INDIANAPOLIS — On April 19, 2017, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced the creation of the Indianapolis Promise Task Force. Charged with assembling recommendations on how to improve access to post-secondary educational opportunities for all Marion County residents, the Task Force met regularly over the last year with representatives from state and local government, institutions of higher education, workforce development and education nonprofits, as well as major corporate employers.
Recently, Mayor Hogsett announced the recommendations of that group, and launched Indy Achieves, a comprehensive program to make post-secondary credentials and degrees available to every Indianapolis resident.
“More than 60 percent of jobs in our state require a post-secondary credential or degree, but only 42 percent of our residents currently possess one,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Indy Achieves will bring together existing resources to send the message that no matter whether you are a current high school student, or an adult looking to move your career to new heights, everyone in Indianapolis can achieve the education they need to compete in a 21st Century economy.”
The Indy Achieves program will have three major responsibilities:
• To administer the Indy Promise scholarship, which will guarantee free tuition, books, and fees for every Marion County 21st Century Scholar recipient beginning in 2019.
• To administer the Indy Achieves Completion Grant, which is expected to provide more than a million dollars a year in grants to Marion County students of all ages who are pursuing high-demand degree programs.
• To marshal private and philanthropic resources to provide wraparound services for Marion County residents pursuing a post-secondary degree, including increased participation in state and federal scholarship programs, on time FAFSA completion, and postgraduate connection to employment through groups such as EmployIndy and Ascend.
All of these programs will be available to Marion County residents who are attending Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis or IUPUI.
Indy Achieves will be housed within EmployIndy as a standalone organization, with an expected staff of nearly a dozen once fully launched. It will be funded exclusively through an annual appropriation that will not require any new taxes, as well as through financial agreements with both Ivy Tech and IUPUI who will financially participate in the program.
In addition to these programs, both Ivy Tech and IUPUI have agreed to strengthen and launch services for Indy Achieves students aimed at increasing on time college completion. Coupled with the Indy Promise Scholarship and Completion Grant programs, Mayor Hogsett announced a goal of raising Indianapolis’ college attainment number to 65 percent by the year 2027.