By Patrick Adrian
Staff Writer
CONCORD — Every graduating high school senior in New Hampshire this year will receive one free community college course of their choice as a graduation gift, courtesy of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges.
The two foundations announced Wednesday a commitment of more than $1 million in charitable funds to enable every New Hampshire high school graduate this year to take one free course at any state community college. This gift will cover the full tuition and fees for a three-credit course and will also extend to graduating students who have already enrolled in a state community college for the fall.
“This has been a tremendously challenging time for graduating high school seniors,” said Dick Ober, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. “The Class of 2021 should feel very proud, and know that New Hampshire is proud of them, for persevering and completing their high school degrees under circumstances that no one could have foreseen.”
Many graduating high schoolers have found their college planning derailed by the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, noted Michael Turmelle, director of education and career initiatives at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The pandemic has impaired student access to help with college selections or financial aid, campus visits, and internships or part-time or summer employment to defray expenses. Some students have also endured challenges in their households such as underemployment, illnesses or the digital divide.
“This perfect storm has knocked many students off-course,” Turmelle said. “The result is a significant decline in students completing financial aid forms, a lower number of students making early college decisions, fewer students applying for post-secondary scholarships and lower college enrollment overall.”
Officials said they hope this opportunity will enable students without a post-graduation plan to re-engage with that process via a college course.
Alfred Williams, president of River Valley Community College, said he anticipates students choosing from the full-range of offerings, whether a student wishes to explore a career path, refreshen knowledge or general skills or apply toward a selected major.
“We often find that graduating seniors sometimes need a little push to start college,” Williams said. “This year more than ever. This gift will help many students take that first exploratory step.”
This initiative was modelled on a Vermont program launched last year by the state and the McLure Foundation, a charitable organization in Vermont, which offered a free community college course to each Vermont graduate from the Class of 2020.
Vermont’s experiment proved a success, according to state and national data. In Vermont, new enrollment of recent high school graduates in state community colleges nearly doubled in the fall of 2020 from previous years. This trend sharply contrasted national data, which showed that first-year enrollment in four-year colleges dropped 16% in 2020 and first-year enrollment in community colleges last year dropped 22%.
Turmelle added that of the Vermont students who chose a free course, more than half were interested in taking a certification-type course toward a professional trade and 70% of students finished the course to completion and with a passing grade.
Additionally, 80% of students who completed a course said they wanted to take more courses at the community college.
To enroll, eligible students should contact the admissions office at their local community college. Academic counselors will be available to help students choose courses. Students can choose an online, hybrid or in-person class. For graduating seniors who have already enrolled in a state community college, this gift will be credited to one three-credit course.
“Maybe it’s a course in welding or maybe it’s a course in English literature,” said Susan Huard, interim chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire. “Or maybe it’s an LNA program. Whatever it is, we are very interested to have [students] come and get started.”
For more information on the “Gift to the Class of 2021,” visit givenhcc.org/ClassGift.
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