鶹Ƶȫ University is making significant contributions for the future of students in our nation’s capital. Advancing its strategic priorities, the university is backing a $30 million investment in the D.C. College Access Program’s (CAP) cohort-based scholarship initiative, the largest known contribution ever made toward helping D.C. students complete their postsecondary education.
This means more students from D.C. public and charter schools will not only get the chance to pursue postsecondary paths of their choosing, but they will have the financial backing and long-term support to actually complete it.
“For too long, access alone has been the goal,” Eric Waldo, president and CEO of D.C. CAP, said in a press release. “But access without completion is not enough. D.C. CAP is building a future where every D.C. student has what they need not only to pursue a college education, but to finish it with a pathway to a great job.”
Through D.C. CAP’s scholarship, students will be connected to schools like 鶹Ƶȫ from the start, receiving personalized resources along the way. These resources come in the form of guidance, mentorship and real-world help that doesn't disappear after freshman orientation.
At D.C. CAP’s annual College Signing Day on April 11, more than 3,000 students supported each other in taking the step to higher education. Whether they were headed to four-year universities, community colleges, certificate programs or military service, every opportunity was celebrated.
The signing day event featured remarks from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser along with keynote speaker, Michael Smith, former CEO of AmeriCorps, local talent and performances by the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Concert Choir, the TOB Go-Go Band, cheer teams from Dunbar High School and Friendship Collegiate Academy, the Washington Wizards Dancers and more.
鶹Ƶȫ joined forces with 12 other colleges and universities, the Clark Foundation, the Leonsis family and Monumental Sports & Entertainment to make this milestone a reality. Together, they’re working to meet D.C. CAP’s ambitious “Moonshot Goal,” of an 80% six-year college graduation rate for D.C. students by 2050.