$50,000 donation made to Edmond program

Paycom donated $50,000 to the Edmond Public School Foundation’s Early college start program, which makes higher education accessible to select Edmond public school students. 

The Edmond Public School Foundation describes itself on its official website as “an independent organization that works closely with the Edmond Public Schools district to serve students, teachers, and staff”. 

The early college start program is for eighth grade Edmond Public School students who qualify for Oklahoma’s Promise, a scholarship that pays a student’s full college tuition if their family makes $60,000 or less a year. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunches or who are first generation college students are also eligible. Students who are approved by the Edmond Public Schools Foundation as cohorts will be given the opportunity to earn up to sixty-two college credits from UCO over the course of their high school education. 

“They don’t start taking university classes in their freshman year. They are entered into the program and they begin those study skills and kind of an orientation into university, very similar to what we do with our Bronco blueprint course. They begin taking classes their sophomore year,” said Donna Cobb, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. 

“That’s why we brought the students this past academic year to our campus four different times and they met with students, they met with faculty, they met with deans so that they have an understanding of not only the courses, but what is a major? What does it take to major in a specific discipline? So we try to lay the groundwork during the freshman year and then we will continue that during the sophomore year,” continued Cobb.

Cobb said that the Early College Start Program helps students complete their general education subjects before they officially enter university. “Students will enter their freshman year with the majority of their core classes taken, and then there will be less cost for them to finish. If they choose to come to UCO, it will cost less to finish their bachelor’s degree. If they choose to go somewhere for an associate’s degree, they will already have the majority of those courses behind them,” Cobb said. 

Cobb said that the first group of Early College Start students, who are entering their sophomore year, will be enrolled in two UCO courses during the fall semester. These students will not be traveling to UCO’s campus for these courses ; rather, the instructor’s will visit their high schools.

“Their senior year in high school, they will come to our campus and take classes with our students so that they get a sense and a feel of what it is to be on a university campus and be a part of that experience,” Cobb said. 

Cobb said that the Edmond Public Schools Foundation approached UCO four years ago about working together to create the Early College Start Program. Cobb said that the Foundation wanted UCO to be the college they worked with both because of the university’s proximity to Edmond’s public high schools and because two individuals involved were UCO alumni and had a high opinion of the university. 

As part of their application, students must write an essay and include two letters of recommendation. Students must also apply for Oklahoma’s Promise, even if they do not qualify. Students can submit an early college start application during their eighth grade year. The application for the eighth grade class of 2024-2025 closes on May 9. Up to thirty students can be chosen to become cohorts. 

Cobb said that the early college program is financed through private donors. This decision was made four years ago, when the idea for the early college program was first proposed. Cobb said that since the idea had to be approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, it was required that the program be funded in a way that would be of little to no cost to students or their families. Currently, the Early Start Program has no costs for students.

“I think it will make a huge difference,” Cobb said of Paycom’s donation. 

“Because the Edmond Foundation is responsible for paying half of the total cost each year and that will allow the foundation with the Edmund School District to not only focus on funding or finding resources for the early college, but all of the different programs that are part of the Edmund School District. And it’s a very large district. So it will help the foundation immensely.”