Milton Hershey School Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Dickinson College to Support Low-Income, First-Generation College Students
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Milton Hershey School® signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dickinson College, marking an intentional collaborative effort between the two educational institutions to increase graduation outcomes for low-income, first-generation college students.
“By combining efforts with Dickinson College, we can increase the level of support young MHS graduates receive throughout their college experience,” MHS President Pete Gurt ’85 said. “Our goal is to ensure our alumni are able to be academically successful with the help of individualized attention and resources that translate into improved college graduation rates.”
“We are thrilled to work with this outstanding institution that allows promising students in financial need to realize their full potential,” Dickinson College President Margee Ensign said. “Dickinson is committed to making our useful liberal arts education accessible to all students who demonstrate academic talent, and we look forward to a continuing collaboration with Milton Hershey School.”
The agreement will provide MHS students with more focused and sustained support throughout their college careers. Students will have access to individualized academic coaching and comprehensive resources to set them up for success at Dickinson College and enhance the MHS student experience and graduation outcomes.
It is the sixth partnership Milton Hershey School has established with postsecondary institutions in Pennsylvania as part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen its graduates’ postsecondary experiences. MHS signed other formalized agreements with Mansfield University, Shippensburg University, East Stroudsburg University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Millersville University.
“Through partnerships like this one with Dickinson, we are able to create multilayered, targeted support that could be the difference for our graduates earning a college degree,” MHS Vice President of Graduate Programs for Success Tanya Barton said.
The formal partnership supports the school’s commitment to student success following graduation. Milton Hershey School’s Graduate Programs for Success (GPS) Division provides students and alumni with a multi-tiered system of support that addresses their individual needs while fostering independence. Through the GPS Division, dedicated career counselors, teachers, and transition specialists support students and alumni of all ages beginning in middle school and continuing to their time in college, technical programs, the workforce, or the military.
