By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
One day before she goes before legislators to promote a more than $5 million expansion of her “Rhode Island Promise” free tuition plan, Governor Gina Raimondo met with students at the Community College of Rhode Island to hear their stories and to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness to legislative leaders.
“Having an education was something that was really important to me and that I really wanted to do, both to make my family proud and to make myself proud,” said Olivia Nugent, a second year student at CCRI in Warwick who will graduate this spring. A 2017 graduate of South Kingstown High School, she has future plans to pursue sound design.
Andrew Lee of Coventry said he took advantage of the Rhode Island Promise program to afford to pay for college, and leave his mother able to fund her own retirement.
“If I was to go to an out of state school, I would be in debt and my mom would have to worry about me,” said Lee, a first year student studying finance. “So I’m just glad it was a good decision that benefits my family.”
Gov. Raimondo said the program has already demonstrated its worth.
“The result is a forty percent increase in enrollment, a tripling of our graduation rate, and thousands of people who are going to be able to get a job, and have a degree forever, never going to be able to take it away,” Raimondo said.
Several students said the program enabled them to pay for other college necessities, like books.
“With the arrival of the Rhode Island Promise, students now have the money they actually need to go on and buy those books,” said CCRI President Meghan Hughes.
“It’s a big deal and its the difference between performing and earning the kinds of GPA’s you’re seeing in front of you, and not being able to actually stay in the class. It’s hard to do well in a class when you can’t afford a book,” Hughes said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman William Conley attended the nearly hour-long session, while his House counterpart, Marvin Abney was scheduled to attend but did not.
