PULLMAN – WSU is preparing for the 4th annual Future Cougars of Color program (FCOC) on April 3-5. FCOC is an orientation and scholarship program for low-income, first generation and students of color who have been offered admission to WSU.
FCOC helps students with the decision of choosing a college and uses the event as a way to explain what WSU has to offer them.
Students will visit all Multicultural Student Services centers, attend regular classes, take a walking tour through campus, speak with faculty, attend an academic fair and participate in a banquet at the Schweitzer Engineering Center where past FCOC participants, donors, mentors and WSU President Elson S. Floyd will speak on behalf of the program.
A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to students who attend the event and is renewable for up to four years if they enroll at WSU.
In addition, students will go through an extensive interview process to earn up to $10,000 in scholarships which are also renewable for up to four years.
Once students commit to WSU, to keep their scholarships, they will be required to maintain a minimum GPA depending on the level of scholarship they receive.
Mentors and tutors are available to students during their time at WSU. The FCOC Scholars program will provide monthly workshops to students to help through the transition through college and into the rest of their lives.
Research involvement, study abroad opportunities, leadership and internship leads are just a few things FCOC Scholars will be exposed to. As students prepare to graduate, the program will provide as much support as possible through the graduation process.
JJ Oliver, assistant director for Diversity Recruitment Programs, said “70 percent of students who attended FCOC committed to WSU and enrolled that following semester. Of all 450 students who have attended FCOC, 300 students chose to enroll at WSU.”
In its first year in 2004, FCOC had 40 attendees. This year, FCOC will host more than 200 students while more students are placed on a waiting list hoping to be able to attend.
The program has come very far over the past four years increasing its students, donors and donations, the amount of scholarships they can give, and how much money they offer.
