Armed with about $1 million in scholarships to hand out, Alabama A&M University officials set out this week on a statewide bus tour to recruit students to campus.
It’s the second straight February that school officials, including President Andrew Hugine, have visited high schools across the state to attract students.
“We want to share the story of Alabama A&M University, but we want to share it in person,” Hugine said. “This tour allows us to share that message throughout the state, but it also allows us to better market Alabama A&M University.”
The tour schedule includes talking with students at 38 high schools in 10 cities as well as Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Hugine said. The tour kicked off Monday at Lee and Columbia high schools and will wrap up Friday in Mobile.
Among the other cities that will be visited by the bus tour are Decatur, Anniston, Talladega, Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma.
Hugine said the tour would hand out about $1 million in scholarships, though he said it could be more. On last year’s inaugural bus tour that visited students at 14 high schools, $1.365 million was awarded in scholarships, the school said.
“We don’t want any deserving young person to not have the opportunity to attend Alabama A&M,” Hugine said. “We’re going to find a way to make it possible. If they have demonstrated through their work they are worthy of scholarships, we’re going to find a way to provide them with scholarships.”
The tour party will vary from 25 to 50 people on each stop, Hugine said, and will include school administrators, faculty and students.
“We will be making personal appeals to young people to come and be a part of the Alabama A&M University family,” he said. “We know that’s the place that they need to be. That’s why we’re doing the tour. We’re doing the tour to further market, acquaint, but also make that personal appeal.”
