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CT Mirror
Connecticut's Nonprofit Journalism. 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
by Rona Free and Jim Calhoun, CT Mirror
May 28, 2025
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For decades, we have watched students pursue their career and life goals through higher education. These students—both athletes and non-athletes, from families of all income levels— use their college years to gain life-changing knowledge, skills, and experiences. They graduate ready to be valuable members of their communities and the workforce. For many learners, however, the cost of college presents a daunting obstacle.
Although some Division I athletes receive scholarships that cover tuition and expenses while they are in college, they represent only a fraction of the students we have known. Most struggle to pay their bills and to balance work and study; many approach the beginning of each academic year wondering whether they will have the resources to stay in school.
Students and their families need to save and plan for college, but for most of them, financial aid will be essential. Connecticut colleges and universities provide millions of dollars of aid to their students each year in the form of scholarships, thanks in large part to the generosity of alumni, friends, and philanthropists.
As donors ourselves, we understand the importance of supporting learners who demonstrate both financial need and academic promise. Students also get help from the federal government in the form of grants and loans.
But to continue to attract outstanding students to its colleges and universities, both private and public, and increase the chance that after graduation they will help fill jobs in Connecticut and build their lives here, the state needs to provide adequate funding for the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship Program (RWSP).
Grants from the RWSP are awarded only to Connecticut residents with demonstrated need who attend college in the state. These grants can make the difference between a student staying in Connecticut or going out of state for school. They open the possibility for a student to attend the college that is the best match for their abilities and career plans, whether that is an institution like the University of Connecticut that has a campus that is as big as many towns, or one like the University of Saint Joseph, small enough where everyone knows your name.
Each year, more than 10,000 students attend Connecticut colleges and universities with the help of the RWSP. Nearly 15,000 additional students are eligible to receive the grant, but inadequate funding leaves them without state scholarship support.
Students and their families are doing their part, Connecticut higher education institutions are doing our part, alumni and friends are helping with their financial gifts—we ask that the state do its part by providing needed funding for the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program.
Rhona C. Free is President of the University of Saint Joseph. Jim Calhoun is a special advisor to the Saint Joseph University President. He is also the former head coach of the University of Saint Joseph and University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball teams.
