years of high school can attend Harper without paying tuition.

Funding for the program is not coming from taxpayers, but through donations. The program, which aims to have its first $10 million by 2019, already has collected $8.1 million.

What the community, particularly the business community, is getting in return is a workforce that can keep the local economy going, Ender said.

A first-generation college student himself, Ender reminisced that his parents were able to find jobs and live their American dream without the benefit of higher education.

“I’m here to tell you, those jobs ... that’s gone!” he said.

Harper plans to partner with four-year colleges and local businesses to assist the program’s alumni.

Business partners are asked, at a minimum, to commit to offering courtesy interviews without further obligation to those who have successfully completed the Harper Promise program, Ender said.