The proposal, called “Grateful Nation,” was envisioned by University of Montana alumnus David Bell and was introduced to regents by University of Montana President George Dennison during the Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting Wednesday.
As neither Bell nor his partner in the proposal, John McCarrick, was at the meeting, Dennison fielded questions from the regents.
Currently, 11 children in Montana, ranging in age from 3 months to 24 years, are eligible for this program, Dennison said.
Some details still need to be worked out, but the program is already under way. The two men behind the idea are fundraising for it, and making sure program guidelines are developed.
Generally, it will work this way:
Once a child has chosen a Montana campus to attend, that campus will work closely with the student and his or her family to assure college costs will be met.
Campuses will give special attention to mentoring and advising the student, and develop a systemwide long-term outreach plan to provide counseling, campus visits and tutoring for each child at the earliest age possible.
The two men will fund all education expenses for this special group of students, but campuses will help augment the Grateful Nation awards by helping the student use available Pell grants, other federal grants and scholarships.
“Wherever they choose to go, the dollars will be transported,” Dennison said.
The UM Foundation will invest the money, just as it does other donations, he said, and if there is funding left over after all the students complete their undergraduate degrees, the remaining dollars will be used to help those students pursue graduate degrees.
To be eligible, participating students must be surviving dependents of a Montana soldier killed while on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The students must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 and complete their chosen academic program by age 30.
Dennison said the two men would like to eventually expand the program to other states.
“They are pretty ambitious,” he said.
Dennison said the first donations have come in and those funds are already starting to generate revenue.
After hearing the presentation, the regents were complimentary.
“Thank you,” said Jan Lombardi, Gov. Brian Schweitzer's education policy adviser. “It's a lovely thing to do.”
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