Coronavirus: Wittenberg’s $1.7M of federal money will go to students

The Wittenberg campus. Bill Lackey/Staff

The Wittenberg campus. Bill Lackey/Staff

Wittenberg University will receive $1.7 million in funding through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which is authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, according to a release from the school.

“We are pleased to be able to provide this assistance from the federal government immediately to students and hope it provides needed support to them and their families during this health emergency,” said Wittenberg President Michael Frandsen. “We are working to get it out to our students as quickly and equitably as possible.”

Wittenberg has received $864,385 to provide students who are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid and to offset any costs that may have incurred.

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The university will disburse funds to qualifying students in the next few days via the refund preference selected through BankMobile on the Wittenberg OneCard, the release said. Once the funds have been disbursed, students will get a confirmation email from BankMobile.

“Wittenberg University has spent the last week preparing for the release of funds from the U.S. Department of Education,” said Amy Barnhart, director of financial aid. “Much work has gone into automating the award process and refund processes. Now that Wittenberg has received the funds, we will likely get the funds into the hands of our students within three-four business days. Students will be notified via an email to their Wittenberg account when funds are released.”

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The formula used to determine the fund amount was based on the number of pell-eligible students enrolled and the university’s total enrollment.

Full-time, pell-eligible undergraduate students will receive $1,009; full-time, non pell-eligible undergraduates will received $504; part-time, pell-eligible undergraduates will receive $335; part-time, non pell-eligible undergraduates will receive $167; and eligible graduate students will receive $150.

Wittenberg also launched the COVID-19 Crisis Fund on April 1 to provide support for emergency student needs, unforeseen expenses resulting from remote teaching and learning, and virtual meetings with key constituents, the release said. The fund has exceeded $42,000 thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends.

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