Other incentives offered to offset pandemic woes

 Livingstone College will offer each incoming freshman and new transfer student in the fall of 2021 a free new laptop computer.

All freshmen and new transfers who are fully enrolled and registered, have completed their 2021 FAFSA, cleared the student health services office and satisfied all related fees will receive the new laptop.

“An area of concern for the college is closing the digital divide,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. “We have discovered that as a result of this pandemic, many students do not have the necessary tools to render their matriculation successful. A critical tool is having access to a laptop computer, which is compatible with the upgraded campus network.”

The gift is consistent with Livingstone’s historic mission, which is to serve the underserved, underrepresented and under-resourced, while removing any and all barriers that impede academic success.

“We understand the economic hardship that has been placed on families as a result of this pandemic,” Jenkins said. “However, as we seek to establish lifelong partnerships with students and their families, this is our way of investing in our students.”

In addition to offering brand new laptops to students, Livingstone College is also offering the following incentives:

• Freshmen, transfer and readmit students who enroll in one of the college’s extracurricular activities and has a 2.5 GPA will automatically receive a $3,000 Incentive Scholarship. Additionally, if any of these students live within a 50-mile radius, they qualify for an extra $1,000.
• Every new student who chooses a major in one of the STEM curriculas or Teacher Education programs will be eligible to receive grant-in-aid, meaning their education will be free after federal financial aid is considered.
• All enrolled students automatically qualify for the Scholarship Incentive Persistence Program (SIPP). For every grade point increase in a student’s GPA each semester, $250 will be applied toward that student’s bill. If the student does not have a bill, he/she will receive cash. For example, if a student’s GPA in a single semester increases from 2.0 to 2.5 (a 5-point increase), that student would earn $1,250.
• Any student who acquires a 3.7 GPA and a SAT score of 1200 is eligible for the Presidential Scholarship, which means after all federal financial aid is accounted for, the remaining balance is paid by the college.
• College-bound students who are late bloomers with less than a 2.0 GPA can enroll in Livingstone’s Summer Bridge Program, which is a six-weeks intensive program designed to assist students in making a successful transition from high school to college. All students who complete the program will be enrolled in the fall as provisional students.

“There is no better time to enroll in Livingstone College than right now,” Jenkins said. “We are small enough to be personal and large enough to offer the programs you need to be successful in the global society.”