Thursday, May 14, 2020
Category: Campus News
Messiah College launches the Messiah Cares Initiative in response to COVID-19 crisis
Messiah College recently announced the launch of the Messiah Cares Initiative, designed to serve and help both prospective and current students with unexpected financial needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new initiative is comprised of two parts: emergency grants for current students and a Trustees Grant for incoming students.
The emergency grants for current students are funded by the college’s $2.1 million allocation through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While federal law requires colleges and universities to allocate only 50 percent of this funding directly to students, Messiah believes it is vital to distribute 100 percent of this money to provide direct assistance to students facing urgent financial needs due to the COVID-19 crisis. The assistance will be delivered in the form of one-time cash payments, to be distributed immediately, which will vary by student, based on individual financial need.
The assistance is additive to the support that Messiah has already provided to current students and their families, including the swift issuing of more than $3 million in room and board refunds or credits; waiving GPA-based scholarship retention criteria; and assisting on-campus residential students with emergency needs.
Additionally, Messiah College’s Board of Trustees authorized $2.6 million in institutional funds to help support new students entering Messiah during the 2020-21 academic year. First-time and transfer students, including international students, are eligible for this one-time grant.
“Messiah cares deeply about the negative financial impact of COVID-19 on its students and their families,” said David Walker, vice president of finance and planning. “It is essential to Messiah that we continue to care for these individuals as they navigate the ongoing impact of this pandemic.”
Messiah’s Office of Financial Aid—in partnership with numerous other campus offices—is working with eligible students and their families to distribute the funds.