He hopes to earn a degree in either construction engineering or civil engineering and to one day own a construction company, which he'd like to use as part of a ministry to help the underprivileged.

A standout tackle and linebacker in high school, Plair says he may try out for the Broncos' football team as a walk-on before his junior or senior years. Some of his time as a sophomore will be spent working out and trying to get back into playing shape.

He hasn't decided yet whether he will keep his FedEx job, where he now works from midnight until 3 a.m. or 3:30 a.m.

Bob Jorth, who oversees the Promise program, warns against students taking on too much responsibility. Taking too many courses or working too many hours has hurt some students.

About 20 percent of the students who received Promise scholarships for the 2006-07 school year didn't do well enough to have their funding renewed this fall, he says. Sixty-two of the 332 students who got scholarships were sent letters saying they may not be renewed because of low grades.

"Some of them may be able to recover during the summer because some of them are taking summer school classes," Jorth says.

Most of the students that he spoke with got into trouble by trying to do too much, he says.

Jorth says he and other Kalamazoo schools officials were "reasonably satisfied" by the performance of the 2006 grads in their first year of college.

"I mean, anytime you have to suspend that many scholarships, you're disappointed, but I think, given what we know about national norms, that we're pleased with the first class' performance to date and it just gives us something to build on," Jorth says.

On the Net:

The Kalamazoo Promise Web site: http://www.kalamazoopromise.com/

- Associated Press