Adams State University and Saguache County are teaming up to provide scholarship support for students in Saguache County.
The Saguache County Commissioners voted to approve $14,472 in scholarship aid that will be matched by the state of Colorado and its Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) fund.
The counties portion came from funds generated by the excise tax approved by the voters on cannabis operations in the county. The Commissioners pointed to wording in the ballot language that spoke to youth opportunity as one of the primary uses of these funds.
Adams State President Cheryl D. Lovell and Alumni Director Lori Laske presented the opportunity for the matching COSI funds to Saguache County Commissioners as a way to help students in Saguache County attend Adams State or Trinidad State Junior College.
“The state matching funds are a key component for Saguache County,” said Commissioner Jason Anderson. “We like the fact that students in Saguache County will benefit directly from the scholarship aid. We are committed to supporting our students pursue their own dreams and ambitions by furthering their education beyond high school, and the COSI match is a great way to accomplish the goal.”
To be considered for the Saguache County COSI scholarships, students will be required to maintain a 2.75 GPA and be graduates of a Saguache county high school. Students must be enrolled full time in college and be in a degree-seeking academic program.
At Adams State, students who are taking a minimum of 12 semester credit hours are considered full-time students.
The scholarship will start in the fall 2019 and is valued at $1,000 per student. The scholarship is also based on need determined by the federal student aid application (FASFA).
Adams State works with other counties in the San Luis Valley on similar COSI scholarships.
