Columbus appears to be on track to keep an important promise: The Columbus Promise. The innovative partnership launched in 2021 with the goal of sending more Columbus City School graduates to college, boosting their own life trajectories and helping Central Ohio supercharge its workforce. The Columbus Promise lets any graduate of Columbus City Schools attend Columbus State Community College at no cost for six semesters and provides a $500 stipend each semester plus academic support. The program is changing lives: last fall, a record 790 CCS graduates were enrolled in college with its support. It’s a promise too for workforce development, as more skilled potential employees enter Central Ohio’s talent pipeline. Now the Promise is no longer just a pilot. The program’s key partners – the City of Columbus, Columbus City Schools, I Know I Can, and Columbus State – and an array of private backers – have all recently recommitted to launching a new phase of the program, with more than half of a new $25 million goal already raised. With a panel of leaders, we’ll unpack the Columbus Promise, explore its origins and impact, and get an inside look at what happens next.

Featuring Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin; Katina Fullen, CEO, I Know I Can, and with moderator Colleen Marshall, News Anchor, NBC4. Additional panelists to be announced.