Staff Report

Rabobank has become the latest business to support the Hancock Promise with a donation of $1 million to the program that allows local high school graduates to attend Hancock College with no tuition or fees in their first year, beginning this summer.

“Our faculty and staff are changing the odds for our community,” said Hancock Superintendent and President Kevin G. Walthers. “The Hancock Promise is critical to that effort, and we are honored to have support from Rabobank.”

“Expanding access to higher education in northern Santa Barbara County is important to me personally and to local employers like Rabobank. The Hancock Promise will deliver on its name for years to come,” said Dan Stevens, chief operating officer of Rabobank.

In recognition of the $1 million gift, the college’s board of trustees and its student body government approved the renaming of the Student Center (Building G) to the Rabobank Student Center.

The growing list of area businesses and organizations to support The Hancock Promise includes Pacific Gas and Electric, Marian Regional Medical Center, Aera Energy, Santa Barbara Foundation, Murphy Family Foundation, Santa Maria Kiwanis Club, Santa Ynez Valley Rotary and Union Bank, among others.

For more information about The Hancock Promise, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/promise.