Lawmakers hear push for statewide 'Promise' program to expand scholarships and student supports

Supporters of a proposed statewide "Promise" program told the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee that the model—already operating in Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury—combines scholarships with intensive student supports and internships to improve college completion and retain graduates in Connecticut.

Kelvin Roldan, co‑chair of the Connecticut Promise Task Force, said the state currently invests about $245 per undergraduate in need‑based aid while the national average is roughly $1,283, and recommended adding about $30,000,000 per year to move Connecticut toward parity. "This is not an expansion of financial aid," he said. "It is a foundation for a coordinated system that improves college access, strengthens completion and retains more Connecticut students in state." Roldan urged creation of a coordinating Office of Postsecondary Success and a statewide Scholar Success Grant to anchor local Promise programs.

Richard Sugarman, the task force's co‑chair and founding president of Hartford Promise, emphasized that Promise programs are more than scholarships. "They are an integrated college success model: scholarship plus wraparound services, consistent guidance and institutional collaboration," he said, adding that local programs show higher graduation and retention rates when financial aid is paired with advising, internships and career supports.

Nathan Furst, University of Connecticut vice president for student life and enrollment, told the committee that Connecticut loses nearly four in 10 college‑bound students to out‑of‑state institutions and faces demographic declines in high‑school graduates. "A statewide Promise program is a strategic response to both challenges by making college more affordable and predictable," Furst said, and urged careful policy design to ensure institutional aid is not simply reallocated in ways that do not benefit in‑state students.

Philanthropic leaders also pledged support. Jay Williams, president and CEO of Greater Hartford Gives, said his foundation committed $30,000,000 to Hartford Promise and recommended the state provide flexible grant funding for wraparound services and evaluation. Local Promise directors described how programs identify eligible students early—often via data‑sharing agreements starting in ninth grade—and track progress through graduation. Many programs offer last‑dollar scholarships (Waterbury cited awards up to $5,000) plus career fairs and paid internships.

Lawmakers pressed witnesses on specifics: how to define a qualifying Promise program; whether the central office should oversee seeding and technical assistance versus micromanaging local models; how to protect institutions from uncompensated revenue losses when statutory waivers change; and how rural communities without strong philanthropic bases could participate. Task force leaders proposed a technical‑assistance advisory group to help municipalities assess readiness, and suggested regional collaborations where small towns lack sufficient local resources.

Committee members also asked for concrete legislative definitions and metrics. Several speakers said the state should require demonstrated integrated supports and accountability metrics—not just a program title—before awarding state funds.

The committee did not vote; members said they will continue refining language and ask task force staff and program directors to provide detailed implementation options and fiscal estimates.