By Jeff Victor

Laramie Boomerang

Via Wyoming News Exchange

LARAMIE — Gap years between high school and higher education allow future college students to serve in the military, take part in religious or humanitarian missions or simply work for a while and save up for tuition.

Since the first Hathaway Scholarship was awarded in 2006, young people have been allowed to take up to two gap years and retain their eligibility for the tiered, performance-based scholarships.

Now, they can take four, thanks to a bill sponsored by Rep. Bill Henderson, R-Cheyenne, and signed into law Monday by Gov. Matt Mead.

“It’s a plain fact of life that being able to have a couple of extra years to work and save up money just makes a lot of sense,” Henderson said. “I think we should do everything we can to help our young people get the education they need.”

Wyoming’s Hathaway Scholarship program provides assistance to graduates of state high schools attending state colleges, discounting already low in-state tuition for up to eight semesters.

During the 2016-2017 academic year, 2,385 students initiated a Hathaway Scholarship for the first time at the University of Wyoming and the state’s seven community colleges, according to the Wyoming Department of Education. More than half of these recipients received either the Performance or Honors Hathaways, which afford $1,260 and $1,680 a semester, respectively.

Henderson said having more time to decide a course of study will help UW students get more out of the award.

“I think it’s great news for our young people who want a little extra time — a tad bit more time — to consider what they want to study and also take the opportunity to work some more, to save up, so they have additional funds to put aside to cover living expenses,” he said.

Henderson added the change from two to four years could increase the number of students who “stay the course” and complete their degrees — especially if they use their given gap years wisely by saving money but also potentially earning certifications or other credentials that could be helpful later in their post-college life.

UW never took a formal position on the bill, but Chris Boswell — the university’s vice president for governmental and community affairs — said UW was supportive of expanding the application period.

“It lets more people take advantage of the Hathaway,” he said. “Maybe it lets people get their lives in order but maybe look around a bit after high school and then decide to come to either the university or community colleges. I think it’s a welcome change.”

The two-year grace period benefited mainly student veterans and those taking part in religious missions, but it was and remains open to all. The four-year window extends this benefit to anyone taking time off for any reason.

“This makes it even more straight forward for folks that are leaving high school and might need a little bit of time before they decide to come to the university or go to community colleges,” Boswell said.

The bill altered only a handful of words in the original legislation — changing “two years” to “four years” wherever it was mentioned — and received no amendments as it moved through both chambers of the Wyoming Legislature.

A split but affirmative vote in the House, followed by a more uniform vote in the Senate, sent the legislation to the governor this week, who signed the bill into law alongside 40 other bills.

“Gov. Mead respected the debate on the bill and the margins by which it passed each chamber and signed it into law yesterday,” said Chris Mickey, a spokesperson for the governor.

In addition to allowing Wyoming students to get more out of their Hathaway Scholarships, Henderson said students who wait for college until they know what they want to study might be more likely to finish their degrees here.

“Perhaps that will also increase the likelihood that they will get a job here in Wyoming and put their roots down, stay here and have a good life,” he said.