Overview
Support high-potential, low-income college students struggling to stay in school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Need
COVID-19 has placed a heavy burden on Washburn students, especially financially. Job loss and other personal disruptions have increased the number of students with genuine, unmet financial need. While other avenues exist for student financial support, they require an application, operate on reimbursement and require receipts, or are one-time funds. The Ichabod Opportunity Fund, by contrast, offers students timely, up front and, if needed, repeated support without an application process.
Rationale
Over the past 18 months, the Center for Student Success has witnessed first-hand the dramatic toll the pandemic has taken on high-potential, low-income college students. They experienced tremendous financial, academic, and personal difficulty—gritting it out and finding success amid extraordinary circumstances. But, there is no mistaking the pandemic’s threat to students’ on-time graduation, and its lingering ripple effects on student success. This fund will be used to help students continue to weather the pandemic and stay on track for on-time graduation.
Success professionals in Mabee Library identify high-potential, low-income students in need and apply funds directly to the student’s account to help with tuition, books, cost of living or extracurricular learning experiences. These funds encourage students’ continuous enrollment, retention and graduation from Washburn University.
Help keep the dream of a university degree alive for hard-working students stretched thin by this pandemic.
