Investing in Graduate Students
An alumna pays it forward by supporting future generations of graduate students.
When her acceptance letter arrived, Karen Butler Connell MFA 95 PT/PR was thrilled. Unfortunately, there was a problem—RISD did not include a significant financial aid package along with its offer of admission.
“Another school had given me a full ride for tuition and living expenses, but I desperately wanted to go to RISD,” she recalls. “I met with Professor Nancy Friese, who at that time was the graduate chair for Painting and Printmaking, and I asked her if they could find financial aid for me. She came through with an incredible teaching opportunity that paid for a third of my tuition. It made all the difference in the world. Without that support, I would never have been able to attend.”
What she was able to experience as a result was energizing: “When I had visited other MFA programs, the graduate students were separated from the undergrads. At RISD, we were teaching the undergrad students, going to events and lectures with them, and I recall feeling their intensity,” she says. “We also benefited from visiting artists who shared stories about their own successes and provided spirited critiques of our work.”
“I remember that a fellow grad student was suddenly hit by some bad luck and was having a hard time paying her tuition. RISD helped her bridge that gap and saved her from having to leave campus before she completed her education,” says Butler Connell.
This memory of how RISD helped her and her classmate pay for their studies inspired her to establish the Butler Family Graduate Fellowship. “I was very fortunate to have received financial aid so that I could attend the school of my choice,” she says. “I hope that this endowment will help students in RISD’s graduate program take advantage of all that RISD has to offer.”
Butler Connell urges others to pay it forward by investing in student scholarships and fellowships. “I love getting feedback from the grad students whom we have helped. RISD sends me letters from the recipients and photos of their work. My education has changed my life’s path, and it is rewarding to see how our philanthropy is helping today’s students learn and thrive in such a special place.”
To learn more about establishing a scholarship, please contact Joanne Ferchland-Parella at jferchla@risd.edu or call toll-free at 844-454-1877.
