The Crankstart and Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundations Provide Much-Needed Resources to Assist Mature and/or College Reentry Students in Achieving a Bachelor’s Degree
By Morgan State U
(BALTIMORE – July 27, 2022) — In the furtherance of its support of adult learner education and expansion of degree attainment for mature students, Morgan State University, by way of its Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS), has received grants totaling $850,000 from the Crankstart Foundation and the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation. The $800,000 received from the Crankstart Foundation will be used to extend the funding for the Crankstart Reentry Scholarship program for an additional two years, while the remaining $50,000 will be utilized to establish the Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship for Mature Students.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 15% of the adult population has some college credit but no degree. This equates to approximately 39 million people throughout the U.S.
To date, CCPS has received nearly $1.6 million in grant contributions from the San Francisco-based Crankstart Foundation. Initially inspired by a $1-million endowment the University received from the Bernard Osher Foundation, the Crankstart Foundation funded the Reentry Scholarship Program at Morgan in 2016. In the first six years of Morgan’s Crankstart Reentry Scholarship Program, 54 nontraditional Morgan students have graduated, earning their degrees. Crankstart Reentry Scholars, as they are known, are pursuing degrees in 33 majors at Morgan, including such popular programs as Applied Liberal Studies, Business Management, Social Work, Psychology, Engineering, Computer Science, Education, and Sociology. With the latest round of funding, the Crankstart Foundation has extended the term of the grant from two to four years.
Adult students looking to take advantage of the available resources and become Crankstart Reentry Scholars must be enrolled at Morgan (part-time or full-time), returning to the University after a gap of five or more years and pursuing their first bachelor’s degree. Eligible applicants also must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents aged 25–50 and must have a GPA of 2.7 or higher.
Founded in 1979, the private, Princeton, New Jersey-based Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation was created to provide scholarship support for mature students, students with disabilities, and selected populations of students in need of monetary assistance. Historically, the foundation has provided financial aid for mature students whose pursuit of a bachelor’s degree is complicated by personal responsibilities or challenging circumstances requiring significant financial and/or time commitments. The Newcombe Foundation is selective in awarding its grants. Proposals are accepted by invitation only.
Housed within the University’s newly launched College of Interdisciplinary and Continuing Studies, the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies serves the lifelong educational needs of traditional and nontraditional students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, professional and personal growth aspirations. In keeping with Morgan’s mission, CCPS delivers services and programs designed to meet the specific needs of individuals at any point in their educational development. In addition to the Crankstart, Osher Reentry and Newcombe Foundation scholarship programs, CCPS also offers the Improved Opportunities for Parents (IOP) and the Beryl W. Williams Scholarships for adult learners.
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.