Changing financial circumstances can directly impact a student’s ability to pay for tuition and other expenses, particularly for those students who are already economically stretched. In some cases, students and parents secure loans. However, there is no time to do so when a crisis occurs.
In 2012 the SUNY New Paltz Foundation created the Crossing the Finish Line fund to help students, struggling with unanticipated changes in their economic situation, stay in College and finish their degrees. The fund has already had a significant impact on the ability of New Paltz students to achieve success while overcoming unforeseen crises. Family illnesses, growing medical bills, legal issues and job loss can lead some of the College’s brightest and most promising students to put their educations on hold. This endowed fund aims to prevent that.
The fund was originally established by a gift from Nancy Hahn Moore '64 and her husband David. The name is taken from the title of the book Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America's Public Universities, with the permission of the lead author, William G. Bowen.
Students who apply for a one-time award from the Crossing the Finish Line fund are accomplished juniors and seniors who are serious about their education and are seeking a way to complete their studies. The fund helps to bridge a significant gap for SUNY New Paltz students. Since established in 2012, the fund has awarded tens of thousands of dollars to students, with individual awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 each.
Every single student who has received an award has gone on to graduate. However, for every student who applies and receives emergency assistance, numerous students are turned away.
You can help too! Contributions to the Crossing the Finish Line fund increase the value of the endowment and, in turn, the amount available for awards. Your gift now will help even more students—who find themselves suddenly unable to finance college costs and complete their degrees—for years to come. Thank you.
