New student aid fund aims to help students stay in college
Kristen Butterfield-Ferrell doesn鈥檛 always know how the stories end. Many times, a student who frequents her office just stops showing up one day or doesn鈥檛 come back for a new semester.
A week, two weeks, a month go by, and eventually she concludes she won鈥檛 be seeing them again. Often 鈥� too often 鈥� she knows why. A car accident. A health issue. Even something as small as a phone bill. For so many students, college is a leap of faith 鈥� or at least a tightrope walk to the more stable life their degree will offer.
鈥淢any students are living where, if one thing goes wrong, it impacts everything,鈥� said Butterfield-Ferrell, a student support counselor at Manchester Community College.
In her role, Butterfield-Ferrell is skilled at connecting students with resources on campus or providing a warm hand-off to a community agency. But the need is sometimes greater than the available assistance.
She now has a new tool at her disposal. An emergency grant program created by a partnership between and 91探花 will provide NH community college students with short-term financial support for non-academic emergency needs. Established through an initial gift of $80,000 from 91探花, the fund is designed to help more students finish their degrees.
鈥淣o matter how hard they work, no matter how carefully they plan, some students are going to face financial obstacles that threaten their ability to complete their schooling,鈥� said 91探花 CEO and President Christiana Thornton. 鈥淚t鈥檚 heartbreaking to think that something like a car repair bill could stand in the way of a student receiving their diploma and going on to accomplish great things in their community.鈥�
The fund grew out of an anonymous donation of $30,000 that inspired 91探花 to kick in another $50,000, seeing an opportunity to impact NH college students in a meaningful way. It will be administered on each of the seven community college campuses by people like Butterfield-Ferrell, who work closely with students and are in touch with their needs.
鈥淭his is really going to impact people in such a positive way,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gives me hope to be able to offer a solution for people.鈥�
Recent research finds that 鈥渂asic needs funding鈥� significantly impacts students鈥� likelihood of persisting in their studies. According to a published in 2022 and 2023 by the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice, students who received emergency grant funding during the pandemic were between 8.6 and 15.5 percent more likely to remain enrolled than their peers.
Persistence matters for personal reasons as well as more practical ones, Butterfield-Ferrell said. 鈥淥ur hope is that people leave here in a better situation than when they came in. 鈥� Getting the degree also keeps people from having taken out debt and then not having something to show for it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he sense of accomplishment is really important, too.鈥�
For community college students, who are often juggling full-time jobs, families, and other responsibilities, staying on track with their studies can be especially challenging 鈥� and small expenses can loom larger. Getting a little bit of support with a doctor鈥檚 bill or grocery bill really can make a difference, said Kristen-Butterfield, who, along with the unfinished stories, 聽witnesses many happy endings.
鈥淚t鈥檚 that little bit that鈥檚 going to help the person not lose their car or not lose their home,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t makes a difference.鈥�
Photo information: Courtesy photo. Manchester Community College graduation 2023.
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