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FROM THE PRESIDENT

U.S. Dept. of Education awards Southwest $2.6M emergency relief grant

Dr. Tracy HallWe continue to take steps to mitigate the $10 million financial shortfall that resulted from a 30 percent decline in student enrollment since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The pandemic hit our students hard, inflicting life changes and challenges that disrupted the academic journeys of at least 1 in 4 of them. Our goal is to blaze a path for students who stopped out to return to college and to help those students who have returned or have persisted throughout the pandemic to keep moving forward. 
 
I am elated to report that a major partner in our recovery has stepped up once again to help. U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen announced July 16 that the United States Department of Education Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund’s (HEERF) Supplemental Support under American Rescue Plan (SSARP) has awarded Southwest $2.67 million in emergency relief funds.  These funds are critical to our students and the college’s recovery efforts, as Cohen noted in his release. “Higher education has taken a hit from the pandemic and its institutions need help,” he said. 
 
We will allocate the SSARP funds this fall and in Spring 2023 in accordance with HEERF funding guidelines that require half of the funds to be disbursed as emergency financial aid grants to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and additional expenses due to Covid-19. Our goal is to help as many students as possible. Therefore, Pell-eligible students will receive priority funding and non-Pell eligible students will be considered based on the College’s criteria. All eligible students must have been enrolled on or after March 13, 2020, and complete a very short application. Students should monitor their Southwest email for an invitation to complete the quick eligibility survey. Those students deemed eligible will receive relief funds that can be used to pay college tuition or buy course materials and technology. Relief funds also may be used for COVID-19 costs associated with health care, childcare, rent, food and other related emergency expenses.
 
The remaining half of the grant funding will be allocated to offset college financial expenditures and shortfalls triggered by the pandemic. 
 
Congressman Cohen also said “investments in higher education always pay off.” I could not agree more, which is why we have sharpened our focus on how we expend our precious resources. We formed the Planning & Budget Council (PBC) in 2021 to help focus Southwest talent and financial resources on what moves the needle in student recruitment and retention and overall college safety and compliance. 
 
While we have sharpened our strategic focus to fuel our recovery, we are grateful for Congressman Cohen’s unwavering advocacy. His vital support, along with the efforts of our Grants team, led to this much-needed financial boost. Our needs are great and widely known as Southwest was one of only four colleges in Tennessee to receive an award. The other recipients were Jackson State Community College in Jackson, Baptist Memorial Hospital College of Health Sciences, Inc. in Memphis, and Omega Graduate School, Inc. in Dayton.  To review the nationwide list of recipients, click here. 
 
To date, Southwest has been awarded $56,220,045 in HEERF funding. For more information on Southwest’s HEERF funding and student payment allocation, visit https://www.southwest.tn.edu/coronavirus/cares-act.php. 

Stay safe and healthy,

Dr. Tracy Hall

Dr. Tracy D. Hall
President