ECC student-to-student grants will end
Citing fewer eligible students than ever, the Elgin Community College board Tuesday ended the college's 12-year participation in the Student to Student Grant Program.
The program, through a combination of state and student contributions, allots annual scholarship money of up to $1,000 to undergraduates at state-supported colleges and universities.
While the college collects a fee of 50 cents per credit hour from nearly 17,000 students, only eight students are eligible this year for the grants.
"The program doesn't behoove us anymore," said Carole Robertson, ECC's vice president of finance and administration.
Beginning this summer, students will no longer be charged the 50 cents per credit hour, bringing down in-district students per-credit cost to $90.50.
At the inception of the program in 1996, funds were available to students who showed financial need with virtually no other requirements. As the program matured, additional requirements were added.
"Now, the grants are only available to students who have maximized their eligibility units under the Monetary Award Program," she said.
The Monetary Award Program, or MAP, is a financial aid grant awarded to undergraduate students by the Illinois Student Commission. Students at ECC can receive MAP grants for up to 75 credit hours, or units.
"It's very rare that our students use all of their 'units' here," Robertson said. "We end up charging all students to participate and yet we've just had a handful of students we could help."
Assistant Vice President of Finance Sharon Konny said ECC's foundation gives more than $100,000 annually to students who show leadership skills or financial needs. The college also gives between $650,000 and $750,000 each year, she said.
"It's close to a million dollars in total," she said. "We will find another way to support these students."
ECC, Konny said, is waiting to hear from the state the amount of funding collected thus far.
"We're planning to retain the funds collected from students in previous years and continue to award eligible students until those funds are exhausted," she said. Konny estimated the current funds to last for at least three years.