NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Promise recruiters are scrambling to attract 4,000 volunteer mentors to apply to become part of the scholarship program within the next four weeks.

News outlets are reporting that about 5,000 Tennessee adults have applied to be mentors statewide, leaving the program 4,000 mentors short of its 9,000-person goal with less than a month remaining before the Nov. 20 application deadline.

Tennessee Promise Executive Director Mike Krause says his focus will shift exclusively to mentors after students' Nov. 2 application deadline.

Krause says he would rely on partnerships with employers such as AT&T Tennessee and Nissan to drive more participation in the mentor program.

Gov. Bill Haslam has pushed for the program to use more mentors in order for closer relationships to be established between mentors and students.