John Deere Scholars program offers pipeline to UI for Davenport students

The John Deere Foundation has committed $6.6 million over six years to a collaboration with the University of Iowa and Davenport Community School District to provide additional education, support services and funds to high school seniors.

“I think this is an excellent example of the public sector and the private sector coming together to solve real world problems, and address things like poverty, address things like access to education and then, obviously, address workforce needs,” said Liz Tovar, UI executive officer and associate vice president for the Division of Access, Opportunity and Diversity.

Starting this fall, seniors at Davenport Central, North, West, and Mid City high schools will have access to extracurricular college prep courses and other activities, as well as help with processes to access financial aid and enroll in college through the John Deere Scholars program. Tovar said the program also will expose the students to higher education through campus visits and the like.

In spring 2025, those overseeing the program will select 20 seniors to receive scholarships that will fund 90 percent of the cost to attend the UI for four years. Sixty seniors in total will receive these scholarships over the next three years, Tovar said.

Some parts of the program still are in progress, Tovar said, including the hiring of a director to work with the Davenport school counselors in teaching the college prep courses and overseeing other aspects of the program.

“This partnership will provide a tremendous opportunity for our students,” said TJ Schneckloth, superintendent of the Davenport Community School District, in a statement. “Our district is committed to preparing our students for their postsecondary education. The John Deere Scholars Program offers a generation changing opportunity for our students to receive the college education they might never have thought was possible.”

Tovar said she sees the John Deere Scholars program as an opportunity to build future leaders, young people who can succeed in a global society and diverse workforce. Skills that John Deere looks for in employees could be incorporated into the precollege coursework, she said, and work with the company’s foundation may be worked into scholar program requirements during the student’s time at the UI, which also will include fieldwork and networking opportunities in their field of study.

“We believe education is the foundation for success,” said Mara Downing, president of the John Deere Foundation and vice president of global brand and communications at John Deere, in a statement. “By investing in our community, John Deere is also investing in opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow. We are excited to begin the John Deere Scholars Program and watch these future leaders achieve their dreams.”

The John Deere Foundation has a long-standing relationship with the UI, Tovar said, having lent support to past initiatives on campus. When the foundation reached out to the UI Center for Advancement, looking at ways to give back to students in the company’s community, the university put together a proposal for the scholars program. The Davenport Community School District was then brought in to work with its counselors and pinpoint where the greatest needs are.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.