Marshall For All has completed its first year and is already transforming lives.
By Dave Traube
MU Summer 2024
When Jennifer Jimison’s husband passed away a few years ago, she was at a crossroads.
“Life changed drastically for me, and I found myself in a season of searching — searching for what my purpose was going to be,” said Jimison, now project director of the Marshall For All Program and member of the Office of Student Financial Assistance. “The experience has been life-altering. I have now found my purpose.”
Officially kicking off in August 2023, the Marshall For All Program is a radically innovative approach to the college experience. Through a combination of scholarships, grants, work opportunities and family contributions, the program allows students to earn their degree debt-free. The program began with 100 invited participants in 2023, with plans to be available for every incoming first-year residential student by 2037.
And while it’s hard to beat a debt-free education, Jimison sees the program’s real value playing out in another way — and one that doesn’t often show up in reports or fit neatly into a sales pitch: it gives students a chance.
“There are two schools of thought when it comes to what it takes for someone to be successful,” Jimison said. “The first says, ‘Here’s the expectation: I’ve shown you what to do, now you go figure it out and do it.’ But the second approach is patient. The second says it’s OK to take your time and, regardless of the outcome, I already believe you are successful. I live my life by the second one. I’m passionate that if you tell people they can succeed, they just might go out and learn how to succeed.”
Born out of a desire to grow students instead of fees, the program goes against a trend in higher education built to answer enrollment challenges by maximizing tuition dollars, leading to an alarming rise in overall student debt. A recent study by educationdata.org found that the average student loan debt growth rate “outpaces rising tuition costs by 166.9%,” leading to equal parts fear and frustration as the dream of a college education stays just that — a dream — for far too many families.
That sobering fact drives the intended expansion of Marshall For All, and for program participants like Mike Allie, it reminds them of how special the opportunity really is.
“The day I received my letter was possibly the greatest day of my life,” said Allie, a psychology major from Winfield, West Virginia. “I spent my entire high school career stressing out and worrying. It meant everything to me when I discovered all that might disappear. I can easily say it changed my life.”
Others, like Samuel Simpson, a biological sciences major from Ironton, Ohio, were excited about the prospect of a debt-free education but quickly found the program to be about more than just financial relief.
“Many opportunities, like my position as a work-study and a Marshall For All program advisor, have come to me because of this program,” Simpson said. “I’ve gained invaluable leadership experience, made many meaningful connections and found a resource in Jennifer (Jimison), who genuinely cares about me. I already can’t wait for next year.”
And as the chapter closes on the program’s first year, success has shown itself in big and small ways. Many of the students in the program have academically succeeded since the beginning, with a high percentage of them finding their names — often for the first time — on lists of academic excellence. Others have faced the everyday challenges of transitioning to college expectations versus what it took to succeed in high school. Jimison said it’s that noticeable growth that stands out to her as she reflects on the program’s first year.
“We’re constantly learning how to improve the program for the students,” Jimison said. “Watching them learn to take responsibility for the process, embrace the struggle and work to get better —seeing that play out has been awesome.”
But for the program to reach its potential, it’ll need some help from individuals who see the power of the impact, both in the immediate lives of Marshall students and in the future, changing families and transforming a state.
Anyone who would like to contribute to the program, whether in the form of financial support, mentorship or employment possibilities, can visit www.marshall.edu/marshallforall to learn more about why giving time and resources to the future growth of the program isn’t simply a donation — it’s an investment in a generation of students with the aspiration and grit to pursue an education, and an investment in the future prosperity of the Appalachian region.
All contributions to Marshall For All are an investment in students like Nailah Robinson, a nursing student from Huntington, who still has to pinch herself at the path of opportunity that now lies before her.
“I wake up every day excited, I’m going to go learn something,’ and that’s what I tell my roommate before I go to class — ‘I’m going to go learn something,’ and that’s exactly what I get to go do.”
Click here to support the program
The experience has been life-altering. I have now found my purpose. — Jennifer Jimison Project Director, Marshall for All
I wake up every day excited, I’m going to go learn something, and that’s what I tell my roommate before I go to class — ‘I’m going to go learn something,’ and that’s exactly what I get to go do. — Nailah Robinson
