Partnership with AOD to encourage attendance at Catholic schools

Detroit — Metro Detroit parents and young people seeking Catholic education, yet worried about the costs of Catholic school, now have another option thanks to a $20,000 grant and a $10,000 grant made available through a new partnership between the Archdiocese of Detroit and University of Detroit Mercy.

This partnership will offer a grant of $5,000 per year for four years at the University of Detroit Mercy to be given to qualified students who attend an Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic school from first through 12th grade. Qualified students who attended four years of, and graduated from, an Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic high school will be eligible for $2,500 per year for four years.

When parents choose to take their children out of Catholic schools, the decision to leave is made most frequently before sixth grade and before ninth grade, explained Brian Dougherty, superintendent of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Office of Catholic Schools.

“The assumption here is that parents are willing to seek Catholic formation and a solid elementary foundation for their children, but when preparing for the expenses of colleges and universities, they move to either public or charter (schools),” said Dougherty, speaking to archdiocesan educators Aug. 5.

He added that about 50 percent of students completing eighth grade leave Catholic education, while parents choosing to send their children to Catholic high schools have used public or charter schools for earlier grades.

“The logical conclusion is that nearly half of all of our parents are committed to a (first through 12th grade) education in a Catholic system,” said Dougherty. However, for the other half of parents, “the economic investment of a Catholic education is forcing them to decide on an elementary or a secondary education while preparing to meet the anticipated tuition costs of a college or university only four years away in their child’s future,” he explained.

Dougherty’s presentation was given at the opening of the first-ever teachers and administrators’ in-service hosted by the Archdiocese of Detroit Office of Catholic Schools, and held in the fitness center of the University of Detroit Mercy.The in-service was a professional development day with talks by administrators, teachers and school staff members to help build up the mission of archdiocesan Catholic schools.

But following a blessing by Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda, both the archdiocesan schools’ department and UDM had a special announcement to make before the day’s activities began.

Dougherty said nearly a year ago, while meeting with Antoine M. Garibaldi, president of the University of Detroit Mercy, he had proposed the idea of a first grade through 16th grade Catholic education through a partnership with UDM.

This partnership, in providing the two new grants, would create a unified system of Catholic education while also acknowledging the economic concerns of parents, he said.

“Dr. Garibaldi informed me that University of Detroit Mercy is in agreement and support of the mission of the Archdiocese of Detroit,” Dougherty said. “We will continue to stress that we are a school system united through kindergarten through university under the umbrella of the Archdiocese of Detroit.”

The grants will be available to students who are first-time, full-time UDM students entering in the fall term of 2015, and students must enroll at the university full time to continue receiving the grant.

Garibaldi, following Dougherty’s presentation, told the teachers and administrators he had been looking forward to the occasion.

“Dr. Dougherty and I started talking about this a year ago when he first came to town,” said Garibaldi, who became president of the university in 2011.

Garibaldi said growing up in New Orleans, he, his eight siblings and both of his parents are products of Catholic education.

“We are very excited about this and we know that this is only the beginning,” said Garibaldi, adding he and Dougherty are discussing other opportunities for archdiocesan educators.

Garibaldi expressed his hope that archdiocesan teachers and administrators would be supportive of the new opportunities for students.

“While we know that some of these opportunities are occurring in other cities, we think we have a very unique situation here in the Archdiocese of Detroit and in University of Detroit Mercy to provide these opportunities,” he said.

Individuals interested in the grant must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and their parents must have their children’s Catholic schools verify attendance.

The grant is awarded for a maximum of four years, but will continue for the fifth year in five-year programs. Grant recipients must also meet renewal requirements, remain in good academic standing and meet all federal guidelines for academic progress, if applying for federal financial aid.

Find out more

To learn more or to apply for the grant, contact University of Detroit Mercy’s Office of Admissions at (800) 635-5020, or [email protected].