Close to Home Update
From Jim Chesebrough, Music:
I have only been at Keene State College for three and a half years and feel I may need to introduce myself to many of you. I am Jim Chesebrough, an assistant professor of music, and one of the Chairs for this year’s Faculty/Staff Campaign “Close to Home.” I have spent my entire professional career in education. I taught public school in a very large high school in Ohio for six years, spent twenty years teaching in one of the smallest school districts in New Hampshire, and taught at an Ivy League institution for one year before coming to Keene. As varied as these experiences were, there were always special students who made the job rewarding because they recognized the importance of education. Another common denominator was the financial challenges students faced when trying to pay for their higher education.
Even at Yale, I knew students whose families were making extreme sacrifices and accruing enormous debt in order to study at the school with the second highest endowment in the country. Last year at Keene, the economic crisis was brought closer to home when aid requests for enrolled students tripled. It was not unusual to hear that some students in our classes would not be returning in the fall unless they were able to receive additional support from the college. I knew a special student in this situation, and you probably did too.
Fortunately, the staff of Keene State College came through. Last year, 18 percent of faculty and staff generously donated almost $46,000 to the college. Personally, I was concerned that my meager donation would not make a difference, but it has been shown that gifts ranging from $10-$25 total about $30,000 of the unrestricted money that KSC receives. This makes a huge impact on the lives of students on campus. When this year started, I was particularly happy to see the aforementioned special student in class and found that they had received additional monies from the college.
That was then, but the challenge remains. Many of our best students need our help. This year, we hope to double participation in the Faculty/Staff Campaign with a goal of 40 percent. We are off to a great start. Already participation is at 12 percent, and $18,000 in gifts and pledges have been received. We have 10 weeks left, and I would like to invite you to join us in making a gift to this year’s “Close to Home” faculty and staff campaign. It’s easy! You can write a check, use payroll deduction, or you can make your gift securely online at www.keene.edu/giving. On behalf of the 2010 Faculty/Staff Campaign Chairs, thanks for considering participating. You may be helping that one special student in your class.
