DAVENPORT, Iowa — A new scholarship program will send dozens of low to middle-income Davenport seniors to the University of Iowa, covering 90% of the cost to attend.
The John Deere Scholars Program, a collaboration between the John Deere Foundation, the University of Iowa and Davenport CSD, will award scholarships to 60 low to middle-income seniors over the next three years.
The program starts in fall 2024, where eligible seniors at all four Davenport high schools will take a college prep class. The following spring, 20 of those students will be granted scholarships, but University of Iowa President Dr. Barbara Wilson said the program doesn't end there.
"Those students will continue to receive academic and social support to help ensure their success," Wilson said. This will include mentoring, assistance in finding work study, jobs or on campus employment, as well as access to emergency funds for unforeseen circumstances or expenses that we know for lower income students can often be the thing that triggers them to leave college."
For Superintendent TJ Schneckloth, it was a dream come true when the John Deere Foundation and the university approached Davenport CSD with the program. As the first in his family to go to college, he knows how impactful higher education can be.
"My mom ensured that I got there, and my family tree has changed," Schneckloth said. "The generational change that you are creating cannot be measured."
The president of the John Deere Foundation, Mara Downing, said less than 40% of low-income high school graduates in Iowa go to college. She also said students in the scholarship program can pursue any degree, not just those related to work at John Deere. The foundation will spend $6.6 million on the program.
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