Meharry Medical College — a historically Black medical school in Tennessee — announced Monday that it would be awarding each student $10,000 in cash as an early Thanksgiving present.
College President James Hildreth announced in a video message Monday that 956 Meharry students will receive the cash gift to reduce the financial strains due to the pandemic. The funds have been provided by CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds.
Yesterday, our students received a thank you from Dr. Hildreth for their commitment to health care & service to all.
In appreciation, the college will gift each student at Meharry $10,000Thank you, Meharry students! We are grateful for every one of youhttps://t.co/Th9hPR86DV
— Meharry Medical College (@MeharryMedical) November 23, 2021
Hildreth took the time to commend all who work for the college, also voicing his admiration for the hard-working students committed to healthcare education and public service who “will soon give so much to our world.”
The money will be deposited in students’ accounts or will be given as a check Wednesday. While students are free to use the money however they wish, Hildreth urged the students to allocate the funds for education and training.
Helping Students Out
Other higher education institutions have embarked on similar initiatives — either forgiving student loan debt or offering free tuition and cash grants using federal relief funds.
Everett Community College announced that it will use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to erase the debt of 3,400 students enrolled from Spring 2020 to Summer 2021, amounting to $1.2 million.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University will also pay off more than $16 million of outstanding student balances from its assigned CARES Act portion. South Carolina State University will also pay off $9.8 million of loan debt incurred by 2,500 students.
