IRSC Foundation Unanimously Renews Commitment to Game-Changing Promise Program

October 31, 2022 Suzanne Seldes

Rally and Community Update Scheduled for November 16

FORT PIERCE, FL— Today, the Indian River State College Foundation, Inc. enthusiastically affirmed its commitment to enhancing access to quality higher education with a unanimous vote to renew funding for the IRSC Promise Program.

The College will reveal plans for the 2023 program at an IRSC Promise Rally and Community Update on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 7:30 a.m. at Sebastian River High School.

Launched in March 2022, the IRSC Promise Program correlates to a dramatic increase in college-going among local high school graduates. More than 1 in 3 public and public charter high school graduates for 2022 residing in the College’s service district—Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties—matriculated to IRSC through the Promise Program this fall.

For the current semester, IRSC has enrolled more than 3,200 first-time-in-college students, besting the 10-year average for this cohort by +44%. Overall enrollment at IRSC has increased by +8.9%. At the same time, college enrollment nationally has dropped 1.1% since last fall.

“We will use this unprecedented growth in enrollment from the beta Promise program to build Promise 2.0 and deliver the workforce Florida needs, from nurses to welders, at scale,” said Michael Hageloh, IRSC Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and CMO.

The IRSC Promise program is not a grant or scholarship. It is a tuition-paid program sponsored by the IRSC Foundation and funded through generous donor philanthropy and unrestricted investment proceeds.

“The Promise Program is one of the best investments our foundation can make to achieve real change for our community, and we are overwhelmed and gratified by its success,” said IRSC Foundation Board Chair Linda T. Syfrett. “More students are embarking on their higher education journey at IRSC, which can be a game-changer for them, their families and our communities. It is our privilege to support and enhance this program, which does such good for so many.”

Students can pledge the 2023 IRSC Promise at promise.irsc.edu beginning November 16. The pledge deadline is March 10, 2023.