WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded four competitive grants totaling $2,224,528 to Iowa colleges and universities through the Higher Education Disaster Relief Program.
“These funds will help these colleges and universities clear up some of the expenses they sustained during the flooding last summer,” Grassley said.
The Higher Education Disaster Relief Program provides funds to institutions of high education that are located in areas affected by hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters which were declared a major disaster by the President during 2008. The funds may only be used to defray expenses incurred by being forced to close, relocate or whose operations were impaired by disaster damage, such as lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, construction, or for grants to students attending on or after July 1, 2008.
The funds will be distributed as shown below.
· Coe College in Cedar Rapids receives $141,238 to help reimburse itself for a nearly four-fold increase in the cost of acquiring steam for heating the campus which was directly related to the flood.
· Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa receives $20,000 to help offset expenses already incurred such as removing equipment, computers, and furniture from several buildings, personnel costs, and lost revenue due to the flooding.
· Luther College in Decorah receives $63,200 to help restore a flood control berm to a maintainable condition and monitor it for problems during high water events.
· University of Iowa in Iowa City receives $2 million to help offset expenses related to relocating operations and services from the Iowa memorial Union, to recover, rebuild and protect the campus landscape, and to provide grants to students in academic departments disproportionately impacted by flooding.