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Ivey allocating over $72 million to increase remote learning capabilities of colleges and universities

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that she has apportioned $72.34 million in funds to help institutions of higher learning across the state upgrade their remote learning offerings.

The money for Thursday’s grants comes from the $1.9 billion Alabama received from the federal government’s CARES Act passed in March to help stabilize the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“COVID-19 has exposed deficiencies in our remote learning capabilities, and I am pleased to award our institutions of higher education the critical funds to enhance their instructional experience,” Ivey said in a statement on Thursday..

The Alabama Community College System (ACCS) is receiving the largest share of the monies announced by Ivey. The system is receiving $27,345,000 that will go toward the purchasing of laptops, video conferencing equipment, software and course assistance.

“Alabama’s community colleges have adapted quickly to a new learning environment at each of our 24 colleges,” remarked ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker, adding that the system he leads is “grateful for the additional resources.”

Alabama’s public four-year institutions will receive $25,000,000, which will mainly go toward reimbursements for expenses already incurred in the creation of new remote learning capacity earlier in the fall.

The governor’s office said in a release that the “maximum allocations per institution have been established.”

Ivey previously granted public four-year colleges and universities $50 million for similar purposes in the first week of July.

The funding for both the ACCS and public four-year schools announced by Ivey comes out of the $300 million she designated for “technology and infrastructure related to remote instruction and learning” in her original plan for Alabama’s CARES Act Money in May.

Independent colleges in Alabama are receiving $20,000,000. Similar to the public universities, the independents will be able to apply for reimbursement to cover costs they experienced as they stepped up their digital offerings.

The money for the independent colleges program will come from a separate pool of just over $118 million in CARES Act money.

“On behalf of the 25,000 students at Alabama’s Independent Colleges, we want to express our sincere gratitude to the governor,” Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities President Paul Hankins commented in a statement.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95

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