Hundreds of you have already sent personal emails to Davidson President Robert F. Vagt and other college administrators, explaining how college debts have burdened your families' lives and expressing your gratitude.
Click below to read some of the responses. We also invite you to tell your story here, and let us know how college debt has influenced your life.
Many of you have also expressed your desire to support this new policy, both for today and for future Davidson students with need.
From Nancy, a California mother with a college graduate with $46,000 in debt: Our family cannot turn back the clock, but if we could, my daughter would be applying to your college today…. I don’t know if she will ever be able to pay these loans off…. I am so glad other families that graduate from Davidson will not have to endure this hardship and worry… I am on disability and we don’t have much revenue coming in, live month-to-month, but I am going to drop a check in the mail tomorrow to your school for $10.00 (and that is a lot for us). Kudos to Davidson.
From a Davidson Graduate, Class of 1981: This is a defining move. Principled, courageous and visionary.
From a Davidson Graduate, Class of 1954: As a poor preacher's kid who struggled through Davidson fifty years ago, I cannot tell you how pleased I am that this policy has been adopted.
From a current Davidson Professor As a student who benefited from the efforts of a college committed to my financial ability to obtain an excellent—and for my family expensive—education, I applaud Davidson’s commitment. If I had not gotten this kind of help, I would not have obtained the training and experiences that led to my becoming a faculty member at Davidson College.
From a Davidson Graduate, Class of 1994: Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help… Davidson is making a very important commitment to enrich the lives of the students that will benefit.
Davidson invites you to extend your support by adding your stories and discuss with friends how you can help support similar actions to make high quality education something that provides freedom, not burden or regret.
Comments (1)
As a Davidson alum and legacy who comes from a family deep in the Presbyterian tradition, I have recently been sad about Davidson's increasing separation from the church and some of the ways it has maintained ties in the past. I will say, though, that I was so very, very proud of Davidson for eliminating the loans in its financial aid policy. Because I went into church work like others in my family, the debt from loans I took out to attend Davidson made decision-making in regards to my financial future very stressful. Clergy families are often stretched thin to achieve the educations they are capable of. While the Presbyterian church certainly didn't motivate this move, it will benefit as more Davidson grads will be able to afford church service when they graduate. Considering Davidson came about because of dedicated Presbyterians, it would make sense that Davidson enable its graduates to be able to give back to the faith community that founded it. I am so proud of my alma mater!
Posted by Joanna Boyd | April 21, 2007 2:36 PM
Posted on April 21, 2007 14:36