NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam hopes recent changes to the Tennessee Promise program will encourage more students and mentors to apply to the scholarship initiative.
Haslam told The Tennessean last week that emphasizing the mentor-student relationship more will improve the scholarship program, which offers eligible high school seniors the chance to go to community or technical college without paying tuition.
Organizers with tnAchieves, a nonprofit that pairs most Tennessee Promise students with their mentors, are pushing back the recruitment deadline and developing a new system that will encourage mentors to devote more time to meeting and discussing each student's college transition.
Almost 7,400 mentors went through training last year, or about one for every eight Tennessee Promise students who originally applied.
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