ORLANDO, Fla. — Students from two Orlando communities will soon have another debt-free college option through the Harris Rosen Foundation.
The foundation announced a new partnership with Bethune-Cookman University that will provide scholarship opportunities for students from Tangelo Park and Parramore.
Students in those communities can already use Rosen Foundation scholarships to attend public colleges or vocational schools in Florida.
The new partnership adds Bethune-Cookman University, a private historically Black university in Daytona Beach, to the scholarship program.
Bethune-Cookman now joins Rollins College in Winter Park as the only private institutions included in Rosen scholarship opportunities.
The scholarships are designed to allow students to graduate debt-free.
The first students receiving Bethune-Cookman scholarships through the partnership are expected to enroll in fall 2027.
“We are ecstatic to be able to build upon the legacy Mr. Harris Rosen set forth decades ago, in hopes of providing a quality higher education opportunity to students who may have never dreamed this to be possible,” said Frank Santos, president of the Harris Rosen Foundation.
Santos said the scholarship programs are intended to create generational change for students and their families.
“We are grateful for partners like Rosen Hotels & Resorts who recognize the transformative power of education,” said Dr. Albert Mosley, president of Bethune-Cookman University. “This support opens doors for our students, many of whom are first-generation scholars, and reinforces the critical role partnerships play in expanding access, opportunity and long-term success.”
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez said the partnership honors Harris Rosen’s legacy by expanding access and opportunity for students.
“When our community, higher education institutions, and philanthropy come together in this way, we remove barriers, open doors, and change the trajectory not only of students’ lives, but of entire families for generations to come,” Vazquez said.
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