Copyright Arkansas Online
BENTONVILLE -- Ten students enrolled in the School District's Ignite Professional Studies program will receive full-ride scholarships to Pittsburg State University to continue their industry-aligned education. Bentonville School District officials and Pittsburg State University leaders gathered Wednesday in the Ignite Construction Center Wednesday to formalize a partnership. Per the agreement, 10 Ignite students each year who commit to enrolling at the university's Crossland College of Technology will receive a scholarship covering all tuition and fees for four years. A full academic year at Pittsburg State for undergraduate, in-state students costs an estimated $20,233; that includes tuition, residence hall living, books and supplies, according to the university's website. Arkansas is one of 32 states to which the university extends in-state tuition rates. "The students selected for this scholarship will earn a world-class education, could graduate debt-free and return home to help build the future of this region," said Jessica Imel, principal of Ignite. Bentonville students in grades 11 and 12 can apply to Ignite. The program offers industry-aligned training and internships in 10 career fields, including construction management, engineering-industrial design and digital media. Pittsburg State's Crossland College of Technology -- located in Pittsburg, Kan. -- enables students to pursue careers in these fields. Ignite students who accept the scholarship also have access to a dedicated career counselor and the option to live in an on-campus "focused living environment." "It's truly incredible," said Jay Wolfe, one of the Ignite students who has accepted the Pittsburg State scholarship. "And there's a lot of people that wouldn't have even thought of college, and so the fact that they'll give us these scholarships to be able to get the education of our dreams is just really amazing." Ignite students who plan on attending Pittsburg State and pursuing a major within the Crossland College of Technology are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Other scholarship requirements include a letter of reference at the time of application, maintaining a 2.85 GPA through college and an annual scholarship application resubmission. Callie Larochelle said she initially did not plan on attending college. She now plans to attend Pittsburg State with a full-ride scholarship. Ignite students visited the university last week to explore the Crossland College of Technology facilities. Larochelle described the campus as an ideal fit to pursue a career. "I really like how small it is, and how it's kind of like in the middle of nowhere," she said. She added the classrooms were reminiscent of her current class environment and would facilitate personal, hands-on learning. Conner Callison, another student enrolling at Pittsburg State with the scholarship, praised his experience with Ignite. "It's awesome. Being able to, like, already get a job site experience while not even having graduated prepares us even further," he said. Callison also shared positive thoughts about his future college learning environment following last week's visit. "That's what I'm looking for in a college, is somewhere I can not just go learn the business part of it, but also learn the hands-on and get my hands dirty," he said. PARTNERSHIP ORIGINS Imel described the new partnership between the Bentonville School District's Ignite program and Pittsburg State as a mutual appreciation for each other's industry-aligned training programs. "They've come to visit our campus. We've gone to visit their campus," she said. "And so I think they're recognizing the quality of the work that's happening in our classrooms here at Ignite, and have targeted this as a potential talent pipeline for their programs." Pittsburg State President Thomas Newsom also spoke at the event, suggesting the new partnership could benefit employers in construction, engineering and digital media. He pointed to a "significant workforce need in our region and in our country" right now. "We are not going to meet that workforce need if we do not work together collaboratively in these kinds of partnerships," Newsom said. He added the partnership made sense given the university's "long relationship" with Bentonville and Walmart. Former Walmart CEO Lee Scott graduated from Pittsburg State University, and his brother, Steven Scott, was the university's president from 2009 to 2022. Karl Stumo, vice president of student affairs for the university, told students in attendance that their educational experiences will make them valuable members of the workforce, in addition to making their families proud. "I also think of the employers who can't wait to hire you right away, with the skills that you will bring to those work sites or to those projects and those areas of work," he said. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Pittsburg State Enrollment Pittsburg State University had a fall semester enrollment of 5,803 -- including undergraduate and postgraduate students -- as of Oct. 1. Freshman enrollment sits at 1,042, a 12% increase from this time last year. Source: Pittsburg State University
