. The Gateway Scholarship was announced today by Wingate University President Dr. Rhett Brown and Richmond Community College President Dr. Dale McInnis.
“This is a wonderful opportunity, and we want to embrace it,” McInnis said. “Our college faculty and staff are committed to making sure our students are fully prepared to succeed when they enroll at Wingate.”
The agreement ensures that the transition from RichmondCC to Wingate will be a seamless process for students.
“We are going to teach the right courses, the right way at the right time,” McInnis said.
According to Wingate President Brown, Wingate is the private university of choice for Richmond County students.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to collaborate with RichmondCC to make a bachelor’s degree even more attainable. Together we can help students clear the hurdles that can slow them down – whether it's the cost of higher education or worries that classes won’t transfer.”
He said that the partnership will help the state close its educational-attainment gap. According to the nonprofit MyFutureNC, 67 percent of jobs across the state require a postsecondary degree or high-quality credential, but only 49 percent of North Carolinians ages 25 to 44 have that level of education. In Richmond County, that number is 24 percent.
Data from Carolina Demography, a population-data organization based at UNC Chapel Hill, shows that 60 percent of Richmond County high school graduates enroll in a postsecondary institution within a year after graduating, 3 percentage points higher than in their peer counties. But fewer Richmond County students persist to their second year (68 percent versus 73 percent), resulting in a six-year graduation rate that is lower than that of peer counties.
To help Gateway scholars stay on track, Wingate and RichmondCC faculty and staff will work together to offer collaborative academic advising, financial aid counseling and career counseling.
“Our state needs 2 million people with postsecondary degrees or certificates by 2030. We believe the Gateway Scholarship is part of the solution,” Brown said. “We look forward to opening the door for more Richmond County students to build on the success they’ve achieved at RichmondCC.”
Wingate Provost Dr. Jeff Frederick also spoke at the ceremony about what it means to be good neighbors. Wingate and RichmondCC are less than an hour’s drive apart.
“Our story today is good neighbors building a gateway to bring down fences so that we can work together in our common goal of making a transformative, skill-building gateway into degrees, into a brilliant future for students of all types in the greater Richmond County area.”
The presidents also signed an agreement between Richmond Community College and Wingate’s School of Pharmacy by which the University agreed to save up to 10 enrollment spots each academic year for qualified RichmondCC students with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0. RichmondCC students headed toward Wingate’s School of Pharmacy will be able to participate in the University’s Pre-Pharmacy Club and get support from Wingate’s director of health professions pathways.
Funding to help bring students’ out-of-pocket annual tuition costs at Wingate down to $2,500 or less includes federal aid, the North Carolina Need-Based Scholarship and support from generous donors.
To learn more about the Gateway Scholarship, email Valerie Graham at v.graham@wingate.edu, or call (704) 233-8103. To learn more about Richmond Community College, visit the Career & Transfer Advising Center at the Hamlet and Scotland County Campus or call (910) 410-1700.
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