The Grants Pass School District signed an agreement with the Rogue Community College Foundation on June 27 to transfer 350 acres of undeveloped land on Stringer Gap Road outside of town to the college. In exchange, Rogue Community College will offer tens of thousands of dollars in annual scholarships for Grants Pass high school students to take their courses.
Kristin Hosfelt, communications specialist with the Grants Pass School District, said the agreement could encourage more students to study in the region.
鈥淭he hope is students graduate from Grants Pass High School in May, they already have several RCC college credits under their belt 鈥� why not continue their education at RCC, you know ultimately stay in our community?鈥� said Hosfelt.
The area鈥檚 high school students will have access to $20,000 in annual scholarships, the equivalent of about 175 college credits, for study at RCC starting this fall.
Rogue Community College president Randy Weber said that money should be available well into the future.
鈥淪uperintendent [Tim] Sweeney and I were sincere when we said we'd love to see this be a 100-year agreement,鈥� said Weber.
He said the college plans to sell the land and use those funds to grow an endowment that will provide even more money for students in the future.
There鈥檚 no buyer for the property yet, which the district valued at more than $1 million in a press release.
Currently high school students can take a wide range of career-building courses at RCC, from training in welding and automotives to prerequisites for four-year degrees. Last year, Grants Pass students earned 1,810 college credits through RCC.
