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Jay Williams

Jay Williams

President and CEO of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation; former Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

Jun 22, 2026

8:49
Tell me why that's been a focus area, and tell me some of the things you've done, because I think I've just understood you've gotten some awards recently for that and your work there, so tell us about that.
8:58
Rob, you are spot on with respect to how detrimental the student loan debt crisis has become over the past decade or plus.
9:07
Over the past 20 to 25 years, college tuition has tripled, student loan has doubled, and it is crushing, uh, the futures of not only our students but our communities.
9:19
So the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, we've had a scholarship program for 60 years.
9:24
Uh, that scholarship program, uh, was, uh, effective, and we were proud of it, but it was modest.
9:29
It provided $3,000 a year, and with the cost of college, right, that barely covers books.
9:34
So as we were contemplating our centennial anniversary probably three, four years ago, we started thinking, and the board had charged us with really taking a look at the scholarship program and be- making sure it was relevant, making sure it was impactful.

7 MINS LATER

16:36
How have you done that? Like, what did you do to make that work so well?

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