RWU partners with Gateway to College to help dropouts earn college degrees

ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT Donald J. Farish said teaming up with Gateway to College was an easy decision. / COURTESY RWU/GRETCHEN ERTL
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT Donald J. Farish said teaming up with Gateway to College was an easy decision. / COURTESY RWU/GRETCHEN ERTL

PROVIDENCE – In the first such partnership in Rhode Island, Roger Williams University has paired with the Gateway to College Nation Network, which offers a graduation track to high school dropouts while also laying out steps to attain an associates degree, according to a Tuesday release by the university.

Citing the state’s motto, “hope,” Donald J. Farish, RWU president, said teaming up with Gateway to College was an easy decision. The process undertaken by these students, he added, will “help them earn the skills and credentials necessary to succeed in today’s knowledge economy.”

Students formerly enrolled in the Providence and Pawtucket school systems will be introduced to classes through the School of Continuing Studies at RWU in order to complete both high school-level coursework as well as college credits.

Christopher Maher, superintendent of the Providence school district, outlined how certain “life events and other barriers” can cause a student’s education to come to a halt. He said he looks forward to helping more “young people earn their degrees and get back on the track to success.”

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Coursework at RWU for these students has been funded through a $150,000 planning grant by Gateway to College.

President of the Gateway to College National Network, Emily Froimson, said she was proud to launch the program in Rhode Island and is “excited to see an additional pathway to high school graduation and a postsecondary credential for young people in the state.”

Gateway to College is based in Portland, Ore., and fosters partnerships with 39 colleges across 20 states. Its pairing with RWU marks the second-ever private university to host the organization.

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