Walla Walla Community College gets federal COVID-19 relief dollars | Education

Walla Walla Community College has received nearly $ 655,000 in federal dollars slated for higher education under the American Rescue Plan.

The award provides support to low-income and high-need WWCC students and reinforces the college’s efforts to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sen. Patty Murray, chair of the Senate Education Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced in July that five Washington colleges and universities had received a total of more than $ 2 million in federal relief.

The WWCC award was the largest for any college or university in Washington state, school spokesman Karl Easttorp said in a news release.

Rural higher education schools, such as WWCC, were given prioritization in the selection process, Easttorp said. The college must spend the money by July 2023.

WWCC President Chad Hickox said the extra funding could ensure “high quality education” remains accessible in the Walla Walla and Clarkston communities.

The grant award comes on the heels of the college’s announcement of the Warrior Pledge, a first-year pilot program that covers tuition and other educational expenses for as many as 50 students this fall, from the start of their studies through graduation.