KIPP Nashville and KIPP Memphis are partnering with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to increase the number of students from underrepresented communities that earn a college degree.
In partnering with KIPP, MTSU hopes to recruit and enroll 10 qualified KIPP graduates each year.
Through the partnership, MTSU will provide students with help getting financial aid, work to build a peer support network, and invite student to tour campus for early exposure to the university.
“We are thrilled to be entering into this partnership with MTSU,” Emily Blatter, Director of KIPP Through College at KIPP Nashville, said. “The reality is that less than 10% of students from low-income communities earn college degrees. The KTC program is designed to support our students as they make the journey to and through college, but we can’t do it alone. That’s why partnerships, like the one we’re celebrating with MTSU, are so important.”
“We are proud to become the only public university in the state to partner with this nationally recognized network of college-preparatory schools,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said. “We see this as an extension of our commitment to student success, as well as the many programs we have in place to help support traditionally underserved populations reach their educational goals. With more than 90 KIPP Nashville applicants for our Fall 2017 class, we are the number one school choice for students in the region, so I’m pleased to learn KIPP counselors are encouraging students to seek out schools like MTSU that have support service similar to those offered by the preparatory school.”
Established in 2005, KIPP Nashville currently educates more than 1,300 students at the elementary, middle, and high school level. KIPP Nashville’s college prep public schools are tuition-free and open to all. Currently, 76% percent of students are African American and 85% percent are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. KIPP Nashville currently has 81 students enrolled in college, including 10 at MTSU.
