800.3.1
Adopted
11/11/94
Repealed 12/15/17
The
1994 General Assembly appropriated to the Board of Governors of the University
of North Carolina eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) to be allocated equally
among the 16 constituent institutions for the purpose of establishing a pilot
program to recruit new students to enroll in college in future years who might
not be able to attend college without incentives. The fund shall not revert and shall be placed
in trust fund accounts, with the investment earnings to be used for the program
as well.
College Opportunity Program Mission
The
College Opportunity Program will recruit future students who might not
otherwise finish high school or continue on to college. The program will provide financial and
academic incentives that will encourage socially and economically disadvantaged
students to do well in middle grades and high school and enroll in college
following graduation. Improvement in
academic performance, high school graduation rates, college going rates, and
college graduation rates of under-performing students will be principal goals
of the program.
Roles
and Responsibilities
Board of Governors:
The
Board of Governors shall monitor the success of the program in attracting
students who otherwise might not have enrolled in a higher education
institution and shall monitor the progress of these students with annual
reports to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee beginning May
15, 1996, and each succeeding year through 2001.
Constituent
Institutions:
Each constituent institution
shall recruit students in middle grades who meet the eligibility guidelines of
the program. The institutions should
concentrate their recruitment in the regions designated by counties, but they
are not necessarily limited to that region.
They will provide enrichment activities that will assist the
participants to perform well in high school, to graduate and to enroll in the
institution. These activities should
include the monitoring of the student's academic progress both in public school
and college; mentoring relationships; assistance in goal setting and career
planning; academic tutoring; and opportunities for social and leadership
development through interaction with parents, public school personnel,
University personnel, and community leaders.
Parents
or Guardians:
The program requires the
involvement of parents or guardians to help create a supportive environment for
the student. The program will work with
the parents or guardians in helping the student gain the educational
preparation necessary to perform well in college. The parents or guardians are required to
monitor the academic progress of the student, to meet with program officials at
least three times each year, to ensure that the student meets all eligibility
requirements in order to remain in the program and graduate, to assist the
student in completing all application forms for federal financial assistance
during the student's senior year in high school, and to ensure the student
meets school attendance requirements of the program.
College
Opportunity Program Eligibility Requirements
Students considered for selection
to the program must complete an application and meet the following
requirements:
1. Be a North Carolina resident;
2. Be a middle grade student;
3. Have
parental/guardian consent to participate in the program;
4. Be a first-generation college
student and/or come from a family with an annual income that qualifies the
family as disadvantaged based on federal guidelines;
5. Agree to enroll in high school
courses that meet the minimum admission requirements of the Board of Governors
of the University of North Carolina.
6. Commit
to the guidelines and activities of the program by signing an agreement to do
the following:
a. Maintain a "B" or better
cumulative average in all schoolwork through high school graduation;
b. Maintain a public school attendance
rate of 95% or better;
c. Take the Preliminary Scholastic
Assessment Test (PSAT) in the 10th grade;
d. Take the Scholastic Assessment Test
(SAT) or the ACT assessment test in the 11th and 12th grades;
e. Participate actively in school
co-curricular activities;
f. Demonstrate high personal and
scholastic standards;
g. Participate in activities that
assist in achieving high academic and leadership standards;
h. Give at least 15 hours of approved
community service during each year of program participation;
i. Remain drug
free and alcohol free and obey the laws and regulations of the State of North
Carolina;
j. Apply for eligible financial
assistance no later than the last term of the high school senior year.
The constituent institutions may
designate additional eligibility requirements in order to comply with existing
regulations.
Program Awards
Each
student selected to participate in the College Opportunity Program will be
provided first year scholarship assistance that will cover the cost of tuition,
fees, and books.
The University of North Carolina
College Opportunity Program
Institution Counties
in the Region
Appalachian
State University Alexander,
Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell,
Catawba, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes (9)
East
Carolina University Beaufort,
Craven, Dare, Edgecombe, Greene, Hyde,
Lenior,
Martin, Pitt, Washington, Wilson, Pamlico (12)
Elizabeth
City State University Camden,
Bertie, Chowan, Currituck, Gates,
Hertford,
Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans,
Tyrrell,
Washington (11)
Fayetteville
State University Cumberland,
Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Sampson (5)
North
Carolina A&T State University Alamance,
Montgomery, Caswell, Guilford,
Randolph,
Rockingham 6)
North
Carolina Central University Durham,
Granville, Vance, Warren (4)
North
Carolina School of the Arts All
Counties (100)
North
Carolina State University Franklin,
Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Wake, Wayne (6)
UNC
Asheville Buncombe,
Burke, Rutherford, Henderson,
McDowell,
Madison, Polk, Yancey (8)
UNC
Chapel Hill Chatham,
Orange, Person, Lee (4)
UNC
Charlotte Anson,
Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell,
Lincoln,
Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union (10)
UNC
Greensboro Randolph,
Rockingham, Guilford, Alamance,
Caswell,
Montgomery (6)
UNC
Pembroke Bladen,
Columbus, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland (5)
UNC
Wilmington Brunswick,
Carteret, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover,
Onslow,
Pender (7)
Western
Carolina University Clay,
Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain,
Transylvania,
Haywood (8)
Winston-Salem
State University Davidson,
Davie, Stokes, Yadkin, Forsyth, Surry (6)