Great Falls College has been awarded a $90,000 Montana’s Future at Work grant to help students and educators in 11 rural Montana schools take greater advantage of dual enrollment opportunities.
Great Falls College received one of four $90,000 grants awarded by the Montana University System in partnership with the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. The funding is designed to increase access in rural schools to the 15-, 30- and 60-credit Future Ready pathways established through the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success, or STARS, Act.
Future Ready provides financial incentives to Montana school districts when students graduate having earned significant college credit, completed qualifying career and technical education credentials or earned an associate degree while still in high school.
The initiative will help remove financial and geographic barriers that can make dual enrollment more difficult for students in rural communities. Grant funding will provide tuition assistance beyond Montana’s 1-2-Free program and help cover books and additional supplies.
“Students shouldn’t have fewer opportunities simply because they live in a rural community,” said Dr. Leanne Frost, CEO and dean of Great Falls College. “This grant allows us to meet students where they are, help them begin earning college credit while they’re still in high school and strengthen the capacity of their schools to provide those opportunities for years to come.”
The grant not only will help create opportunities for rural students that might not otherwise be available to them, but it also will support high school teachers completing graduate-level coursework needed to meet the qualifications to teach dual enrollment courses in their own schools.
“We want students to be able to earn meaningful college credit while they are still in high school, but we also want to build capacity within their schools so those opportunities can continue well beyond the life of this grant,” said Staci Weigum, Great Falls College’s dual enrollment and Montana Career Pathways coordinator.
The first cohort of students will begin in spring 2027, with grant-funded work continuing through spring 2028. Great Falls College will partner with 11 rural schools to help students work toward the Future Ready benchmarks of 15, 30 or 60 college credits while still in high school.
Anna Ewen, who advises Great Falls College’s dual enrollment students, will visit participating schools as well as other rural schools to provide students with individualized advising. The goal is to help students make strategic use of their dual enrollment credits and develop plans for reaching the 15-, 30- or 60-credit Future Ready thresholds.
The project also invests in expanding dual enrollment opportunities within rural high schools.
Funding will help teachers complete graduate credits in specific subject areas so more schools can offer college courses on their own campuses, giving students greater access to face-to-face instruction instead of relying solely on online courses.
“We know cost can be a significant barrier for rural schools and their students,” said Sherry Lynn Dow, interim director of Admissions at Great Falls College. “By helping with tuition, books and supplies while also investing in teachers, we can address both sides of that equation.”
The grant also will support a summit bringing together superintendents, principals, teachers and counselors to examine how schools can help students get the most from dual enrollment. Topics will include student advising, tracking progress toward Future Ready benchmarks and strategies for sustaining and expanding the work after the grant concludes.
Contact:
Scott Thompson, Great Falls College executive director of community relations, 406-771-4314, [email protected]