Northwest, MCC partner to provide A+ opportunities in St. Joseph

Left to right, Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski joined St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka and Metropolitan Community College Chancellor Mark James to announce the schools' partnership to assist St. Joseph high school students who are eligible for A+ scholarship funding. (Photo by Darren Whitley/ NWMS University Relations) — Left to right, Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski joined St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka and Metropolitan Community College Chancellor Mark James to announce the schools’ partnership to assist St. Joseph high school students who are eligible for A+ scholarship funding. (Photo by Darren Whitley/ NWMS University Relations)

NWMSU Media Release

College-bound students in St. Joseph will soon have the opportunity to use their A+ scholarship money locally.

Northwest Missouri State University and Metropolitan Community College (MCC) today announced a partnership with the St. Joseph School District to provide space and resources that will assist St. Joseph high school students who are eligible for A+. MCC will utilize four classrooms and equipment in the Northwest St. Joseph Center, located in the Historic Green Acres Building at 3500 N. Village Drive in St. Joseph.

For more than 20 years, the A+ program has provided scholarship funds to eligible students who graduate from a designated A+ high school and attend a participating public community college or a vocational or technical school. Eligible students must meet requirements of the program, which include maintaining a 2.5 grade-point average, a 95 percent attendance record and perform at least 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring.

“This initiative will help us serve eligible students to pursue an associate’s degree with MCC with very little cost,” said Dr. Utpal Goswami, president of the MCC-Maple Woods campus. “It is our hope that the availability of this opportunity will encourage more students to pursue A+ eligibility while in high school. As an institution committed to preparing students, serving communities and creating opportunities, we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the St. Joseph community.”

MCC will host an open house at 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the St. Joseph Center. Additionally, an information session for parents and students is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the St. Joseph Center.

Classes for eligible students begin Monday, Aug. 18.

“The St. Joseph School District values partnerships that put the needs of our students first,” Dr. Fred Czerwonka, St. Joseph School District superintendent said. “Having MCC here in St. Joseph will allow our A+ students the opportunity to use their scholarships while staying in our community. We are excited for this new venture and look forward to the future.”

Northwest and MCC have enjoyed a series of partnerships and collaborations in recent years. Most recently, Northwest relocated its Kansas City Center to the MCC-Maple Woods campus, and the University announced it will partner with MCC and North Kansas City Schools to create an innovation center designed for enhanced educational and research opportunities in the city of Gladstone.

“We are so pleased to be partnering with Metropolitan Community College and the St. Joseph School District to help students realize their goals of attaining a college degree,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski. “We place a high value at Northwest on collaboration and student success, and this partnership is illustrative of that.”