The Manchester Promise: Innovative ideas and strong partnerships delivering for students

E D I T O R I A L

Progress is only possible with strong partnerships. Public-private partnerships and collaboration between City government and academia have resulted in new programs for Manchester public school students that help to make higher education possible for some who may not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue higher learning. We say this not only as the Mayor of Manchester, the Assistant Vice President of Community Impact at SNHU, and the Director of Duet’s New Hampshire Program, but also as leaders who have seen firsthand all that is possible when we come together with an innovative idea to better the lives of our residents.

We know that access to higher education supports our economy and strengthens our workforce. But far too many students across our state — and the country — feel that a post-secondary education is beyond their reach due to numerous financial and systemic barriers. New Hampshire is outpacing the country in a decline in students enrolling in college, but Manchester has long been working to lead the way in thwarting that. The City of Manchester and partners created The Manchester Promise in 2020 with a commitment to doing everything we can to support students in achieving their dreams. That starts with ensuring they can access quality educational programs after high school graduation.

The Manchester Promise, a partnership between the City of Manchester and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), Duet, and Manchester Community College (MCC), allows Manchester Public High School graduates with financial barriers to attend college tuition-free.

Created in 2020 for students whose high school experience was impacted by the pandemic, the program is a testament to what happens when we provide learners with additional avenues to reach their educational aspirations. It is also a reminder of the necessity of ensuring every student has access to quality post-secondary education free from barriers.

In total, there are 47 graduates of Manchester public schools enrolled in The Manchester Promise. The first cohort includes 25 students at SNHU, with a 96% persistence rate from the first year to the second year, which is substantially higher than SNHU’s first-year rate. Additionally, 22 students are enrolled at Duet.

Recently, we received the exciting news of the first graduate of The Manchester Promise. Hannah, a 2020 Memorial High School graduate, completed her bachelor’s degree program with SNHU/Duet, earning her degree in less than 4 years. In addition to her academic achievement, Hannah will be staying in New Hampshire after graduation and working at Fidelity.

We also received more exciting news that Keiffer, a 2021 Memorial High School graduate, just earned his associate’s degree through Duet. Keiffer enrolled in January of this year and transferred in 18 credits he had previously earned. Now, thanks to The Manchester Promise and Duet’s coaching, he’s become an SNHU graduate and plans to continue on to earn his bachelor’s degree under the same grant next month. Like Hannah, Keiffer also lives and works in Manchester.

Next year, a total of 27 additional eligible city high school graduates will have the opportunity to enroll in the Manchester Promise program to pursue tuition-free degrees through Duet or at MCC.

This program gives students the power to pursue a college degree, supports them in maintaining good academic standing, and allows them to access a bright future locally. All of these students have stayed in our city and are currently working in the greater Manchester area. Let us repeat that — we’re providing students with an opportunity to see a future for themselves in Manchester and they’re staying here and giving back. By implementing The Manchester Promise, we’re helping our city’s young adults make an immediate and lasting impact in their community.

When looking at The Manchester Promise, endless opportunities become available for our students and our state as a whole. New Hampshire’s population is aging — in fact, we have the second-oldest population in the country. By creating partnerships like The Manchester Promise, we’re advocating for policies and programs that will show young people that they can stay and succeed in our state. With access to quality education, students will stay and fill vital job openings for our cities and towns, from nursing to teaching and so much more.

The best investment we can make into our community’s future is to help individuals achieve their goals, whatever those goals might be. The Manchester Promise marks a significant investment in affordable, accessible higher education, an investment that should be expanded to benefit as many qualifying students as possible.

While funding for this program is ending soon, we hope that The Manchester Promise will become a blueprint for future investment and that the state will prioritize these innovative partnerships with higher education institutions as we create a brighter future for our residents.

Respectfully Submitted by:

• The Honorable Joyce Craig, Mayor, City of Manchester
• Steve Thiel, Assistant Vice President of Community Impact, SNHU
• Khaleel Shreet, Director of New Hampshire Program, Duet