Results continue to be tallied but millions in scholarships pledged to support HBCU education during College Fair
The Morehouse College’s Maroon Tigers beat the Miles College Golden Bears 23-21 in the XXI Chicago Football Classic when sophomore quarterback Michael Sims (Detroit, MI) connected with senior wide receiver Tremell Gooden (Atlanta, GA) on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game at Soldier Field. With the win the Maroon Tigers (4-0) remain undefeated.
But the even bigger winners were the students of Chicago who participated in every aspect of the annual event from the College Scholarship Fair to the Empowerment Seminar, to the Battle of the Bands. More than 1,200 students attended the College Scholarship Fair hosted in partnership with City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools (CPS). City Colleges is still awaiting final details from all the participating schools but Miles College was a unique success story.
The private liberal arts institution of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, based outside Birmingham, was one of the most popular recruitment spots during the College Scholarship Fair speaking to over 400 students. Of that number 106 students who attended with their transcripts were accepted to the Alabama college. Of those admitted 58 (45%) received scholarships totaling just under $1.5M over four years.
Three categories of scholarships were awarded:
Presidential Scholarships – 10 offered totaling $746, 000 over four years or $18, 646 per student per year (3.7 GPA/1160 SAT).
Dean A Scholarships – 22 offered, totaling $440,000 over four years – $5K per student per year (3.2 GPA/20 ACT).
Dean B Scholarships – 26 offered, totaling $312K over four years – $3K per student per year. (3.0 GPA/18 ACT).
Miles has already been invited back to do another recruitment day within CPS.
The team from Morehouse College, including current students and President David A. Thomas visited four areas schools – Kenwood, Dunbar, the University of Chicago Lab and George M. Pullman Elementary School where they were able to address students and share information about Morehouse. Earlier in the day they participated in a breakfast hosted by Citibank at Chicago Public Schools were Morehouse students could learn about transitioning from college to professional careers, disparities in education and teaching careers.
Co-sponsored by BMO Harris Bank and Sherman Dodge, the Chicago Football Classic’s mission touts the importance of getting a quality HBCU education. More than a football game, the weekend of events promotes the importance of higher education through partnerships with the City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, and Chicago’s business and philanthropic community.
This year, BMO Harris Bank and Sherman Dodge are Co-Presenting Sponsors of the 2018 Chicago Football Classic. Media sponsors are Comcast – NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago and NBC Sports Chicago. Participating sponsors include: Ariel Investments, Aramark, CBM Managed Foods, Avión, CHA, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, the City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Crusader Newspapers, Christmas in the Wards, Citizen Newspapers, ClearChannel Airports, ComEd, Crawford Broadcasting, CTA, Eastlake Management, Fifth Third Bank, Heneghan Wrecking Co., the Hudson Group, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Treasurer, Illinois Bicentennial, iHeart- Radio, the Hyatt Corp., Illinois Restaurant Association, INTREN, JB for Governor, Linn-Mathes, Local 134 IBEW, Loop Capital, Madison Construction, Midway Wholesalers, Manny’s, MAC ONE Mid- way, McHugh Construction, Mesi- row Financial, Moet Hennessy, Ombudsman, Peoples Gas, Providence Bank, Riteway-Huggins Construction, Self-Help Bank, Southwest Airlines, the Sun Times Newspaper, SSP- America, Starbucks Foundation, The Tribune Newspaper, TrueStar, Uber, Vantage, Walgreens, WGN-TV, Western Utility, Wintrust and WVON-AM.
About the Chicago Football Classic
The Chicago Football Classic’s mission is to support educational achievement, promote higher education, encourage culture and excellence, and showcase the spirit and tradition of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities by providing an exciting football game in Chicago that provides financial assistance to college-bound students. The Classic’s events influence students and parents to consider the rich academic opportunities offered by HBCUs.
