Bright Flight scholarship might be extended for veterans

Missouri veterans currently have reduced rates for credit hours.

By Katy Bergen

Published Nov. 3, 2008

A scholarship meant to reward Missouri students who excel on the ACT or SAT is excluding recipients who have served in the military.

The reason is that the scholarship has an expiration date. The Missouri Department of Higher Education is trying to extend the 27-month cap the Bright Flight Scholarship currently holds. The push for the extension came after military men and women found their Bright Flight scholarships unavailable after serving multiple tours of duty.

"Our board has recognized this as a legislative priority," said Leroy Wade, MDHE assistant commissioner, who called the issue an "unintended consequence" of the Bright Flight scholarship guidelines.

The Bright Flight scholarship program was created in 1986 and rewards the top 3 percent of senior scorers in the state of Missouri on the ACT or SAT with $1,000 per semester for their undergraduate career. Recipients have 27 months after high school graduation to use their scholarship.

MDHE's goal is to extend this time frame. While a specific extension has not been set, the amount of extra time will depend on when and how long a solider is deployed. Most veterans would have six months to continue their education upon returning home from service.

"I haven't heard of anything like that happening on campus," said Jordan Worley, Missouri Student Veterans Association vice president. "But I will look into it."

The MDHE is still looking for a sponsor to push their issue through the legislative process. They hope to receive an extension by the fall 2009 semester.

The need for such an extension is evidence of longer deployment terms served by the American military. Wade attributes this trend to a post-9/11 world.

"We haven't had the same kind of military circumstances because of the war on terrorism," Wade said.

The potential extension is not the only recent legislation aiming to help ease college costs for veterans. Last August, the Missouri Returning Heroes Act capped tuition at $50 credit hours for Missouri combat veterans who maintain a 2.5 GPA.

"Education costs are high everywhere," Sen. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, said in a previous interview.

Coleman sponsored the Returning Heroes bill and said education is a reward for those who serve our countries.