North Dakota universities, colleges to receive aid through CARES Act

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By Sydney Mook

April 10, 2020 at 3:40 PM

North Dakota colleges and universities will be receiving a combined $11.2 million to support students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds come from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This first wave of federal funding will be used to provide direct emergency grants to college students. The cash grants to students will be able to cover expenses such as course materials and technology as well as food, housing, health care, and childcare, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

Tammy Dolan, vice chancellor for administrative affairs and chief financial officer of the North Dakota University System, said universities will soon begin to determine how and when the funds will be distributed to students.

She said an additional $9 million or so of support for NDUS institutions will also be going to the universities for other uses. The system has not received guidelines yet on when those dollars will be available or how they can be used, Dolan said.

“We would want the students to be taken care of first,” she said. “So (the federal government) acted on this portion of the money first, and now they'll spend their time in the Department of Education … figuring out the other part of it.”

“These funds will provide assistance to students who have been impacted by the coronavirus,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said in a statement. “We appreciate the administration distributing these resources to universities and colleges in North Dakota, enabling them to assist students who are facing health and economic impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The listing of federal funding apportioned through the CARES Act is as follows:

North Dakota State University, $3,864,163
University of North Dakota, $2,745,776
University of Mary, $768,094
Minot State University, $637,891
Turtle Mountain Community College, $473,968
Bismarck State College, $457,033
University of Jamestown, $424,479
North Dakota State College of Science, $411,676
Dickinson State University, $320,047
Valley City State University, $226,471
Sitting Bull College, $187,524
United Tribes Technical College, $169,976
Williston State College, $169,405
Mayville State University, $156,360
Dakota College At Bottineau, $117,215
Cankdeska Cikana Community College, $108,484
Trinity Bible College And Graduate School, $102,196
Lake Region State College, $55,439
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, $41,847

By Sydney Mook

Sydney Mook has been the managing editor at the Herald since April 2021. In her role she edits and assigns stories and helps reporters develop their work for readers.

Mook has been with the Herald since May 2018 and was first hired as the Herald's higher education reporter where she covered UND and other happenings in state higher education. She was later promoted to community editor in 2019.

For story pitches contact her at smook@gfherald.com or call her at 701-780-1134.