Some local colleges to see cut in Federal Work Study funding

Some local colleges will see decreases in their Federal Work Study funding this upcoming academic year compared with last year.

The College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University and Tidewater Community College will all lose some of that money, which students can earn through part-time work.

Last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act pumped an additional $200 million into the work study program, said Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, a Washington -based higher education advocacy group.

There were about 793,000 work study recipients in 2008, he said. In 2009, that jumped to 930,000, he said. The Department of Education said there will be just under 770,000 work study recipients this year.

"Congress intended it as a one-time shot," Hartle said. "That was a one-time boost in funding that has been spent."

William and Mary spokesman Brian Whitson said the college will receive about $330,000 for work study this academic year, down about a third from $500,000 last year.

During the last academic year, 156 students, or 2 percent of the student body, received work study funding.

Whitson said undergraduate students usually receive a maximum of $1,400 while graduate students receive $4,000. Law students typically receive $2,500.

Tidewater Community College spokeswoman Laurie White said the school will see a $49,623 reduction in work study funds, from last year's $700,000. White said less than 1 percent of the school's students receive work study.

She said school officials will ensure that funding levels match the ones of the 2009-10 academic year through federal funds and matching state funds.

Students earned an average of $2,721, she said.

Old Dominion University are also seeing their work study funds dip.

Student Financial Aid Director Veronica M. Finch wrote in an e-mail that the school will receive about $60,300 less, or $556,152, in work study funding for the upcoming academic year.

Finch said the university has allocated $250,000 of university funds toward providing an additional 60 students with on-campus employment opportunities to counter the reduction in work study funds.

Last year, 636 students were awarded funds. The average work study award was $2,400 for a nine-month period.

She said about 25 students won't receive a work study award but still would have the opportunity to seek non-work study campus employment.

He said Hartle, of the education council, said the funding is based on a complicated formula that considers student financial need and when a school joined the work-study program.

Neither Norfolk State University, Virginia Wesleyan College nor Christopher Newport University anticipate any decrease in their work study funding this year; in fact, CNU will receive slightly more.

Jennifer Jiggetts, (757) 222-5150, jennifer.jiggetts@pilotonline.com