Gateway Community College President Dorsey Kendrick joined the board of directors for New Haven Promise, the University’s effort to provide scholarships to students in New Haven Public Schools, the program announced Thursday.

Kendrick will work alongside University President Richard Levin, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Will Ginsberg, president of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, in determining the direction of the program, which accepted its first applications last month.

“Not only does the promise of tuition relief motivate, it also sends a valuable message about the importance of a higher education and lifelong learning,” Kendrick said in a press release.

Under Kendrick’s leadership, enrollment at Gateway doubled, the release stated, and coordinated the community college’s expansion into downtown.