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Thanks to the Angel Fund — which was part of ����ֱ��’s inaugural “Week of Caring” campaign last May — the University is assisting students to access technology during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing electronic devices to enhance their education.

The University purchased 15 PC laptops plus five MacBook Airs and five Verizon JetPacks.

Gifts to ����ֱ��’s Angel Fund help students with emergency expenses. Created in 2019 by generous donations from the Board of Trustees, this fund is intended to support students who are facing unexpected financial hardships that present an immediate and significant challenge to their success at the University.

The Angel Fund, along with the Close the Gap Scholarship and the ����ֱ�� Fund, was one of the three fundraising priorities during Week of Caring. A total of $288,595 was raised for Week of Caring with a portion designated to the Angel Fund for non-tuition expenses.

This is one example of how the Angel Fund supports ����ֱ�� students.

“What I love about the Angel Fund is how it has crossed departments and brought together people across campus and beyond to provide all modes of support for our students,” says Dr. Mojgan Behmand, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of The ����ֱ�� Experience.

“This year, the pandemic and our need to teach remotely made us aware of access to technology proving an obstacle to student success. As the fall is mostly online now, too, we see a growing need.  And the need is so nuanced that we needed a multi-departmental team to figure out the best response.”

Dr. Behmand said the University identified three areas of need: software, laptops and internet access. In fact, ����ֱ�� has partnered with Sonic to deliver three months of free internet service for students and employees at home to help with the University’s transition to remote operations of the fall semester.

“When this is all done, we will look back and see a truly herculean effort on the part of ����ֱ�� staff, with big payouts for the students,” says Peter Mentzer, Executive Director of Information Technology (IT) services at ����ֱ��.