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This year marks the 25th anniversary of Cook County Higher Education’s existence in Cook County. Even though we have been serving locals for 25 years, our purpose and scope of services seem to be a mystery to a lot of our population. So, we are excited to write an article each month to highlight how Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) has helped your friends, family, and colleagues and outline what we can offer you!
The original focus of CCHE was to help Cook County folks tackle long-distance education after completing high school. When it was established in 1996, most of this was accomplished with correspondence courses through the mail and fax. CCHE offered an office with technology (phone, computer, copy machine, and fax) and staff to help with questions and proctoring tests. CCHE has always worked with students to identify what they want to accomplish academically and then explore long-distance education programs that fit their needs. In 1996, and currently, these courses could be expensive.
To help Cook County students afford to continue their education, CCHE began to develop textbook and tuition scholarship programs. Starting in 2002, and still active today, CCHE offers scholarships for required textbooks. This is an income-based sliding scale scholarship covering 25 percent – 100 percent of the textbook cost up to $200 per student per calendar year. To date, 94 textbook scholarships totaling $9,300 have been awarded.
In 2003 CCHE created its first scholarship fund named in honor of the late Wes Hedstrom who was a CCHE Board Member and a life-long advocate for education. Originally these $250 tuition scholarships were funded by CCHE funds, but the CCHE Board and Wes’ widow Thelma solicited donations to create a sustainable fund. From inception, the only stipulation required to receive a scholarship award is that the student is a resident living and working in Cook County while attending school via some type of distance learning program. Scholarships range from $250 to $1,400, and the fund has awarded 169 scholarships totaling $67,609. The CCHE Board of Directors recently awarded two scholarships to locals which depleted the current funding.
In September 2014 at CCHE’s Afternoon Tea Fundraiser, board member Beth Rogers Kennedy surprised everyone by announcing that CCHE was starting a new scholarship honoring Nancy and Mike Carlson’s contributions to the community. By year-end, $13,000 was raised for the scholarships. Private donations have kept the fund strong through 2021. The fund is for students seeking a degree or certificate in literacy or education including early childhood education, K-12 licensure, higher education, and special education. Generally, the scholarships are $1,000 – $2,000. Twenty-three students have received a total of $36,421.
In 2007, CCHE began a long-standing relationship with the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation (LKJ). As Executive Director Paula Sundet-Wolf worked to expand the reach of CCHE, she applied for grants to fund computer workstations, nurse training aid, help with creating our current campus, trades training, and student study skills development. In 2013, she applied for a grant to cover the cost of a dedicated student services position to support every Cook County resident considering long-distance education and for $20,000 to be spent over two years to provide long-distance education tuition scholarships. This model worked. More students could afford long-distance education and complete their programs with help from a dedicated advocate. The same grant was approved in 2015. In 2016, the tuition grant increased to $30,000. From 2014 through the 2020-21 school year, the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation provided Cook County residents with 110 tuition scholarships totaling $190,000, and $330,000 directly to CCHE to provide a dedicated employee to support locals’ efforts to continue their education. CCHE was awarded a $60,000 grant in June for the 2021-22 school year: $30,000 for student support and $30,000 for tuition scholarships.
CCHE’s Student Support Coordinator Lenna Stever and Outreach Coordinator Carly Puch work together to promote these tuition scholarship opportunities, and Stever is available to help students complete the applications. The Hedstrom, Carlson, and Lloyd K. Johnson awards are made twice a year: in July for the fall semester and in December for the spring semester. CCHE has a Scholarship Committee that reviews completed applications and makes recommendations to the full CCHE Board for approval. The committee strives to maximize available funds from all scholarships to meet the needs of local long-distance students.
This month, CCHE received 15 applications and awarded $1,250 (2 scholarships) from Wes Hedstrom, $3,000 (2 scholarships) from Carlson, and $15,000 (11 scholarships) from Lloyd K. Johnson funds. Students enrolled this fall in 14 different institutions. Degree programs range from an Associates Arts degree to master’s and Doctorate Degrees. Your neighbors are working towards degrees in Criminal Justice, Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Accounting, Nursing, Social Work, Health Promotion, and Environmental Conflict Resolution.
CCHE recognizes that the traditional college path is not for everyone. Recently, considerable effort has been made towards promoting training in the trades. The tuition scholarships above support long-distance education. Training for trades is often a hands-on experience. CCHE currently has one scholarship available for students interested in the trades and is developing a second scholarship fund.
In 2007 the Michel Beaupre Scholarship was created in honor of the late Michel by his widow Bev Denyes. Born in Canada, Beaupre began his apprenticeship as an electrician at age 16 and eventually became an electrical inspector in Grand Marais. He was proud of his trade and encouraged young people to enter the trades. Funded by Denyes and two First and Second Thrift Store volunteers, the fund distributes 1-3 $500 scholarships each year to Cook County students pursuing a career in the trades. To date, 23 scholarships totaling $7,300 have been distributed. This scholarship is available to Cook County residents receiving their education in or out of Cook County.
Earlier this year, a former CCHE Board Member, Doug Bruce, broached the idea of creating the Bob Pratt Skills, Trades & Technology Scholarship Fund. Bob Pratt was also a former CCHE Board Member and supported education and training of any kind. In his memory, a fund has been created to help residents recognize their potential and help remove barriers to success. The fund will help the student start, develop, and gain new skills that are valuable to the student, employers, and Cook County. Fundraising efforts for the Bob Pratt Fund are currently underway.
Tuition scholarships are available to Cook County Residents. If you are interested in hearing more, please contact Cook County Higher Education. You do not need to use any other services we offer. All CCHE services are free, including help finding a program that is right for you, completing program applications, filing FAFSA and navigating financial aid documents, and help completing tuition scholarship applications. CCHE is for everyone, and we try hard to cater our services to meet your needs.
Donations to any of the scholarships are always appreciated and can be made through CCHE’s website, myCCHE.org, or by calling 218-387-3411.
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