Americans owe $1.2 trillion in student-loan debt, and that number is growing, according to a U.S. News & World Report article published in June. In Arkadelphia, the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp have funded the Arkadelphia Promise to help offset the cost of college tuition for Arkadelphia High School students. This year, the program reached the million-dollar milestone in scholarship funds awarded.

Arkadelphia, Ark.-The percent of Arkadelphia High School graduates enrolling in college reached an all-time high since the creation of the Arkadelphia Promise. Promise Executive Director Jason Jones recently announced that the AHS college-going rate for 2014 graduates is 75.4 percent, the highest percent since the scholarhip program was announced in 2011, and the third consecutive year that this figure increased.

Since its inception in the fall of 2010, the Arkadelphia Promise has awarded $1,175,000.00 in scholarship money to Arkadelphia High School graduates in hopes of making college a reality for all local students. Executive Director Jason Jones is pleased to announce that the Arkadelphia Promise, funded by Southern Bancorp and the Ross Foundation, has provided financial aid for a total of 718 college semesters and awarded an average of $3,342.62 per year to students.

Arkadelphia, Ark. – Arkadelphia Promise Director Jason Jones recently announced several key statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of the scholarship program available to Arkadelphia High School graduates. The most striking of the data is that AHS graduates who entered college as freshmen in the fall of 2012 returned to college in the fall of 2013 at a rate of 82 percent, which is a greater retention rate than both Arkansas and national averages.

(Arkadelphia, Ark)-Not only does the Arkadelphia Promise help pay Arkadelphia graduates tuition, they also help connect students with other scholarship opportunities. In the case of John Sivils, a 2012 graduate, it really paid off to follow up with the opportunity Promise Director Jason Jones found for him and some others.

ARKADELPHIA, Ark.— College freshman to sophomore retention rates were recently reported for the Arkadelphia High School class of 2011 graduates. In the fall of 2012, 63 of the original 90 college students from the AHS class of 2011 returned for their sophomore year, which equals a retention rate of 70 percent. According to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, the retention rate for all Arkansas freshmen to sophomore students is 61.4 percent. Jason Jones, Executive Director of the Arkadelphia Promise, noted that the national retention rate is 67.4 percent.

The Arkadelphia Promise is nearing the completion of its freshman year, and the numbers indicate favorable returns. The scholarship program, which helps high school graduates pay for college and advanced training certificates, had a 90 percent retention rate among first-semester participants.

ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—The Arkadelphia Promise Executive Director, Jason Jones, announced today that the application for the Arkadelphia class of 2012 is now available. “We are here to help our Arkadelphia students go to college and help take away some of the financial burden of paying for their education.” The application for the Arkadelphia Promise can be found on the Arkadelphia Promise website. The website address is www.arkadelphiapromise.com, and the application can be found by clicking on “forms”.

Arkadelphia, Ark-Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe provided the keynote address for the inaugural Arkadelphia Promise Academic Signing Day. Fourth District Congressman Mike Ross also attended the event to help celebrate the special occasion. The event was held in the Arkadelphia High School gymnasium.

Arkadelphia, Ark.-In honor of the inaugural class of the Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship, Arkadelphia High School will be hosting Arkadelphia Promise Academic Signing Day on Wednesday, May 18th at 1:30. This event will be highlighted by guest speakers Governor Mike Beebe and Congressman Mike Ross. Over 110 Arkadelphia High School seniors will participate in the ceremonial signing.

Jason W. Jones has been hired as executive director of the Arkadelphia Promise Foundation, the chairman of the foundation’s board of directors announced Wednesday.
“Jason has demonstrated a strong desire to see that the Arkadelphia Promise supports all Arkadelphia families and has presented a clear plan of action to turn the Arkadelphia Promise into a reality for this year’s senior class and those who will follow,” Bryan McKinney, the board chairman who’s also dean of the Hickingbotham School of Business at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.

It’s been more than three weeks since the announcement that the Arkadelphia Promise had been established to guarantee aspiring Clark County college hopefuls the funding to attend a university. Now, Arkadelphia Superintendent Donnie Whitten says he and the rest of the faculty and staff with the school system are working hard to make sure the high standards set by the new program are met.

In El Dorado and Arkadelphia, the dreams of Charles Murphy Jr. and Jane Ross live on. The El Dorado Promise and the Arkadelphia Promise will help make those two cities shining stars for the southern half of our state. Interestingly, the initiatives have their roots in a pair of great Arkansans who both were born in 1920.

Arkadelphia and El Dorado are two of my favorite towns. Now, they have something else in common — something very special. Last week, people filled the football stadium at Arkadelphia High School. They were there to see the Arkadelphia Promise scholarship program unveiled. It’s something that will change the face of my hometown forever.

When we first heard of the El Dorado Promise, a scholarship program founded by Murphy Oil Company that pays tuition and mandatory fees to Arkansas two- and four-year colleges for El Dorado High School graduates who meet qualifications, we knew it was going to be a substantial influence on the students it helps.

ARKADELPHIA – Tuesday’s announcement of the Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship, which will allow qualifying students in the Clark County seat to attend college free of charge, was big news for the community.
The new scholarship program was introduced during an Education Pep Rally held Tuesday at Badger Stadium with special guest Gov. Mike Beebe.

Current seniors and future graduates of Arkadelphia High School join graduates of El Dorado High School in being the beneficiaries of a powerful promise: college scholarships, opportunity, a great chance to create a great future.

Arkadelphia, Ark. — Making a special appearance at the Arkadelphia Promise event was Gov. Mike Beebe, who said he was proud of the efforts of the people of Arkadelphia.
“Today there are all sorts of people who can say for the first time: my child, my grandchild, can go to college,” said Beebe. “The obstacles have been knocked down, thanks to the Ross Foundation and Southern Bancorp.

Students who graduate from Arkadelphia High School will get help picking up the tab for college. Representatives from Southern Bancorp and the Ross Foundation, both based in Arkadelphia, announced Tuesday that they have partnered to start a scholarship program that will help students pay the cost of tuition and mandatory fees up to the highest rate of a public university in Arkansas.

Current seniors and future graduates of Arkadelphia High School who are eligible for Arkansas lottery-funded scholarships will have the balance of their college tuition and fees paid by a new scholarship program announced Tuesday.