Student Support Grant
Angela Patton, Student Support Grant recipient, and some of the many donors whose gifts have allowed her and 78 other students to complete their degrees.
Financial crisis in a family can mean difficult decisions about college educations. Some Colorado State University students have had to leave school to work full time to pay their bills. Others can no longer rely on the financial support of their parents, who may have lost jobs.
To help keep students from having to abandon their educational goals, Colorado State University has established the Student Support Grant, an "emergency fund" for students close to graduation, whose financial resources suddenly have been depleted due to the economy. In the past two years, 78 students have earned their degrees with help from the Student Support Grant.
Award amounts vary, depending on funds available and a student's financial need, but generally do not exceed $2,000 per academic year.
Angela Patton, a Colorado State graduate, exemplifies how a small financial boost can change a life. Just three classes shy of her degree, Angela received assistance from the Student Support Grant, and earned her liberal arts degree in 2010. She has a full-time job and is filled with gratitude to those whose financial gifts have helped her. "I refused to quit, and now I have a degree and a job," she said. "Doors are not closing for me anymore, they are opening ... thanks to the selflessness of others."