The opportunity for individuals to pursue a college education represents a critical component of the American dream and an irreplaceable pillar of our democratic society. Yet, each year the hopes of hundreds of thousands of deserving students go unfulfilled because they simply cannot afford to pay for college. The federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance reports that between 2001 and 2010, more than 4.4 million Americans will be unable to afford a four-year college. Of those, two million will not be able to afford any college at all. Students contemplating college today faces rapidly rising costs; widespread cuts in federal, state and institutional grants; and confusing, fragmented means to find financial aid. This deepening crisis of diminishing educational opportunity threatens the vital economic, political and national security interests of the United States.

Like other issues of vital national importance, effective solutions to this college access problem are being spearheaded at the city/community level. A great example is Kalamazoo Promise. According to its website, the "Kalamazoo Promise is a scholarship offered to every Kalamazoo Public School student. The qualifications for this scholarship are extremely simple and the scholarship itself is even more generous…But the Kalamazoo Promise is much more than a scholarship program; it is a catalyst to making the Greater Kalamazoo Community an even greater community. It is inspiring Kalamazoo Public School students, families, teachers and staff. It is re-energizing the citizens of Kalamazoo and the Greater Kalamazoo community."

Think they’re exaggerating? According to an article on National Public Radio, "The Promise is also helping a struggling urban school district that has faced two decades of cuts and declining enrollment. This fall [2006—the year the program began], the district's classrooms have surged b

considered in setting up a "promise" program. The most obvious problem is figuring out what schools to include in the program. Clearly, it is easier to set up a Promise program for a single school district rather than an entire state. There is also a need to determine the basic eligibility requirements for individuals seeking funding from the program. Generally, these programs will only provide funds to students who plan on attending in-state public colleges and universities. Some will also provide limited aid to students who will attend in-state private schools. If covering any student meeting these criteria, like the "K-Promise" does, is too ambitious, then it may be prudent to institute minimum GPA requirements or insist that students be in one of the top percentiles of their high school graduating classes, like the STARS and HOPE programs. Despite differences in eligibility requirements, existing Promise programs unanimously require that students who wish to continue to receive benefit throughout their college education maintain full-time enrollment and some minimum GPA. Also worth noting is that many programs allow the students to wait up to 10 years before seeking a higher education. GivingNet created an actuarial model (dowload above, right) to provide cost estimates for the first 5 years of the program. The model includes a calculator that estimates the size of an endowment needed to run a program into perpetuity. The model should prove very useful to any organization attempting to establish a promise program.

y nearly 1,000 new students, a 10 percent jump. The burst in enrollment has created more than 30 teaching positions in the school district.

Or check out this clip on the program from CBS News that states, "They have 800 new families in the school district, a $10 million housing development, rising property values and two new schools."