BTC Students Benefit from COVID-19 Relief Funds
During the 2021-2022 academic year, Blackhawk Technical College students will continue to benefit from COVID-19 relief funding. The College has $3.8 million to devote to student support for the upcoming academic year that begins on Monday, Aug. 16. Since the pandemic began, the College has provided $2,202,010 in relief funds directly to students.
BTC has received HEERF grants from the US Department of Education through the CARES, CRRSAA, and ARP Acts. The grant funding provides direct relief to help students address expenses and hardships they incurred during the coronavirus national emergency. BTC will disburse HEERF III grants to its students during the fall 2021 semester. These funds will be distributed in October and November to students enrolled in credit courses.
Support distributed to BTC students has been robust. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, the College has provided the following directly to students:
- Issuing emergency grants to support hardships incurred during the pandemic
- Paying off outstanding student tuition and fee balances
- Expanding WiFi access on all BTC campuses
- Providing laptop and hotspot equipment loans
“Blackhawk remains committed to providing continued support to our entire student body. We recognize the hardships that our students have endured, and we will continue to support their educational and job training goals through these relief funds,” said Tony Landowski, BTC Executive Director of Student Services.
BTC students experiencing hardships due to the ongoing pandemic may use emergency grant funding for assistance with tuition and fees, books, supplies, or living expenses. BTC students in need may reach out directly to the College Counselor and Case Manager, Laura Becker, at counseling@blackhawk.edu.
Blackhawk has been a leader in its response to the pandemic. With zero community spread, the College has remained open to educate and train our region’s workforce. Community-wide testing and vaccination sites have been a part of Blackhawk’s Central Campus, giving students, employees, and community members free access to these services.