The Education Department, with generous support from alumni donors, including Dr. P. Kay Carl, ’59, has created the Student Support Fund to support students through every step of their academic journey. We recognize that, while there are numerous opportunities to grow professionally outside of the walls of our classrooms, there can be financial barriers as well. The Student Support Fund is intended to help all Education students succeed and can be utilized in various ways to address different types of needs related to internships or obtaining licensure:
Costs related to professional development. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Registration fees for professional development sessions or conferences
- Material preparation for professional presentations at conferences
- Costs associated with hosting a professional event
Costs specific to the Education and Educational Studies majors and minors. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Background checks
- Licensure exams (limit of one exam)
- Additional materials or resources required for internships or field placements (limited to $100)
- Transportation to internships or field placements (limited to $500)*
- Professional clothing for internships or field placements
- Students enrolled in 100-, 200-, or 300-level courses may receive funding for professional clothing
- Students may apply multiple times, but no more than $200 will be awarded in total across all three levels of coursework
- Students enrolled in senior practicum or student teaching may receive up to $200 for professional clothing
- Students may receive this funding regardless of prior requests at the 100-300 levels
- Suggested clothing stores:
- Ohio Thrift Store: 1250 Upper Valley Pike, Springfield, OH 45504
- Goodwill: 1961 N. Bechtle Ave., Springfield OH 45504
- Goodwill: 7590 Brandt Pike, Huber Heights OH 45424
- Plato’s Closet: 8252 Old Troy Pike, Huber Heights OH 45424
- Plato’s Closet: 2750 North Fairfield Rd., Beavercreek OH 45431
- Clothes Mentor: 2750 North Fairfield Rd., Beavercreek OH 45431
- Students enrolled in 100-, 200-, or 300-level courses may receive funding for professional clothing
*Transportation support will be considered based on the student’s expressed need, location of field experience/internship site, and number of required visits. Students requesting special placements outside of Wittenberg’s normal partnership sites may still apply for transportation funds, but the special request of placement site will be taken into consideration while deciding on support. All costs will be determined according to the university mileage reimbursement rate and the round-trip mileage between Wittenberg and the field placement.
Applying for Student Support Funds
Support Fund Application Process
All students enrolled in EDUC courses are eligible to apply for funds through the Education Department Student Support Fund at any time, provided that they are in good academic and financial standing with the university and department.
Students can apply for multiple awards, but the total amount of awards granted will not exceed $500 for the lifetime of the student at Wittenberg University. Other exceptions may be considered under extenuating circumstances.
Funds will be awarded based on the associated costs. For requests related to items such as registration fees, background checks, etc., awards will not exceed the amount of each item. Students are expected to submit receipts for reimbursements made through these funds within fourteen (14) days. Students requesting funds prior to payment due are expected to provide an invoice or other form of billing statement prior to receiving funds. If receipts, invoices, and/or billing statements are not submitted, students will be ineligible to receive additional funding.
When applying for funds, students should first check available resources throughout the university, such as the Barbara Steele Kane resource room, Campus Ministries, the Student Emergency Fund, etc. Students will provide documentation that they have checked these available resources. Acceptable documentation includes copies of emails between the student and person who oversees the resource, written information regarding available resources (e.g., BSK room does not have a laminator, thus student is requesting funds for laminating sheets to prepare materials for a field placement), etc.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee of Education Department faculty and staff members on a rolling basis. Applications should be submitted during the semester in which the need arises (i.e., students will not be reimbursed for events that occurred in previous semesters). If the committee members feel they need more information regarding an application, they may request a meeting with the applicant. Applicants should expect to hear a decision regarding an award within two (2) weeks of submitting the application, although applications submitted outside of the typical academic year or adjacent to semester breaks may require a longer decision period.
Note: If students are awarded funds and do not follow through with completing requirements (e.g., not completing a course, not taking a licensure exam) or fulfilling any obligations related to these funds, students will not be eligible to receive any further awards.