A gift of close to $900,000 from a late Modesto woman will help California State University, Stanislaus, reach out to eighth-grade students.

The money is from the Cronkite 1993 Trust, established by Juanita Cronkite.

Nearly $400,000 will go to the Stockton Eighth-Grade Initiative. Stanislaus State President Marvalene Hughes established the program in 2000.

And $500,000 will go to create an endowment for a similar program in Stanislaus County: the Cronkite Stanislaus Eighth-Grade Initiative.

Officials said the goal of these initiatives is to increase the San Joaquin Valley's college-going rate. The idea is to get eighth-grade students thinking about, and working toward, getting into college.

The initiative program guarantees admission and full scholarships to qualified students who maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in middle school and high school; graduate from high school; and meet California State University first-year admission requirements.

The students, along with their parents or guardians and school district administrators and teachers, sign contracts with the university. Students promise to fulfill requirements; parents and teachers pledge to support the students.

Eligible students are enrolled in a college-preparatory program known as Advancement via Individual Determination, or AVID, which boasts a 95 percent college-going rate, three times higher than the state average. Participants visit colleges, receive tutoring from college students and take classes needed to get into college.

Cronkite scholarships cover student fees beyond other financial aid and grants, Stanislaus State spokesman Don Hansen said.

William Ruud, vice president for development and university relations, said all students who meet the requirements are eligible for the scholarships, though the program targets those who are at risk of not going to college, such as first-generation Americans.

Juanita Cronkite, a Merced native, lived in Modesto 77 years and worked as a clerk for Stanislaus County for 15 years. She died in October 2002.

Her husband, Earnie, who died in 1992, served as media director at E.& J. Gallo Winery for more than 30 years.

They "were dedicated to seeing that education continues in the valley and were strong supporters of the institution," Ruud said. "They wanted their gift to go to support scholarships for young people."

In a prepared statement, Hughes said: "The best investment in the long-term future of our region is in an early outreach scholarship program to encourage students to prepare for college long before they arrive on our campus, and help them financially once they are admitted.

She said the Cronkite gift will be used as a challenge grant to raise matching donations to expand the fund's capacity to make college possible for more area students.