Degree Completion Initiative

There is a growing trend of college juniors and seniors suddenly facing financial pressures making it difficult or impossible for them to continue in their education and complete their degrees. This can be due to a parent losing a job, decreasing scholarship assistance, increasing education costs, the need to work more hours in jobs to pay for education, child care, etc. The CFGNB has partnered with CCSU to establish the Degree Completion Initiative Program to provide financial assistance to those in the latter part of their education with a good college standing and demonstrated need.

Beginning in 2019, CFGNB established a set-aside of undesignated funds to begin a pilot program with CCSU. In following years, grants to this initiative will also be made from the James G. Williamson Education Assistance Fund, a fund named in memory of former Foundation President Jim Williamson who was a strong proponent of helping students complete their educational pursuits. After researching with CCSU’s task force information and other data, we decided to offer our scholarship to students in their junior or seniors years, who owed less than $2,500. In the first year of the initiative, we were able to completely pay three students’ balances, and assist two others in completing their education. Since 2019, the Degree Completion Initiative has helped pay the balances of 57 students with over $60,000 in support at CCSU.

In 2021, the Julian R. Judge Memorial Fund was established with the Degree Completion Initiative as their beneficiary. The Fund began contributing to the Initiative in 2022.

“This scholarship was able to grant me a better future, considering if I hadn’t received it I do not know if I would even be enrolled in this university at this moment, strictly due to my unfortunate financial situation at the time. This scholarship gave me the extra push to truly buckle down and figure out what my future entails as far as a career.” – Vanessa, 2019 recipient.