Last week, the Wolf Administration met with educators and students at Reading Area Community College (RACC) where they discussed Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed $200 million Nellie Bly scholarship.
According to a release by Wolf’s office, the intention is to offer scholarships to students attending community college or PA State System of Higher Education institutions to help bring them affordable education and to bolster the state’s workforce. The priority is for those looking to become teachers, mental health counselors, school nurses and psychologists.
“Pennsylvania students are already forced to take on outrageous amounts of debt to get a college degree,” Acting Secretary of Education Eric Hagarty said. “This scholarship program will help make college a little bit more affordable for Pennsylvanians. And it will help put our entire commonwealth on the path to a better future.”
The proposed scholarship program would be funded through American Rescue Plan Act and the Race Horse Development Trust Fund. The main priority would be for Pennsylvania students who are studying healthcare, education and public services. Students who benefit from the scholarship would have to live and work in Pennsylvania for the number of years they received the scholarship funds or pay back the tuition through a low-interest loan.
“The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program is of special importance to those students in Berks County, as it will help build strong, successful lives in their communities, rather than leave them struggling to pay student loan bills, often working two to three jobs to make ends meet for themselves and their families,” RACC President Dr. Susan Looney said.
State Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) spoke in favor of the Nellie Bly program, saying that there are Pennsylvania students struggling financially while trying to attend school, leading them to either picking up jobs and dropping extracurricular activities, or not finishing school at all.
“Under no circumstance should one’s educational ambitions be deterred simply by the price of tuition,” said Schwank. “The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program would make a big investment in Pennsylvania’s students and demonstrate that we believe in our state system schools. It’s truly a worthwhile investment in the commonwealth’s future leaders.”
The Nellie Bly proposal is also meant to remove barriers to affordable education, as well as stabilize the future workforce in Pennsylvania.
“For far too many Pennsylvania students, aspiring to attain a postsecondary education means being anchored down by a heap of student loan debt,” said state Rep. Manuel Guzman (D-Reading). “The Nellie Bly proposal aims to alleviate this financial burden and encourage those to pursue their dream careers, while simultaneously ensuring the vitality of Pennsylvania’s workforce. This would be a win-win scenario for our students, workforce, and institutions of higher education.”
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