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NJC Press Release


Special Daniels Opportunity Award monies available to several non-traditional populations

Northeastern Junior College is once again the recipient of the 2010 Daniels Opportunity Award. Actually an awarded grant, the face value of this generous award provided by the Daniels Fund is $47,000. It is specifically intended to provide scholarships to several non-traditional populations, as requested by Daniels Fund founder Bill Daniels.
Bill Daniels was a hugely successful self-made businessman who personally never had the opportunity to attend college. He believed his business successes were due to his values and principles, as well as perseverance and good fortune. Part of his remarkable legacy is to give back to the communities who helped him achieve success. While Bill Daniels has a lengthy list of respected philanthropic projects, perhaps his most noteworthy endeavors are his efforts in education. Through the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship Program and the Daniels Grants Program, The Daniels Fund is able to help students, individuals, children, and families fully realize their potential. These programs allow many eligible students prepare for, attend, and complete college.
The funding received by Northeastern Junior College will be awarded to 23-47 recipients who are Colorado residents and Pell eligible. The award will be applied to the remaining tuition and fees not covered by the Pell Grant. Award recipients must fit the Daniels non-traditional student population profile. This population includes non-traditional-aged adult learners, GED recipients, Foster Care Youth, Juvenile Justice Youth, returning Military Service Personnel and individuals pursuing EMT/Paramedic Certification.
Recipients must exhibit academic promise, maturity, strong moral character, leadership, and perseverance. Their capacity to succeed, rather than their past academic performance, will be considered in the selection process. Awards may be in the amount of $1,000 per year, not to exceed $2,000 per student over the two-year grant period, which ends January 1, 2012.
The expectation is that the award recipients will graduate from NJC and transfer to an accredited, four-year program or graduate from the EMT/Paramedic program and start a career. Award recipients will be tracked by the NJC Counseling Office. Recipients will be expected to maintain a satisfactory grade point average. They will also meet with a mentor of their own choosing a couple of times each semester. The progress, persistence, retention, and graduation rate of award recipients will be monitored. All support services provided by NJC will be available to all award recipients.
Additional information about the NJC Daniels Opportunity Award is available in the NJC Admissions Office and the NJC Counseling Office. Applications are currently being accepted for the current Fall 2010 semester. A panel interview of applicants will take place during September and award recipients will be announced the first week in October. For more information, call Cindy Carey in the NJC Counseling Office at (970) 521-6676.
To learn more about the remarkable legacy of Bill Daniels, his philosophy and his personal values statements, please visit the Daniels Fund website at www.danielsfund.org.