Clark State Community College has been selected to receive up to $59,500 from a new Dash Emergency Grant Program awarded by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. Clark State is 1 of just 31 community and technical colleges nationwide selected to receive the grant.
“This is another resource Clark State will use to address some of the financial issues our students encounter,” said Theresa Felder, vice president of student affairs and Greene Center operations for Clark State.
The Dash Program will help Clark State offer emergency grants to students facing a financial hardship outside of the classroom. Through the DashProgram, Clark State will begin making student emergency grants of up to $500 each. The Dash Emergency Grant funds will be available in late March.
“Some of the retention concerns we see are students leaving because of financial matters that have nothing to do with their academics, yet it keeps them from completing college,” said Felder. “This program will be able to address some of these issues for our students.”
Since 2011, Clark State has offered emergency funding through Scholarship America’s Dreamkeepers Program, which requires students to have completed at least 10 semester hours within the last 12 months. While the Dreamkeepers Program will continue, the Dash grant will enable Clark State to assist first-year students with unforeseen financial emergencies.
“Great Lakes is pleased to provide more resources to colleges like Clark State that are dedicated to supporting students in times of greatest need,” said Richard D. George, president and chief executive officer of Great Lakes. “Emergency grants are a bridge to college completion and the financial security a degree can provide.”
Clark State will form a rapid response team to ensure students’ emergencies are handled quickly and efficiently, while also addressing how to improve the students’ financial situations moving forward. Qualified expenses will be paid within 48 hours of an approved application.
To serve greater numbers of students throughout the Great Lakes grant period and beyond, Clark State will also contribute matching funds during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 academic years.
About Great Lakes: Dedicated to making college education a reality since 1967.
Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates was established as a nonprofit group focused on a single objective: helping students nationwide prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education and student loan repayment. As a leading student loan guarantor and servicer, Great Lakes has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to provide assistance and repayment planning to more than 8 million borrowers—as well as assistance to colleges and lenders nationwide. The group’s earnings support one of the largest and most respected education philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed nearly $154 million in grant funding to promote higher education access and completion for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. For additional information, visit home.mygreatlakes.org.