Victoria College is one of 10 community colleges in Texas selected to receive a $122,500 grant from the Greater Texas Foundation to participate in a three-year program to provide emergency aid and technical assistance to their students.
The Texas Emergency Aid Roadmap is a $1.5 million grant program to help 10 community colleges with enrollments of 10,000 and less develop efficient, equitable and sustainable emergency aid programs to ensure students receive the support they need to persist through financial crises.
“Victoria College was selected to participate in the Texas Emergency Aid Roadmap for demonstrating a strong commitment to student success and a thoughtful approach to meeting students’ needs,” said Leslie Gurrola, Greater Texas Foundation director of programs and strategy. “We’re excited to extend the reach and impact of the good work that is already happening at VC.”
Over the three-year grant, $105,000 will go directly to emergency aid for students, while $17,500 will go to costs associated with administering an emergency aid program. The grant includes 18 months of technical assistance covering the six pillars of emergency aid.
“Having a strong support system for our students is key to their success,” said Amy Mundy, VC executive director of College Advancement and the VC Foundation. “No matter how well students plan, sometimes things happen. We want to make sure that we can address emergency needs so that it does not interrupt our students’ education and career goals. We are honored that the Greater Texas Foundation chose Victoria College to be a part of this cohort, and we are excited to have the opportunity to discuss best practices with our partners across the state.”
Victoria College’s emergency aid team will have the opportunity to participate in professional development activities that will help ensure the program demonstrates effective emergency aid.
“The goals of the team will be to explore questions and strategies about how Victoria College distributes emergency aid and about how VC can sustain emergency aid funding,” said Bobby Cubriel, VC director of advising, counseling & support services. “Another focus area is getting more VC students to apply for help when they’re in need.”
The grant funds were awarded to the VC Foundation, which has committed to raising matching funds of $5,000 for the 2022-23 school year and $10,000 for 2023-24 to help build the sustainability of the program.
“Texas public two-year colleges serve a diverse range of students seeking education and opportunity, including 70 percent of our state’s freshmen and sophomores,” said Ralph Rushing, Greater Texas Foundation Board chair. “We chose to invest in emergency aid at these institutions because the future of Texas will be shaped by how well we serve our community college students.”
For more information on the Greater Texas Foundation, visit GreaterTexasFoundation.org.