University of St. Francis student honored by Associated Colleges of Illinois
University of St. Francis junior Rasheed Jones was named one of six winners of the Associated Colleges of Illinois’ (ACI) Road to College Success Essay Contest, sponsored by the Dr Pepper/7 UP Bottling Company. In his essay, Jones described the obstacles he has faced as he pursues college success, and how his experience at University of St. Francis has helped him meet those challenges and prepare for the future.
Jones and the other winners each received a $1,500 merit award at the Associated Colleges of Illinois’ 54th Annual Meeting, April 27.
ACI’s Annual Meeting marked the dedication of ACI’s College Success Network, a new initiative to help improve college success and graduation rates among minority, low-income and first-generation students at ACI’s member colleges and universities. "ACI’s College Success Network was specifically designed with at-risk students in mind," explained Jerry Fuller, ACI’s executive director. "The winners of ACI’s Road to College Success Essay Contest demonstrate how vital it is to provide every at-risk student with the extra support they need to complete a college degree."
Rasheed Jones, of Country Club Hills, is a junior majoring in accounting. Jones’ greatest hero, he writes in his essay, is his mother, the single parent who raised him while battling multiple sclerosis. His mother encouraged him to pursue his education beyond high school, but tight finances and Jones’ commitment to his mother and sister led him to choose a college that was close to home. Jones says he is glad he chose University of St. Francis, "where the teachers go out of their way to help you understand the material," and where he earned a 3.5 average in his first semester. He hopes to pass the CPA exam after graduating from college. Jones, who has been working to support his family since age 14, notes that he sees a big difference between his earlier years and his life now: "I can’t wait to look back five years from now and see how much I have accomplished."
Developed in partnership with faculty, multicultural directors, financial aid departments, student services and admissions officers from ACI member institutions, ACI’s College Success Network responds to data that say only 41 percent of minority students who enter college graduate, compared to 58 percent of their non-minority peers. Six years after entering college, only 26 percent of low-income students earn a degree, compared to 56 percent of their more affluent peers.
With funding from the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, and Fifth Third Bancorp, the lead corporate sponsor for ACI’s College Success Network, participating ACI member colleges and universities will pilot a powerful new combination of services, beginning with an assessment tool that will identify those incoming students at greatest risk. These students will benefit from an array of custom-designed support services, combined with a powerful new scholarship program, launched with help from Fifth Third Bancorp, which has contributed $35,000 for scholarships targeted to Hispanic students. ACI expects this comprehensive approach will lead to higher college success and graduation rates among low-income, minority and first generation college students.
The Associated Colleges of Illinois (ACI) is a group of 24 private colleges and universities, rooted in the liberal arts tradition that brings college, business and community leaders together to provide underserved students with the educational opportunities they need to become productive members of our society. Established in 1952, ACI envisions a future in which the expertise of ACI’s member colleges and universities and the resources of public and private funders come together to achieve economic and social progress through education.
The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves 4,100 students nationwide, offering undergraduate, degree completion and graduate programs.