To provide college-education opportunities to graduates who normally wouldn’t be able to afford it, spark economic development and add another reason for prospective families to move into the area.

The Kalamazoo Promise has sparked a grassroots movement with “huge potential” to revitalize local economies across America and transform the nation’s work force, according to participants in a national conference that concluded here Friday.But with the movement still in its infancy, questions remain about the best way to implement Promise scholarship programs and about their long-term effectiveness, said participants of PromiseNet 2008.

The conference drew people from 80 communities in 22 states to talk about scholarship programs tied to economic development. The event was held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites in Kalamazoo and was organized by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

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What began 2 years ago as a vision to replicate the Kalamazoo Promise and further economic development in Muskegon County, has become an initiative with community-wide interest and support.  The group is attempting to bring universal access and needed support to post-secondary education for all graduates from the 12 public, 2 parochial and 1 charter high school(s) within the MAISD boundaries.

 In late summer of 2006, a small committee was formed to explore the idea of offering a scholarship program similar to the Kalamazoo Promise to Muskegon County high school graduates.  In a knowledge based economy the need was obvious, as only 18% of Muskegon County residents over the age of twenty-five hold bachelor degrees or higher. The state average is 25% and the national average is 27%.  Even more alarming is the fact that Michigan’s overall ranking is 35^th in the nation, as recently as 2003 Michigan ranked 29^th in the nation. 

 The committee members envisioned the Muskegon Opportunity as a program that offered our students the ability to attend the post-secondary institution of their choice, with the M.O. funding their education.  It was not long before the M.O. committee realized that a program of such magnitude was financially impossible at the current time and began work to decipher what could be done to raise the level of education in our county. 

Much hard work by many people representing business/industry, foundations, education, government and economic development interests has brought the M.O. to where it is today.  The current program model has 3 parts.   

1.       First is a broad based student preparation program wherein we are joining with all high schools in an effort to build a culture of learning in the Muskegon County area; preparing ALL students for postsecondary education or formal training, academically and financially.

 2.       Second is the intensive support providing extra assistance for students most at risk of not completing high school, and proceeding into postsecondary education or formal training.

  3.       Third is the Muskegon Opportunity safety net scholarship:  Financial assistance for a two-year degree or program at identified institutions.

    More specifically up to $3,400.00 each year to attend either Muskegon Community College, Baker College of Muskegon, or one of several institutions recommended by the staff of the Muskegon Area Career Technology Center. In doing so M.O. will become a change agent for how post-secondary education information is delivered in our county.

 As of June 2008, the M.O. committee and constituent k-12 superintendents unanimously endorsed a statement of intent that addresses the “nuts and bolts” of the process to launch the program.  Final financial projections are being completed and efforts are underway to begin a fund raising campaign.  The committee hopes to be able to make some type of formal announcement in the before the end of August 2008.

People working on the [Muskegon] Opportunity effort have joined together to get local students who qualified and weren’t aware of the state program signed up. They did so by working through lists of juniors and seniors at the 12 traditional public high schools in Muskegon County.Leaders of the Muskegon Opportunity described the TIP work as a prime example of pulling together community resources to benefit children.

“It’s starting to show people in the county where the Muskegon Opportunity is going,” said Curt Babcock, a Muskegon Opportunity co-chairman and White Lake Area Community Education director. “We’re starting to show kids that, yeah, they can go on to college. We’re making them see that college is a viable option.”

Click Here to read the entire Muskegon Chronicle article on MLive.com

More than 200 people showed up for a Creating a Graduation Generation! conference earlier this month that included brainstorming sessions on how to prevent students from dropping out.  The consensus was that a community-wide effort that draws on the resources and expertise of agencies, churches and individuals, is needed.    

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Click Here to visit the Graduation Generation website.

Brian Barber of the Muskegon Opportunity was featured in an episode of the ”Inside Muskegon” weekly podcast. 

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The Muskegon Opportunity was highlighted as one of ten major developments happening in Muskegon in 2008.

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“A proposed Muskegon County college scholarship program, patterned after The Kalamazoo Promise, is building a strong financial foundation.”

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The Muskegon Chronicle recently published an article about Governor Granholm’s visit to Muskegon and her meeting with the Muskegon Opportunity. 

“Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed Promise Zones initiative may have found its perfect pilot program — the proposed Muskegon Opportunity.

Granholm and 30 community leaders who are working to implement a Kalamazoo Promise-inspired college tuition guarantee in Muskegon County shared notes on their respective education concepts Monday afternoon at the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center. It was part of the governor’s visit to the area . . . ”

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Historically, families and developing children in the Muskegon region enjoyed successful economies that did not require a high level of education. Youth could choose to complete a minimal education or even drop out of school, develop a skill in lumbering or manufacturing and be assured of work that would provide a good living for themselves and their family. For generations, for those with deep roots in Muskegon as well as those who came to the area as part of the WWII mobilization and during the 50’s and early 60’s, education was rarely a necessity, priority or expectation.

The Muskegon of today however is a different place, driven by a very different set of expectations — a globally oriented, knowledge-driven economy that requires a highly skilled, technologically savvy and educated work force. For this community, with a large percentage of residents who possess less than a high school education, the Muskegon Opportunity (MO) offers a pathway and incentive to participate in a national paradigm shift that is, in many communities, already well underway. Participation in the MO will prepare the youth of the Muskegon region to successfully compete in the new global economy and provide an opportunity to achieve economic prosperity. It is our sincere belief that creating a community Culture of Learning and supporting access to PreK-14 universal education for every student in our Muskegon area schools will provide the most important foundation for personal economic success in the new world order; one that is characterized by a continuing and accelerated loss of high pay / low skill jobs and new life / career challenges for which many at present are woefully unprepared.

It is the intent of the Muskegon Opportunity Program to provide two-year program, granting safety net scholarships to graduates of any school, (public, parochial or charter) within the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) boundaries. These scholarships will assure every graduating high-school student in the Muskegon ISD area a post-secondary education and training opportunity at Muskegon Community College, Baker College of Muskegon or at a limited number of technical schools/programs as recommended by the Muskegon Area Career Technical Center.