SLIPPERY ROCK — As parents start planning how to pay for college this fall, phone calls are pouring into the financial aid office at Slippery Rock University.

"We are really hearing more when they fill those (financial-aid forms) out and can see in black and white what their earnings were in 2008, and they wonder about 2009," said Patty Hladio, SRU director of financial aid.

To help families deal with the struggles that come with financing a college education in an economic downturn, the university established the need-based Rock Opportunity Scholarship, which launched Monday. The university and Slippery Rock University Foundation Inc. have committed $250,000 to the program and will provide $1,000 to $1,250 a year to more than 200 undergraduates, according to a news release.

Hladio said the program is especially important as she hears the struggles families face every day with job losses or a significant reduction in work hours.

"We have received a lot of calls and have been meeting with parents during orientation and hearing their stories," Hladio said. "We have gotten more calls than we have in recent years and are having more conversations with families."

She also said the program could make the difference in ensuring that students complete four years of college.

"I just think it will keep some students in school, and it may keep parents from having to borrow additional funds," Hladio said. "It will move those students toward their degree and allow them to earn a decent living."

SRU will notify 3,000 students this week about the scholarship and has created an online form for them to submit their applications. Scholarships will be awarded to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors based on family income guidelines established by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as well as academic performance, Hladio said.

Scholarships will be renewable based on achieving normal academic progress, income eligibility and availability of funding. She said the program would assist 250 students in the first year and reach 1,000 students in the first four years.

Hladio said assistance would be granted after federal and state grant aid programs have been credited to a student's account and before the family's contribution and loans. Efforts will be made to award scholarships proportionally by class year.

The Rock Opportunity Scholarships will be distributed in June with an application deadline of May 22. Hladio said this will give families more time to sort out how they will pay for college.

"We do want to get the word out to recipients in June so they have time to put their other financial pieces together," she said.

Robert Smith, SRU president, said the university needed to do something to help the students.

"We already know from our analysis that we have an estimated 2,000 students whose families are in need as a result of the economic crisis, and we have got to do something," Smith said. The university has 8.500 students.

"My belief is that education is an investment with a clear return, but you have to be able to acquire the education and afford to go to school," Smith said. "We are making sure families who (have that belief) are not derailed from realizing that dream for their son or daughter."

Smith said the scholarships are being funded through both the foundation and university resources.

"The university should also gain because we keep great students right through graduation, so it's helpful to us to retain students and to see them successfully graduate," Smith said.