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President's Blog: From the Heart

The University of Dayton is eliminating financial barriers for high-achieving underserved students.

Access Matters

By Eric F. Spina

Imagine being the first in the history of your family to go to college. It can be daunting to think about navigating the complex journey to and through college, let alone believing it’s financially feasible, particularly if you’re from a low-income family.

We want to make it easier for first-generation and low-income students to attend the University of Dayton by connecting them to each other and to the financial, advising and academic resources they need to thrive and graduate. 

Every talented student deserves the opportunity to experience our relationship-rich, transformational, Catholic, Marianist education that is radically holistic. It’s our raison d’être. Our society needs servant-leaders in all careers who are prepared to be community builders and difference-makers.

That’s why the whole University has worked hard to increase socioeconomic diversity, measured in part by our share of Pell Grants. This fall, a record 22% of the students in our first-year class were awarded federal Pell Grants, a non-repayable subsidy for those with exceptional financial need. Since 2016, we’ve increased the percentage of Pell-eligible students, no matter their ZIP code, by 50% — and dramatically expanded access by developing signature initiatives. 

Why is this so important? The educational inequity gap and growing income divide in our country have effectively shut the door to higher education for too many. Making a UD degree more accessible to underserved students can change their lives and deepen the educational experience for every student on campus. Research shows that in diverse learning environments students learn to value and respect the gifts of all and work in more innovative, creative ways.

As an example, imagine working on a group project with senior sociology major Norma Garcia White and seeing the world through her eyes. She enrolled at UD after earning an associate degree while serving in the Marine Corps. As part of her capstone project, she’s analyzing how students of color perceive and access mental health services on campus with the goal of making these services more accessible. She’s making her leadership mark, too, as an officer in UD’s Student Veterans Association.

While our endowment is growing thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, and to a strong financial market, it doesn’t match that of Ivy League schools. It takes innovation, creativity and deep commitment for UD to create greater access. 

Through the Flyer Promise Scholars Program, we’re eliminating the financial barriers for high-achieving, underserved students. Through a partnership with Sinclair Community College, we’re putting a bachelor’s degree within reach of far more students through the UD Sinclair Academy. Two years ago, we received $1 million from the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies to establish the Kessler Scholars Program to support first-generation students. 

Through private support, grants and University funds, we’re offering financial assistance, leadership opportunities and high-touch campus experiences that foster a true sense of belonging. For our efforts, we’ve received national recognition from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the American Talent Initiative as one of 28 colleges and universities that are making progress in recruiting, supporting and graduating lower-income students, many of whom are first-generation. 

Access matters — and we’ve become a better and stronger university for the gifts these students bring and share.

(This piece appears in the winter 2024 issue of the University of Dayton Magazine.)

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