21-16-1308. Administration; rules and regulations.

(a) This article shall be administered by the department in accordance with the following:

(i) Students shall make application for scholarships under this article with the eligible institution at the time of applying for admission or in any event prior to the beginning of the semester at the eligible institution. The application shall contain information as required by rule of the department. The application shall require each applicant to verify under penalty of false swearing under W.S. 6-5-303, that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony in this state or another jurisdiction;

(ii) Upon request of a student applying to an eligible institution and initially applying for a Hathaway scholarship, each school district shall provide to the eligible institution an official transcript of the student's academic record through the student's most recent semester of attendance. Following graduation and upon the student's request the school district shall also provide to the eligible institution an official transcript of the student's complete academic record. All transcripts provided pursuant to this paragraph shall designate each course which satisfies the success curriculum requirements established under W.S. 21-16-1307;

(iii) For students transferring from an eligible institution to another eligible institution and making application for continuance of a scholarship, the institution from which the student is transferring shall at the student's request provide an official transcript to the new institution and shall provide a list of all semesters of attendance in which a Hathaway scholarship was received by the student and, if applicable, a list of all semesters for which a student previously qualifying for a Hathaway scholarship was determined ineligible for the Hathaway scholarship;

(iv) Each eligible institution receiving an application from a student applying for a Hathaway scholarship shall preliminarily determine the student's eligibility for the scholarship. For students initially applying for a scholarship, unless the student's complete academic record is available, the GPA used to preliminarily determine eligibility shall be based upon the student's official high school transcript after either the end of the first semester of a student's senior year or the second semester of a student's junior year, at the sole discretion of the eligible institution. For students graduating prior to their senior year the GPA used to preliminarily determine eligibility shall be based upon the student's official high school transcript as of the end of the semester immediately prior to the last semester before the student's graduation. High school GPAs for final eligibility determinations for students initially applying for a scholarship under this article shall be based upon the student's complete high school academic record. Upon final determination of scholarship eligibility, each community college shall certify to the community college commission not later than thirty (30) days after the semester commences, a list of students enrolled at the institution who qualify for a scholarship under this article, including the amount of each scholarship. The university shall certify to the department within forty-five (45) days after the semester commences a like list for students enrolled at the university. The director of the community college commission shall verify within ten (10) days after receiving all lists from community colleges whether there is any duplication of students on the community college lists, shall provide the lists to the department and shall certify to the department the amount each college is to receive under this article. Students attending more than one (1) eligible institution shall enter into a consortium agreement with the multiple institutions whereby the student shall designate a home institution to be paid the entire Hathaway scholarship amount for which the student qualifies;

(v) The department shall determine and certify to the state treasurer the amount which is equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the total amount the eligible institution received during the preceding semester under this subsection. Not later than September 1 for the fall semester and not later than January 15 for the spring semester, the state treasurer shall pay from the scholarship expenditure account the amount certified by the department. The department shall review the lists provided under paragraph (iv) of this subsection, determine whether there is any duplication of students, and determine and certify to the state treasurer the balance of the amount due under this article to each institution for the semester. For any duplication, the department shall determine whether the student is attending more than one (1) eligible institution. If the student is attending multiple eligible institutions payment of the Hathaway scholarship for which the student qualifies shall be made only to the institution designated as the home institution by the student. The state treasurer shall pay from the scholarship expenditure account the balance of the amount due. Payments of the balance due under this paragraph shall be made not later than seventy-five (75) days after the institution's semester has commenced. Payments to the university shall be made directly to the university. Payments to the community colleges shall be made directly to each college and be reported by the state treasurer to the community college commission. Should a prepayment under this paragraph exceed the amount actually due the institution for any semester, the excess amount shall be calculated by the department and deducted from the next payment made. For purposes of this subsection, payments due for summer terms shall be included within the calculations and payments for the subsequent fall semester.

(b) The department shall, in consultation with University of Wyoming and community college admissions officers, the Wyoming community college commission and financial aid officers and school districts, promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this article, including:

(i) A means for informing all students and their parents or guardians of the availability of the scholarships under this article in sufficient time to enable the student to plan for and complete the success curriculum. The means shall at a minimum include:

(A) A requirement that each written communication from a school district to a parent or guardian of a student include on any envelope used, or on the communication if no separate envelope is used, a statement that the state of Wyoming provides Hathaway merit and need scholarships to Wyoming students attending the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges and that every Wyoming student who meets the merit requirements can earn a Hathaway merit scholarship;

(B) A summary of available Hathaway scholarships and requirements to earn a scholarship. The summary shall be made available on the department's website on the Internet, the World Wide Web or similar proprietary or common carrier electronic system;

(C) Provision for each school district to provide a one (1) week unit of instruction in the eighth grade regarding preparation for post-secondary work, including an overview of a curriculum needed to be successful in post-secondary education, standardized test requirements, scholarships available for post-secondary education and earning differences anticipated at various post-secondary education levels. The unit of instruction provided under this subparagraph shall be developed by the department in consultation with school districts and shall be delivered to school districts. The department in consultation with the school districts shall develop a program of a curriculum needed to be successful in post-secondary education, standardized test requirements, scholarships available for post-secondary education and earning differences anticipated at various post-secondary education levels;

(D) In addition to the unit of instruction required under subparagraph (C) of this paragraph, and commencing school year 2007-2008 and each school year thereafter, provision of counseling services to students enrolled in grades eight (8) through twelve (12) in accordance with the following:

(I) Counseling shall be provided to each student beginning in grade eight (8) on components of the unit of instruction required under subparagraph (C) of this paragraph including curriculum requirements of high school graduation, curriculum requirements necessary for each of the Hathaway scholarships, current achievement levels for the statewide proficiency assessment, the importance of curriculum for career options and the earning differences anticipated based upon curriculum choices and at various levels of post secondary education;

(II) Counseling for each successive year following initial counseling in grade eight (8) shall include an assessment of the student's course history and options available as to future course selection and consequences attached to selected course pathways;

(III) Counseling services shall be provided by counselors or designated employees of the district;

(IV) Counseling in grades eight (8) and nine (9) shall include a summary of the various Hathaway scholarships and other information regarding scholarship opportunities available to students and associated curriculum and student performance requirements.

(ii) Applications, forms, financial and program audit procedures, eligibility and other matters related to efficient operation;

(iii) Criteria and procedures under which students in a home-based educational program can qualify for scholarships under this article. A student in a home-based educational program:

(A) Shall make application for an initial scholarship before his twenty-first birthday;

(B) Shall meet the initial eligibility requirements of this article other than attendance and graduation from an eligible high school and corresponding GPA requirements, but shall comply with curriculum requirements specified under W.S. 21-16-1307, as applicable;

(C) Who is otherwise eligible and who achieves the requisite minimum national percentile rank score or requisite cumulative career-technical aptitude assessment score shall be eligible for the scholarships provided under this article at the same level and to the same extent as students graduating from eligible high schools.

(iv) Criteria and procedures under which students who receive a high school equivalency certificate can qualify for scholarships under this article. A student receiving a high school equivalency certificate shall:

(A) Receive the certificate and make application for the initial scholarship no later than four (4) years after and no sooner than the graduation date of the student's high school class, unless ordered by a court to complete the requirements for the certificate prior to that graduation date or for other good cause shown as determined by the department. For purposes of making application prior to the graduation date of the student's class, "other good cause" shall include, but is not limited to, a showing by the student that the student has been emancipated under W.S. 14-1-201 through 14-1-206 or that the student is a parent or a legal guardian of a minor. The student shall have attended an eligible high school prior to receiving his certificate and shall have received his certificate while residing in Wyoming;

(B) Meet the initial eligibility requirements of this article other than curriculum requirements, attendance and graduation from an eligible high school and corresponding GPA requirements;

(C) If otherwise eligible, be eligible for a scholarship at scores under alternative instruments included within the high school equivalency certificate, as set by rule and regulation of the Wyoming community college commission, which are comparable to GPA requirements specified under W.S. 21-16-1304 corresponding to the applicable Hathaway opportunity, performance and honor scholarship or under W.S. 21-16-1305 corresponding to the Hathaway provisional opportunity scholarship.

(I) Repealed By Laws 2013, Ch. 25, § 2.

(II) Repealed By Laws 2013, Ch. 25, § 2.

(III) Repealed By Laws 2013, Ch. 25, § 2.

(v) Criteria, which shall include satisfactory completion of all terms and conditions imposed upon the applicant by the court in which the felony conviction was obtained, in order to determine when an exception may be granted to W.S. 21-16-1303(e)(vi) to allow the person to receive a scholarship under this article;

(vi) A means for informing all Hathaway scholarship recipients, at the time they are notified of the scholarship award, of the origin of the Hathaway scholarship program and the individual for whom the program is named including his biographic data and describing in particular his commitment to this state and to the promise of the youth of this state;

(vii) Implementing success curriculum requirements as authorized by W.S. 21-16-1307;

(viii) Any other rules and regulations necessary for the implementation and administration of this article.

(c) The department shall establish annual reporting procedures for purposes of policy analysis and program evaluation and providing accurate data to the legislature and governor relative to the program's impact on the state and on students. In developing the annual reporting procedure the department shall consult with the University of Wyoming and community college financial aid officers and registrars or their designees. It is the intention of the legislature that the reporting system and the requirements thereof shall be applicable to all recipients of scholarships under this article. Compliance with this section shall be made a condition of receiving a scholarship under this article. For any student attending more than one (1) eligible institution, the home institution shall be responsible for data reporting for that student, and any other eligible institution shall cooperate as necessary with the home institution to fulfill that duty. The reporting system shall include the following information:

(i) A report prepared for each semester or equivalent periods of time during each academic year relative to the rate of retention of program participants;

(ii) Scholarships by students as they progress from semester to semester or other equivalent periods of time as may be applicable once enrolled at an eligible institution. The data shall be reported by institution attended, by the instructional program, and by scholarship category and shall include the percent of students losing scholarship eligibility due to not earning the minimum number of credit hours, the percent of students losing scholarship eligibility due to not having the required cumulative grade point average, the percent of students losing scholarship eligibility for failing to make satisfactory academic progress and the percentage of students losing scholarship eligibility for failing to enroll. The same information shall also be reported by categories showing those students qualifying through career-technical aptitude assessment scores and scores on high school equivalency certification, and by the group of students who attended a home-based educational program and did not graduate from an eligible high school;

(iii) The persistence rates at the eligible institutions of freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior students receiving a scholarship reported by scholarship category and by award year;

(iv) The graduation rates or rates of completion of the chosen post-secondary education program if otherwise applicable for students receiving a scholarship reported by scholarship category and award year, including for those graduating with an academic degree at the baccalaureate level the rate for persons graduating within four (4) years, within five (5) years and within six (6) years, respectively and including for those graduating with a certificate or associate degree the rate for persons graduating within one (1), two (2) and three (3) years;

(v) The mean length of time required for a student receiving a scholarship under this article to graduate with a degree or to complete the certificate program with such information being reported by scholarship category and by award year;

(vi) An annual report on the number of applicants as well as the percent of high school graduates by high school district who meet the success curriculum requirements, the percent who apply for a scholarship by scholarship category, and the percent of those students who are awarded a scholarship and subsequently enroll in an eligible institution;

(vii) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 102, § 2.

(viii) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 102, § 2.

(d) The annual report by the department shall be submitted to the governor and the legislature in accordance with W.S. 9-2-1014.

(e) The department may conduct an audit of any eligible institution participating in the scholarship program under this article to determine compliance with any provision of this article.