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Amherst College is the 2016 recipient of a $1-million prize awarded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to a selective college or university with an excellent record of admitting, supporting, and graduating outstanding low-income students.
The "Cooke Prize for Equity in Educational Excellence" is the largest award in the U.S. that's given to an elite college for both eliminating arbitrary barriers to admission and promoting the success of high-achieving students from low-income families.
Amherst was selected as this year's "Cooke Prize" recipient based on six criteria that deal with outstanding low-income students: outreach to attract such students; admissions; enrollment; financial aid; acceptance of community-college transfer students; and degree completion.
This year's other finalists were: Davidson College; Pomona College; Rice University; and Stanford University.
To learn more, visit jkcf.org.
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Harold Levy, the Cooke Foundation's executive director (two bites; :40 total)
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(LEVY--BITE #1):
"AMHERST IS GETTING THE 'COOKE PRIZE' BECAUSE IT'S A NATIONAL LEADER, IN EXPANDING ACCESS TO COLLEGE FOR OUTSTANDING, LOW-INCOME STUDENTS.
THE COLLEGE HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED ITS FINANCIAL-AID BUDGET; IT'S IMPLEMENTED AGGRESSIVE, NATIONAL RECRUITMENT-STRATEGIES; AND
IT'S CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE LOW-INCOME STUDENTS THRIVE."
(LEVY--BITE #2):
"AMHERST HAS PROVEN THAT THE GOAL OF ADMITTING AND GRADUATING INCREASED NUMBERS OF LOW-INCOME
STUDENTS--WITH EXCELLENT ACADEMIC-QUALIFICATIONS--CAN BE ACHIEVED. WE HOPE [THAT] OTHER COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WILL FOLLOW ITS
EXAMPLE--AND ALSO LOWER BARRIERS TO EQUAL EDUCATIONAL-OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF FAMILY-INCOME."
Biddy Martin, Amherst College's president (two bites; :44 total)
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(MARTIN--BITE #1):
"WE'RE HONORED THAT THE FOUNDATION HAS RECOGNIZED AMHERST'S EFFORTS TO MAKE EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE TO TALENTED STUDENTS FROM ANY SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND.
AND, THIS PRIZE WILL HELP US MEET OUR ADDITIONAL GOAL, OF CLOSING INVISIBLE OPPORTUNITY-GAPS THAT CAN AFFECT STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME
BACKGROUNDS--ONCE THEY ARRIVE ON CAMPUS."
(MARTIN--BITE #2):
"THE GENEROSITY OF OUR ALUMNI, THE PRIORITIES SET BY FORMER-PRESIDENT TONY
MARX, AND THE COMMITMENT OF EVERY SINGLE CONSTITUENCY OF THE COLLEGE, HAVE ALLOWED AMHERST TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY TO MANY MORE STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS.
AND, WE'RE NOW FOCUSED ON SUSTAINING THAT COMMITMENT--AND ENSURING [THAT] ALL STUDENTS CAN TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE THAT A LIBERAL-ARTS EDUCATION PROVIDES."
