Browsing by Author "Kelly, Patrick J."

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    Halfway Home and a Long Way To Go: Bridging Persistent Poverty Gap in Alabama’s Black Belt
    (2025) Katsinas, Stephen G.; Till, Garrett A.; Peterson, Joscelyn; Keeney, Noel E.; Kelly, Patrick J.; Bray, Nathaniel J.
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    How the El Dorado Promise Changed the Lives of its Students, Institutions, and Community
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2024) Schroeder, Jennifer A.; Katsinas, Stephen G.
    College Promise programs are found throughout the United States. The programs range from small investments to large scholarships that greatly impact the state or communities served. In 2007, Murphy Oil Corporation made a decision that changed the lives of students in the El Dorado Public School District when it provided a first dollar College Promise scholarship for students. The El Dorado Promise allowed students to attend college at any regionally accredited institution in the United States. This allowed students to use the scholarship at out-of-state institutions using local College Promise funding. The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis of the El Dorado Promise to assess the impact of the program, in hopes that future students will continue to benefit from the scholarship. The study reviewed research for rural College Promise programs and considered the impact of the El Dorado Promise on students’ college and transfer choices and the rural community served by the El Dorado Promise. The three-article dissertation considered the impact of the El Dorado Promise on the recipients, the institutions attended, and the community of El Dorado, Arkansas. The first article provided a structured literature review of current research related to rural College Promise programs. The second article explored the impact of the El Dorado Promise on college choice and transfer decisions. The third article provided a close look at the impact of the El Dorado Promise on population and K-12 enrollment trends not only in El Dorado, Arkansas, but also in the surrounding communities. The three articles combined consider the difference the scholarship made holistically to help guide future policy decisions made by Murphy Oil Corporation.