U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday announced nearly $2 million in supplemental funding for North Carolina students in financial need who were affected by Hurricane Florence. The department also will provide more than $800,000 for similar relief to students in South Carolina, totaling more than $2.8 million for the two states.
“Our hearts go out to the thousands of students in North Carolina whose lives were impacted by Hurricane Florence,” DeVos said in a press release. “The department will continue to do all that it can to assist students, faculty and institutions in the Carolinas as they work to recover from this disaster.”
The money comes through the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program. The Education Department (ED) annually awards supplemental funding for the program by tapping returned funds unused by other institutions participating in FSEOG.
ED is targeting this year’s supplemental funds on 38 institutions in North and South Carolina designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for individual or public assistance as a result of Hurricane Florence.
While institutions have flexibility in administering the funds, they must award program aid first to students with exceptional financial need with priority going to students receiving Pell grants.
The following North Carolina community colleges* will receive the grants:
Beaufort County Community College ($31,007)
Brunswick Community College ($28,843)
Carteret Community College ($31,553)
Craven Community College ($80,653)
Fayetteville Technical Community College ($126,175)
James Sprunt Community College ($35,611)
Johnston Community College ($90,027)
Central Carolina Community College ($118,095)
Lenoir Community College ($69,393)
Coastal Carolina Community College ($92,214)
Pamlico Community College ($11,537)
Pitt Community College ($254,054)
Richmond Community College ($76,262)
Sampson Community College ($4,500)
Wayne Community College ($14,904)
Wilson Community College ($31,047)
*Colleges in blue are members of the American Association of Community Colleges.
News bit: Cape Fear Community College in North Carolina, which has been closed due to flooding and damage in the community since Hurricane Florence made landfall, is scheduled to open Oct. 8.
