February 5, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Suzanne Ernst (702) 889-8426

Millennium Scholarship Increases Chances of College Education

LAS VEGAS – Contrary to information given to state lawmakers on Tuesday, the Millennium Scholarship program has made a dramatic impact on the number of Nevada students going directly from high school to college.

“We have seen an increase in our college-going rate since Gov. Guinn launched the Millennium Scholarship program,” said Dr. Jane Nichols, chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada. “In 2000, the first year the Millennium Scholarship was available, we saw a statewide enrollment jump of students attending Nevada institutions of more than eight percent.”

According to UCCSN figures, 47.1 percent of Nevada’s high school class of 2000 immediately enrolled in a two- or four-year degree program after graduation, either in Nevada or other states, resulting in an overall increase of nearly 7 percent.

“This substantial increase in enrollment growth can be attributed primarily to the Millennium Scholarship,” said Nichols. “Although subsequent increases have been less dramatic, they still reflect more students going to college in Nevada.”

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 13-member governing body for the University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institute, the UCCSN serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to nearly 98,000 students.

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