SALEM, W.Va. — Salem International University will roll out a new affordable college initiative to help recent West Virginia high school graduates avoid debt.
“It is very critical, and it is the right thing to do, and it’s the right time to do it,” said SIU president Dan Nelant.
Salem is once again regionally accredited and has several programs accredited nationally. Nelant now wants to see in-state students take advantage of these programs.
“We want to provide an opportunity for our West Virginia high school students to go to college and get a Bachelor’s Degree with zero or manageable student-loan debt,” Nelant said.
The program is designed for students who graduated from high school in West Virginia after 2011. Nelant said that parents and students shouldn’t have to fear mortgaging their futures for the chance of creating a better future with a college degree.
“The biggest fear holding back parents and students to go to college is the fear of astronomical debt,” he said.
The program’s goal is for students to walk away with a debt no larger than $1,750 when they’ve finished their four-year bachelor’s degree. Combined with SIU’s rolling enrollment model, Nelant believes students who come from tough economic backgrounds have the chance to earn degree without having to sacrifice current commitments like working and raising a family.
“This way they do not have to change anything in that life,” he said. “If they have to work on a part-time basis to support the family need, they can do it. Put 20, 30, or 40 hours a week to the job and support the family, but put 10 to 15 hours a week for your future.”
Nelant said making education accessible is a personal passion of his. Born in India, his father dropped out of school in 10th grade but raised four children on what Nelant described as “meager” means. All four of those kids received a quality education.
“He accomplished that dream,” said Nelant. “He did not say how much net worth he was going to have–or how many cars. His only dream was education as the key to succeed in life.”
One of Nelant’s first goals when he took over as president of SIU last year was to make sure that tuition didn’t go up. In fact, it’s beginning to come down at SIU, which is a rarity at a time when tuition continues to rise at institutions of higher learning throughout the United States.
“That is the basic situation in the entire nation–the fear of college loan debt,” he said. “How it is staggering and how it is escalating year-over-year.”
Nelant comes from a financial background and believes that the job creation initiatives coming out of the state Capitol are going to create a better chance for employment–and he wants those jobs to stay in-state.
“I want our students to be better prepared to take those jobs rather than us importing from other states to fulfill the needs of these new employers coming into our state,” he said.