WCC receives grant from TargetX to fund student success initiatives

TargetX awarded Washtenaw Community College with a ‘Power of X Grant’ worth $11,376 to fund student success initiatives. The award was accepted by Student Services director Laura Crane at the 2019 TargetX Summit in New Orleans on Tuesday.

The grant money — which is funded by TargetX employee contributions — will go directly to the college’s Student Emergency Fund, which is managed by the WCC Foundation.

“We’re grateful that TargetX believes in the power of our Student Emergency Fund strongly enough to make this very generous contribution,” said Associate Vice President of College Advancement Phil Snyder. “This gift will allow the WCC Foundation to help more students overcome unforeseen financial problems so they can stay in school and get across the finish line.”

TargetX, a student lifecycle management software solution, has a stated vision to “make every student a graduate and every graduate a success.” To support that vision, the company created the Power of X Grant, which it awards to a client institution that shows it is committed to improving the student experience. WCC is the first winner.

According to a TargetX news release, the grant was developed to support an initiative that directly impacts student success at a TargetX client institution.

“At TargetX, we value our customers and feel a sense of responsibility not only to the schools we work with but to the students they serve,” said account manager Megan Sneeringer, who serves as the chair of the Power of X committee.

Sneeringer said the company selected to support the WCC Student Emergency Fund from nearly 40 grant applications.

The WCC Foundation established the Student Emergency Fund in early 2017. It is designated to assist students with indirect support of up to $500 to address financial emergencies that occur during the semester, including groceries, child care, car repairs, book vouchers, utility payments and other expenses that may prevent students from completing their college education.

Snyder said the grant will help the WCC Foundation fine-tune the Student Emergency Fund’s processes and procedures, including working more intentionally to preserve student dignity.

“Dealing with issues such as food insecurity and lack of child care can be overwhelming, embarrassing and troubling enough to cause students – especially women – to avoid reporting their problems and to instead simply leave school,” Snyder said. “Our job is to make sure those students know there is help available. Thanks to this grant from TargetX, there’s now even more help available.”