Funds will address financial barriers to help low-income students stay enrolled
Contact: Ed Taylor, Director of Strategic Communications 608-663-2333
Madison, Wis. (June 19, 2017) – Edgewood College has received a $131,250 Dash Emergency Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates to operate and maintain a student emergency aid program. Emergency grants will be integrated into the College’s overall student success strategy with the goal of improving retention and completion rates.
Edgewood College serves students from diverse backgrounds, and a situation that might be a headache for one can be a major financial crisis for another. If a student is already struggling to make ends meet, an unexpected car repair or medical bill might cause that student to withdraw from college.
“No student should have their educational experience derailed by an unexpected short-term financial crisis,” Dr. Scott Flanagan, President of Edgewood College said. “We appreciate the opportunity to utilize the Dash Emergency Grant to assist low-income students in overcoming those crises, and we are grateful for the investment Great Lakes has made in the success of our students.”
Edgewood College will begin making student emergency grants in fall 2017. Students will complete an application detailing their financial emergency. A committee from Edgewood College will review the application, and expenses up to $1,000 will be paid within two business days of approval. By quickly removing financial distractions, students can refocus on their studies and continue toward graduation.
Edgewood College is one of the first four-year colleges to receive a Dash Emergency Grant from Great Lakes. A combined $7.2 million in grants was awarded to 32 colleges in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Dash Emergency Grants for four-year colleges build on the success two-year colleges have achieved since Great Lakes began supporting emergency grant programs in 2012. These colleges report students who receive emergency grants stay in school at better rates and graduate in larger numbers.
“We’re pleased to extend our Dash Emergency Grant to Edgewood College and other four-year colleges to help more at-risk students overcome financial obstacles to completion,” said Richard D. George, President and Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes.
About Edgewood College
Located in Madison, Wis., Edgewood College is a liberal arts Catholic college in the Dominican tradition. We serve approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students at our Monroe Street and Deming Way campuses, and online. The College offers more than 40 academic and professional programs, including master’s degrees in business, education, and nursing, and doctoral degrees in educational leadership and nursing practice. For more information about Edgewood College, please visit www.edgewood.edu, or call Ed Taylor in Marketing & Strategic Communications at 608-663-2333.
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. Its earnings support one of the largest and most respected education philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed over $200 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.
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Ed Taylor
Director of Strategic Communications
Edgewood College
1000 Edgewood College Drive
Madison, WI 53711
608-663-2333 (direct)
