Barriers to Success

Most people think of Vermont in picture postcard images; pristine mountains, cows grazing on rolling green hillsides, the smiling faces of Ben & Jerry, and country villages with their landmark church steeples. We do live surrounded by beauty. The reality, however, is that many Vermonters struggle with poverty, the challenges created by harsh weather conditions and rural isolation.

Meanwhile, Vermont has some of the most expensive colleges in the country. Public college tuitions here are 57 percent higher than the national average. Students and their parents are taking on significant education debt. Many students will be forced to quit college when they have exceeded their loan limits.

The number of Vermonters applying for grant and scholarship support has risen steadily. Despite a struggling economy, the state has approved increases in higher education funding. However, the additional funds have not been significant enough to offset the rising cost of higher education.

Young men and women from struggling families face the future with bleak prospects. For some familes there is simply not enough money to make a college degree a possibility. Many students will not enroll in the education programs of their choice, and many more will simply not enroll.

Scholarship support from private sources is one solution to helping students who need and deserve the it most.