Bennett College receives grant to help students in three key ways

Bennett College has been awarded a grant that will help shoulder some financial burdens for several of the institution’s academically strong but economically challenged students, the College announced Wednesday.
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund has given Bennett $12,000 – money that was requested in a grant application by Sylvia Nicholson, director of sponsored programs and Title III. Bennett College has received money from The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund in the past; however, the current grant represents the largest amount the College has been awarded by the organization.
The money will be used in three key areas: scholarships for books, financial assistance for Education majors who are completing their state Praxis Licensure and help with the cost of federally mandated student health insurance for students not covered under their parents’ plans.
Bennett College students hail from 42 states and eight foreign countries. Ninety-eight percent of Bennett students require financial assistance, 46 percent are first-generation college students and six percent come to Bennett directly from foster care.
The significance of the $12,000 grant from The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund cannot be overstated.
“To ensure America remains a world leader, we must create an educated, skilled workforce,” Nicholson said. “At the same time, we must give every student access to a college degree. We thank the Mary Lynn Richardson Fund on behalf of our most precious commodity, our Bennett Belle students. The $12,000 grant will enable some of our young women to persist toward graduation and to become productive citizens who are capable of commanding good jobs in their respective fields of study.”