Tufts University, with the City of Somerville and the City of Medford, reached separate partnership agreements last week that waived the universitys $70 application fee for Somerville High School and Medford High School students and committed Tufts to paying each city $1.375 million over the next five years.
This latest agreement marks another milestone in how we work together, Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel told the Daily in an email.
According to Somerville Public Schools Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi, Tufts will provide SAT preparation tutoring and essay-writing workshops for applying students, as well as recommendation-letter training workshops for teachers. The university will also offer a Kids to College program for sixth graders and invite ninth graders to campus each year to help them gain awareness about college and the application process. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin will also personally send letters to high-achieving students inviting them to apply.
College readiness is a critical piece in preparing students to be competitive in a global market, Pierantozzi told the Daily. Each of the proposed programs outlined in this agreement is specifically designed to support college readiness efforts, and were thrilled to be working side by side with Tufts University on providing our students with that competitive edge.
In addition to showing support through programming efforts, Somerville Director of Communications Denise Taylor said that Tufts will also increase its financial contributions to Somerville. The university plans to increase its annual payments by almost two-thirds, from $175,000 to $275,000 per year, amounting to the total $1.375 million over a five-year period. According to an Oct. 23 article from the Medford Transcript, the same financial plan will also apply in Medford. Medford also requested an advance of $500,000 on annual payments to be applied to the public schools.
A five-year timeline was adopted over the traditional ten-year timeline in order to provide more predictability and responsiveness to community needs over time, Taylor told the Daily in an email. The agreement will expire in June 2018.
According to Pierantozzi, the decision to waive the application fee was made in light of the serious financial constraints that many Somerville residents experience.
When negotiating the agreement, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and school representatives wanted to be certain that families would not have to decide between buying necessities and paying for the application, Taylor said.
Two-thirds of Somerville students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning every dollar matters in their households, Taylor told the Daily in an email.
Pierantozzi said he expects that the new policy will result in an increased number of applications to Tufts. He believes that the agreements focus on strengthening the personal connection between Tufts and Somerville students through targeted outreach efforts, in addition to waiving the universitys application fees, will further open the door for underprivileged students.
[Waiving the fee] makes the goal of being able to pursue a college education much more attainable, Pierantozzi said.
According to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, over a dozen students from the two cities now attend Tufts. During the past five years, the number of applicants from Somerville mostly from Somerville High has ranged from19 to 36. The current freshman class, totaling 1,318 students, includes two from Somerville.
Taylor said that the partnership is similar to a payment in lieu of taxes agreement since Tufts, as a tax-exempt educational institution, does not pay taxes on its property. Contributions will go towards city services such as the Somerville Police and Fire Departments, from which the university also benefits.
Rubel insisted that the increased payment will not impact current students, but will only help prospective ones in local towns.
Through [these agreements] we wanted to show our commitment to the Medford and Somerville school systems and ensure those students have the information they need to make informed choices about their college future, she said.
Taylor stated that in addition to supporting local academic programs, Tufts role has historically been an important addition to community projects including the Shape Up Somerville anti-obesity and healthy living initiative. Over 200 Tufts students also volunteer every year for Tufts Kids Day, a 50-year tradition during which children from the Somerville and Medford communities come to campus for fun and games sponsored by the Leonard Carmichael Society, the umbrella organization for community service at Tufts.
Tufts is deeply committed to continuing its strong partnership with the City of Medford and with the City of Somerville, Rubel said. Chances are good that we will work on another agreement.
