Visiting Homer with Hamilton were Fran Ulmer, interim chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage, Gary Turner, director of UAA's Kenai Peninsula College, and Carol Swartz, director of the Kachemak Bay Campus.

Hamilton followed his invitation by reminding the class that 10 of them will be offered scholarships of $11,000 each as part of the university's Alaska Scholars Program.

"You've got to reach out and tell the best of the best that they need to take a look at the University of Alaska," he said of the scholarship program he called "my baby."

Nine hundred of the scholarships are offered annually to the top 10 percent of graduating seniors in accredited high schools across the state.

Only 450 of the scholarships are actually used. Currently, 38 students in KPC campuses in Homer, Soldotna, Seward and Anchorage are Alaska Scholars recipients, according to Turner.

He estimated a full-time student in the state's university system would pay approximately $3,600 for tuition and $600 for fees in a year for a total of $4,200-$4,400, not including room and board. In other words, a scholarship of $11,000 could pay for the first two years, when classes typically focus on general education requirements.

Hamilton had high praise for UA's faculty and students.

"Don't think for one second that there is something secondary or inferior about the University of Alaska," he said. "My faculty is as good a faculty as you will meet anywhere."

He used the University of Alaska Anchorage speech and debate team as an example of excellence. The team took 10th in the National Parliamentary Debate Association championships in 2001 and won NPDA's national championship tournament the following year.

In 2005, the UAA team claimed international fame by winning the Rotterdam Open, a tournament in the Netherlands. They followed up that success by winning the U.S. Universities Championships in 2006 and took second to Harvard in the U.S. Universities Championships the following year.

"We stomped Yale," Hamilton said. "Why? Because our students are every bit as smart as kids going to Yale. Because our professors are every bit as smart as professors teaching at Yale."

Telling students that their education is dependent on their personal involvement, Hamilton encouraged the HHS juniors to consider attending a university close to their hometown.

"Being as close as you can to your support group is important," he said. "Eighty-two percent of kids going to college go in the same state they graduated from. Eighty percent of the remainder go within a five-hour drive."

Taking advantage of low-interest student loans also was encouraged by Hamilton.

"For some reason, Alaskans think debt is horrible. They don't want college loans," he said. "You're the best investment you'll ever make in your life. Don't let (college loans) scare you away. There's an enormous pay off. You're worth investing in."

Scholarships offer another way to pay for continued education. However, many students traditional as well as returning students shy away from applying.

Reasons Hamilton has heard for that avoidance include not being worth the time if the amount offered is less than $1,000; the perception that full-time rather than part-time student status is required; and that a student may make too much money to qualify. But Hamilton's response to that was simple.

"Try it," he said.

Pointing to the increasing demand in the job market for employees with four-year degrees and specialized skill sets, Hamilton told HHS students, "I'm going to get all of you sooner or later. It may be after you've had three kids. It may be after you've worked 15 years. But you are coming to a university."

Later in the day, Hamilton, Ulmer and Turner met with KBC students. During that meeting, the students offered improvements that would help them reach their educational goals: increased program offerings, development of a learning center complete with tutors, additional campus hours and improvements to distance education programs, specifically communication with instructors and classmates.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.