Cardinal Stritch University receives $67,200 in emergency grants | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kathleen Hohl
July 7, 2017
Cardinal Stritch University has received a $67,200 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 university’s overall student success strategy with the goal of improving retention and completion rates.
Stritch 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.
“Thanks to the Dash Emergency Grant, Stritch now has the resources to provide modest emergency grants to our students in times of greatest need,” said Tracy Fischer, assistant vice president of Student Affairs. “These funds will help our students continue their progress toward a degree and, ultimately, fulfill their mission.”
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Stritch will begin making student emergency grants in fall 2017. Students will complete an application detailing their financial emergency. A Stritch committee 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.
Stritch is one of the first four-year colleges/universities in the nation to receive a Dash Emergency Grant from Great Lakes. A combined $7.2 million in grants was awarded to 32 institutions in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Dash Emergency Grants for four-year colleges/universities 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 Cardinal Stritch University 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 Stritch: Cardinal Stritch University, a fully accredited Catholic institution based in Milwaukee, provides transformative, value-centered education to more than 3,000 men and women of all faiths and ages in four colleges: Arts and Sciences, Education and Leadership, Business and Management, and the Ruth S. Coleman College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The University offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as certificate and other training programs. Founded in 1937 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Stritch is the largest Franciscan institution of higher education in North America, with classroom sites across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.
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 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.