Backed by individuals, foundations and businesses throughout the community, Hancock College has officially launched a five-year, $10 million endowment to fund The Hancock Promise.

The program provides high school graduates in the college district with the opportunity to get their first year free of tuition and fees at Hancock. Less than four months after unveiling The Hancock Promise, the college has received gifts and pledges to the endowment totaling more than $2 million.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our Promise partners who see The Hancock Promise for what it is for our community, a game-changer,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers. “When fully funded, this endowment will allow us to say that anyone who graduates from a high school within our district can receive a college education and their first year tuition-free at Allan Hancock College.”

Doris Lahr, the mother of Larry Lahr, a member of Hancock’s board of trustees since 1994, kicked off the endowment campaign with a gift in May. Since then, businesses and organizations including Pacific Gas and Electric, Marian Regional Medical Center, the Murphy Family Foundation, Union Bank and Aera Energy have offered pledges and gifts to support the endowment.

During a recent press conference, representatives of three community organizations announced their commitment to support The Hancock Promise.

Ronald Gallo, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation, reported that his board had approved a one-year grant of $250,000 to directly pay for the tuition and fees of Hancock Promise students.

The Rotary Club of Santa Ynez Valley and the Santa Maria Kiwanis 4 Kids Foundation also declared their gifts to the endowment.

“The goal of the Santa Maria Kiwanis 4 Kids Foundation is to ensure the success of children in the Santa Maria Valley,” said Maynard Silva, president of the Noontime Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria, whose group pledged $18,000 to the endowment. “The Hancock Promise will help thousands of students every year receive a college education.”

“We know The Hancock Promise will positively impact the community and are proud to support the program,” said Gregory A. Pensa, a member of the college board of trustees and a member of the Rotary Club of Santa Ynez Valley. “We challenge all other service groups in the community to do the same.”

The Hancock Promise begins this summer and is open to anyone who registers at Hancock immediately after graduating from a high school in the Hancock Joint Community College District, which includes the Santa Ynez Valley, Cuyama and the rest of northern Santa Barbara County. Promise students will save more than $1,200 in tuition and fees, receive priority registration and establish an academic plan for success with personalized counseling.

For more information, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/promise.

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“We are dedicated to changing the odds for our community,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “The Promise ensures higher education is as accessible and affordable for our community as possible.”

Promise students will save at least $1,200 in tuition and fees, register for classes early with priority registration, set an academic plan for success with personalized counseling, as well as receive free tutoring and other academic support services.

To be eligible for the Promise, a student must enroll at Hancock directly after graduating from a high school located within the district, which covers northern Santa Barbara County and Cuyama. It applies to students who graduate from private, public, charter or home schools, and people who earn their GED or pass the California High School Proficiency Exam as long as they are located in the district.

In order to be eligible, students must also complete financial aid applications, register for a minimum of 12 units in both the fall and spring semesters, maintain a 2.0 grade point average in the fall to be eligible for the Promise in the spring and complete at least one math and one English class during the first year if required for their major.

“We know that full-time students have better performance and completion rates. The Hancock Promise allows our students to travel down pathways to success faster with more direction and guidance,” added Walthers.

The Hancock Promise is a four-step plan to provide continuous support and guidance for students from elementary school through college. Though not the first community college in the state to launch a promise program, Hancock is the first to focus on early outreach to elementary and junior high students. The Bulldog Bound component targets fifth through eighth grade students and their families to develop a college-going culture. Through outreach events, students will become familiar with the campus, programs and services.

“No other Promise program in the state makes outreach to fifth through eighth graders a priority,” said Nohemy Ornelas, Hancock’s associate superintendent/vice president, Student Services. “Getting students excited about college at an early age will have a ripple effect in their own families and in the whole community.”

The college will host several Bulldog Bound events throughout the year. Fifth graders and their families are invited to catch Hancock football host San Bernardino on Saturday, September 30, at 2 p.m. Hancock also plans to expand its annual Career Exploration Day on Friday, October 6, to benefit junior high and high school students.

The second component, Path to Promise, helps high school students prepare for success in college. Students will become more familiar with Hancock programs and services through a variety of workshops and outreach events at the college, such as the Young Educated Latino Leaders (YELL) Conference, Career Exploration Day and concurrent enrollment. The college will also continue to offer counseling, orientation and educational planning at the high schools.

“We want students and their families to understand and believe a college education is possible,” said Ornelas. “The Path to Promise is about students feeling supported, engaged, directed, valued and nurtured by the college throughout high school. When they set foot on campus as freshmen, it will already feel like home.”

The path leads graduating high school students to the Hancock Promise and one year of free tuition and fees at the college. They will receive priority registration and be eligible for countless services and programs to help them thrive. The college’s commitment continues into the second year through the fourth and final component of the Promise, the Extended Promise. The Extended Promise focuses on ensuring second-year success with a degree, certificate or transfer to a four-year university.

“During students’ second year, Promise students will continue to receive direction and services to help them succeed – counseling, assistance with scholarships, transfer applications and job interview preparation,” said Ornelas. “The bottom line is the college will focus on ensuring students succeed.”

Data show that 37 percent of graduating seniors from district high schools enroll at Hancock. The college’s goal with the Hancock Promise is to increase that rate.

The Hancock Promise is funded entirely through private donations, grants and corporate gifts. With this announcement, the college is launching a five-year, $10 million endowment campaign through the Allan Hancock College Foundation to ensure the sustainability of the Promise.

“There is already a long history of community support for students at Hancock,” said Valerie Moya Boice, president of the Allan Hancock College Foundation Board. “The Promise allows more students the opportunity to benefit from the wonderful programs at the college!”

Long-time Santa Maria Valley resident Doris Lahr and her family were the inaugural donors. Companies including Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Marian Regional Medical Center and AERA Energy have already pledged their support to the Hancock Promise.

“At Aera, we’re proud of our partnership with Allan Hancock College and our investments in educational opportunities,” said Rick Rust, public affairs analyst with Aera Energy. “We are excited that the Hancock Promise will empower families to see their students as college bound from a young age. We look forward to working with the college to build stronger communities together.”

For more information about the Hancock Promise, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/promise , send an email to promise@hancockcollege.edu or call (805) 347-7550.

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