Tom Boysen

Bridging the College Gap: Preparing Low-Income Students to Succeed

Tom Boysen, Elaine Nguyen, George Weiss, Anna McCullough, Michael Lomax, Stephen Knapp

Moderator Tom Boysen led a panel of business leaders and education experts in diagnosing the stagnation of low-income student outcomes despite forty years of federal spending, highlighting how socioeconomic status increasingly overrides academic ability in degree attainment. The discussion showcased transformative models from organizations like Say Yes to Education and QuestBridge that combine full tuition coverage with holistic supports such as mental health services and mentorship to achieve graduation rates significantly higher than national averages. While panelists identified political gridlock and a lack of accountability mechanisms in higher education as major obstacles, they concluded that philanthropy and local community accountability must drive the systemic revolution required to scale these successful interventions.