Posted July 16 - Manchester alumni who graduated several decades ago often tell me that they worked their way through school. That is, they earned enough from working to pay for college. It was a different time when tuition was $160 per semester, but it wasn’t easy to cover costs. One graduate told me that spending 10 cents for a cup of coffee in the Oaks was an extravagance. 

Recently I talked with a Manchester student working as a cashier at the grocery store in North Manchester. As she scanned my purchases, she told me she’s holding down two jobs this summer. One, as a research intern in the Biology Department, “is for rent,” she said. Her New Market job “is for extras.” That includes books, gas money and all the other costs associated with being a college student.

Across generations of Manchester students, sweat equity – investing the fruits of our own work in our education – has been a given. I’m proud of that Spartan work ethic. It’s one of many reasons our graduates find success and make significant contributions in their communities after graduation.