Approximately 1,000 Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) students will be receiving $500 each from the federal CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The funding is designated to assist students who have been negatively affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Students were forced to move their courses from on-campus instruction to an online delivery when NACC and all other Alabama Community College System schools were forced to close their campuses in March.
This program was passed as a part of the larger CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund program, and it is intended to provide timely assistance to students as well as stimulate the economy. Students receiving Pell Grants or are eligible for Pell Grant funding also are included in the $500 distribution.
“We are very pleased for our students. Our staff did a lot of work to make certain that the students met the required guidelines to receive this money,” stated Dr. David Campbell, NACC President. “I am not one to tell people how to spend their money, they know best about that. But I certainly hope much money will be spent at our local stores and businesses who had to close during the shutdown and now operate at limited capacity.”
Campbell praised NACC’s Dean of Financial Services/Business Manager Rodney Bone and the committee consisting of Larry Guffey, Patricia Falk, Sherie Grace, Chad Gorham, Dr. Mike Kennamer, Brad Dudley and Staci Miller for doing the federal paperwork and figuring the numbers for students to be awarded the funds. “These grants are federal and they are often complicated,” Campbell said. “But Mr. Bone and the committee did all the right things to make certain our application was correct.”
Dean Rodney Bone was also pleased with the committee’s dedication to aiding NACC students. “We hope this money will provide some relief to our students, given the sudden impact this virus had on their educational structure,” said Bone.
Bone noted that the college is working to clear another NACC 400-500 students who are being considered for the funding. Checks for those awarded will be sent out by the college in the next two-three weeks. The committee appreciates the students’ patience as they will work as quickly as possible to get the funding to each student.
“We very much appreciate that President Trump and Congress realized that students were hurt financially by this pandemic, although as like essential workers, they might not have had coronavirus themselves,” Campbell stated. “Like everyone, we eagerly await an end to this pandemic, which has been a nightmare for people throughout the world.”
