Kirkwood plans to award Linn County ARPA scholarships during spring semester

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kirkwood Community College will be looking to award American Rescue Plan Act-funded tuition scholarships in the new year.

Earlier this year, the Linn County Board of Supervisors approved $1 million of its share of the federal funds to be awarded to the college to use for need-based scholarships. Matt Falduto, senior director of financial aid for Kirkwood, said he’s looking to distribute funding as soon as possible to students.

“The goal is to award students in the spring semester and it's a $3,000 scholarship for students. It is prorated on their enrollment level. Half time gets half of that amount,” Falduto said. “We will spend the money until we run out of money. “

Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker reached out to the Cedar Rapids-based college about using pandemic funds to help the school with a tuition-assistance program.

“We had a number of discussions on what the program should look like. We wanted to be sure we were helping our students who needed it most,” Falduto said. “They also have to be residents of Linn County. We also didn’t want to put any restrictions on the type of programs or majors they can be.”

The normal cost of tuition for an in-state student at Kirkwood is $200 per credit hour.

The scholarships will be awarded automatically to a Kirkwood student — and Linn County resident — who demonstrates financial need, according to their FAFSA — Free Application for Federal Student Aid — and maintain a C average. The student’s age or area of study does not matter. Financial need is defined as the difference between the cost of attendance at a school and the expected individual’s or family’s contribution.

“Education is the great equalizer in my mind and it provides an opportunity for people to improve their lives in real, tangible ways,” Walker said. “I think this is a huge opportunity. My grandmother who raised me was a non-traditional Kirkwood student and attended in her 50s and was able to get a degree and have a career in the nursing field. It did a lot for her and it did a lot for me to see my grandmother go to college and get a degree and get into a career. It was our little version of the American dream.”

Falduto said he’s excited about the partnership with Linn County.

“It’s going to have a huge impact. Our office talks to students every day about the needs they have and it’s overwhelming,” Falduto said. “They have many challenges and financial struggles. Just knowing we have the funds to help a lot of students, it means the world to this office and Kirkwood in general.”

Walker said for him, the idea of working with Kirkwood wasn’t a new one.

“It’s something I was thinking about for many years. One of my hopes for this job was to create a sustainable program and we’re not going to be able to make something sustainable from ARPA funding, but it is my hope that local governments will think about the real benefit,” Walker said. “This is for people to get the education they need for their own lives.”

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