MNU and Great Jobs KC are partnering to provide even more scholarships to eligible students residing in the greater Kansas City area. MNU is joining Great Jobs KC’s KC Scholars College Network, a network of higher education institutions, in offering opportunities to those who may not have previously had access to them.
Great Jobs KC’s KC Scholars Scholarship Program is a regional scholarship and support program dedicated to helping low- to moderate-income students access, persist in, and complete college or career credentials. These college scholarships provide up to $50,000 per student. Great Jobs KC also provides the ongoing support many of their Scholars need to complete their college degree. A Scholar Advocate who provides one-to-one support of the Scholar, including access to support services that remove barriers to success, such as transportation, technology, tutoring, and career services. They award 250 Traditional scholarships each year to high school juniors, where the recipient can select from any of the schools in the KC Scholars College Network, 150 adult learner scholarships, and a nearly unlimited number of opportunities for those students willing to commit to a specific school in the network with one of the College-Specific Scholarships the program offers.
As a partner institution, MNU will offer two types of College-Specific scholarships to students who were eligible for but did not receive a KC Scholars Traditional Scholarship.
- MNU-Specific 50: Up to $50,000 over 5 years (requires a 2.5+ GPA)
- MNU-Specific 70: Up to $70,000 over 5 years (requires a 3.5+ GPA)
Speaking on the effect this partnership will have on the Kansas City community, Great Jobs KC COO, Natalie Lewis, said, “It is through partnerships with post-secondary institutions within our region that we can create lasting impact through opportunities for first-generation students to achieve their dreams of a college degree and start the cascading effect that generational wealth has on an entire community. We are so very proud to partner with MNU to provide these opportunities that will create lasting impact on both individuals and Kansas City.”
MNU’s Vice President for Strategic Expansion, Lisa Hood, says the focus on a student’s persistence to completion of a degree is a point of pride at MNU. “Our students have access to student success coaches who help them generate a student success plan (SSP) guiding them toward college success and achievement,” Hood says. “This aids students in defining their academic and personal goals, identifying and connecting with relevant campus resources, developing college success skills such as time management, organization, and note-taking, along with the accountability that is needed at times to follow through.
Both traditional and adult students choose to lean into these resources in addition to the support from their academic advisors.”
Additionally, Hood says that MNU will be ready to serve recipients seeking a traditional university experience or an accelerated option, allowing them to balance work and other responsibilities.
Hood added, “We want to be good partners with the community by influencing regional workforce development and equity in education.”
Learn more about the university’s programs at mnu.edu.
About Great Jobs KC:
Great Jobs KC (www.greatjobskc.org) is a 501(c)(3) college scholarship and tuition-free job training program. Its goal is to support persistence and increase the college completion rate for low- and modest-income students across the six-county, bi-state service region and secure family-sustaining careers. The organization was designed to change thousands of individual lives and transform the region by preparing the local future workforce and contributing to the regional economy.
The KC Scholars Scholarship Program awards traditional college scholarships to high school juniors and adult learner scholarships to adults 24 years and older.
The Great Jobs KC program provides tuition assistance to approved career training programs in high-demand industries such as construction, healthcare, information technology, logistics/warehousing, manufacturing, and service careers. With the support of Great Jobs KC, adults 17+ and older can learn the skills needed in one year or less to secure a career making at least $45,000 per year.
