New state service program to award participating students $10K for college costs
Students who commit to one year of service in their communities can earn as much as $10,000 for school costs under the new Californians For All College Corps program.
The program, announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 18, aims to create debt-free pathways to college while students across the state engage in solving problems in their communities. This new program is also the first to welcome Assembly Bill 540 eligible Dreamers to apply and participate in a state service program.
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As many as 6,500 students will be provided with opportunities to learn and support organizations working in three priority areas: K-12 education, climate action and food insecurity.
The #CaliforniansForAll College Corps is a new program to help students who commit to a year of serving their communities pay for college. We are uniting students of different background from across California with a common purpose.To learn more, visit CaliforniaVolunteers.ca.govcc California Governor University of California California State University California Community Colleges Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Posted by California Volunteers, Office of the Governor on Tuesday, January 18, 2022
“This first of its kind initiative is being launched in partnership with California colleges and universities,” the College Corps website said. “Over the next two years these partner campuses will deploy more than 6,000 College Corps Fellows to tackle statewide challenges.”
Students who complete 450 hours of service with College Corps will receive the following benefits, according to the program’s website:
A $7,000 stipend for living allowance, plus a $3,000 Education Award.
Academic credit (amount and type to be determined by each partner school/campus).
A real-world job experience and skills to add to their resume.
Access to training, networking, and professional development opportunities.
A sense of pride and accomplishment in working toward a common purpose alongside young leaders from across the state.
Funding from program’s first two years of implementation comes from last year’s California Comeback Plan, where the state invested $146 million in “the nation-leading effort to help students with a debt-free path to a world class education while investing in California communities,” the Governor’s Office said in an email.
Nearly 4 million Californians owe $147 billion in student debt, “with Black and Latino Californians facing the highest rates of default and delinquency,” the state said.
The new College Corps program is part of an effort to lead and create service-centered paths, “relieving the debt burden on our recent graduates while moving the state forward with service-focused careers,” the statement continued.
The 45 participating universities include University of the Pacific, Stanislaus State, University of California and California State University systems, among others.
Pacific is one of the four private universities selected and will receive up to $3.2 million over two years to support 100 students who will participate in community service combined with classroom learning, the university said in a statement.
“We are absolutely thrilled with our selection,” Edie Sparks, Pacific’s vice provost for undergraduate education and program director, said. “To go from a pilot of 10 students (Pacific had in 2020), to 27 the next year, and now up to 100 is tremendous.”
Each of the partner campuses has the responsibility to recruit and select both students and organizations to participate in the program, cultivate the cohort's experience, and participate in networking and peer learning opportunities with other College Corps partner schools in the state.
The first cohort of selected students’ service year is scheduled for August 2022 through July 2023. The second cohort’s service year will follow the year after, from August 2023 to June 2024.
Interested in applying? Know of someone who could be a good fit? Each partner school will lead its own process for recruiting and selecting students in the spring of 2022.
Check the College Corps website and the California Volunteers Facebook page for updates.
Record reporter Laura Diaz covers social justice and societal issues. She can be reached at ldiaz@recordnet.com or on Twitter @laurasdiaz_. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: New service program awards participating students $10K for college costs
