LOWELL — Through a combination of direct payments and debt forgiveness, Middlesex Community College has distributed nearly $6 million to its students using the funds it received from the American Rescue Plan Act, officials said Monday.
“These funds have been a lifeline for our students, specifically our students of color, and for the institution as well,” said MCC President Phil Sisson. “They’ve made a huge difference.”
Sisson and other MCC leaders hosted U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan to provide a briefing on how the $13.6 million they have received from the American Rescue Plan has been used to assist students and improve school operations. Trahan voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan in March, thus helping to secure the money for the school.
“These are the students who actually need these investments, and the aid is getting to exactly where it needs to go. That’s how we kept people afloat this past year and that’s what we need to continue to do to make sure that people are poised to succeed,” Trahan said. “So it was extremely rewarding to hear how our partners in education have deployed those funds to benefit students.”
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Similar to other colleges that received relief, MCC has been required to spend at least half of the funds on students in need of financial assistance with housing, food or other expenses, in order to prevent their education from being derailed by the pandemic.
Sisson, Chief Administrative Officer Colleen Cox, Chief Financial Officer Frank Nocella and Dean of Students Pam Flaherty told Trahan that of the $6.9 million directly allocated for students, about $1.5 million has already been distributed through online applications, ranging from $100 to $800 per student each semester based on their needs.
They intend to continue to distribute the remaining $5.5 million through fall 2022.
In addition, of the $6.7 million allocated for institutional funding, $4.3 million was used to erase college-held debt for about 2,800 students in July, with an average balance of about $1,539 per student.
They are also in the process of spending the remaining $2.4 million on “digital technology” and “strategic student support.”
Nocella noted that the $13.6 million MCC received through the American Rescue Plan represents their third round of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund funding received since the start of the pandemic. In total, MCC has distributed $5.4 million directly to students.
