Southeastern distributes $646,000 in Louisiana Go Grants
Contact: Rene Abadie
1/7/08
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University last semester awarded more than $646,000 in Louisiana’s new Go Grant program designed to increase affordability of higher education among need-based students.
Southeastern awarded $646,201 to 674 students, the most of any institution in the University of Louisiana System. The second highest amount awarded in the system was the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with $521,500 in Go Grants distributed to 528 students. In all, the system awarded a combined $3.5 million in Go Grants to nearly 4,000 students.
The Go Grant is the state’s new need-based college aid program that was funded by the state Legislature in the last session. The program is designed to increase the affordability of a college education by bridging the gap between the federal Pell Grant aid program and the actual cost of attending a Louisiana college or university, explained Steve Soutullo, Southeastern assistant vice president for enrollment management.
Award amounts can differ for each Pell-eligible student, Soutullo said, with the maximum annual award set at $2,000 for full time students or $1,000 for part time students.
“It is important that we make higher education more accessible,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs John Crain. “Affordability is a key barrier to many students, and the most efficient way to expand access to postsecondary education is to increase our investments in need-based aid.
“A college or university education has never been as important as it is today,” he added, “and the economic viability of our state relies on our ability to educate our residents, adequately prepare them for an evolving economy, and retain them for our workforce.”
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