Mercy College of Health Sciences Receives $84,000 Dash Emergency Grant

2017-19 Dash Grant Recipient

Mercy College of Health Sciences has been awarded a Dash Emergency Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates to address financial barriers that impede low-income students from completing their education. This $84,000 grant will provide additional assistance to operating and maintaining the College’s existing student emergency aid program.

Mercy College serves students from diverse backgrounds and financial situations. An incident such as a broken-down car or an unexpected medical bill can be a major financial crisis for many of our students, forcing them to choose between paying their bills and attending college.

“Thanks to the Dash Emergency Grant, Mercy College has the resources to provide modest emergency grants to our students in times of greatest need,” said Dr. Karen Anderson, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

Mercy College began making student emergency grants in fall 2017. To receive support, students complete an application detailing their financial emergency. A committee then reviews the application, and expenses up to $1,000 are paid within two business days of approval.

By quickly removing financial distractions, students can refocus on their studies and continue toward graduation.

Emergency grants will be integrated into the College’s overall student success strategy with the goal of helping students overcome financial obstacles which will improve retention and completion rates.

Mercy College is one of the first four-year colleges to receive a Dash Emergency Grant from Great Lakes. A combined $7.2 million in grants was awarded to 32 colleges in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Dash Emergency Grants for four-year colleges build on the success two-year colleges have achieves since Great Lakes began supporting emergency grant programs in 2012. These colleges report students who received emergency grants stay in school at better rates and graduated in larger numbers.

“We’re pleased to extend our Dash Emergency Grant to Mercy College 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.