STLCC to Receive More COVID-19 Relief Funds
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Topics:
To lift some of the financial burden off its students’ shoulders, St. Louis Community College will offer them emergency financial aid grants from a pool of $4.3 million received from the Education Stabilization Fund created as part of the federal 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
STLCC also will receive an additional $15.4 million from this fund for institutional use to continue to respond to the pandemic.
As part of the CRRSA Act 2021 that was passed by Congress in December, the Education Stabilization Fund was created to provide more Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants to institutions. This funding supplements that which was provided to institutions under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020.
“These funds have provided much-needed assistance to our students to help them remain on their educational path,” said Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D., STLCC chancellor. “We are grateful to have a chance to deliver extra financial support to qualifying students during this very difficult pandemic.”
STLCC has established a work group that will determine how to best apply these new funds to support student enrollment, persistence, and success, as well as assist with other pandemic-related response costs.
To date, the College has used more than $8.7 million previously received through the CARES Act to fund several student-focused initiatives, including
- Take a Class on Us Scholarships
- First Time in College Laptop Scholarship Packages
- Missouri A+ Book Scholarships
- Continuing Students Grants
“We know that this has been a huge burden on our students and is important to us to continue to support them through this crisis,” said Christine Davis, Ed.D., vice chancellor for student affairs. “We have been able to distribute these needed funds to a broader range of students than would normally be eligible for federal financial aid.”
Through CARES Act funds, the College has made more than 10,000 awards of emergency financial aid to eligible students. They may use the funds to cover any expense incurred because of the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 for food, housing, tuition/course supplies, child care, and medical expenses.
More than 5,000 students were eligible for the “Take a Class on Us” scholarships. More than 800 students received Missouri A+ Book scholarships to cover the cost of online course materials, including laptops and hotspots.
STLCC also received $4 million CARES Act Child Care Plan funds to improve the quality and availability of child care and early education programs at its Forest Park campus.