Area educational institutions challenged by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their system and students have more than $16 million in allocations within the CARES Act stimulus.

From the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act, it is expected that the University of North Carolina Wilmington will receive more than $10.5 million, with the first installment (for direct aid to students) being nearly $5.3 million, per the U.S. Department of Education calculations, according to the university.

That funding is part of more than $12 billion in allocations to colleges and universities nationwide, the most significant portion of the $14 billion included in the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the $30.75 billion Education Stabilization Fund created under the CARES Act.

The U.S. Department of Education will award the grants to institutions of higher education based on a formula stipulated in the legislation, the department states.

"We are very appreciative of this support, and it is coming at the right time," UNCW Chancellor Jose Sartarelli​ said in an email. "The first half of the funding is supposed to be student-specific, to help attend to some of their short-term needs. The second half is supposed to be more flexible, and we may be able to use those funds more broadly --- but we do not have the details ironed out yet, as we await further details. We had already put together a campus team for this purpose, in advance of the CARES update, and they are working on developing next steps."

"Finally, the full impact of the pandemic on the university has not yet been fully assessed -- financial, academic, or otherwise -- and we are appealing to Congress and to the state legislature for additional help,” he added.

In response to the novel coronavirus, UNCW, like universities and colleges across the UNC System, have placed students' instruction online, while faculty and staff work remotely.

Cape Fear Community College has also faced the same challenges.

The extended spring break gave college officials additional time for the transition, said CFCC President Jim Morton in an email.

The college has been notified that it could receive more than $4.7 million through the announced allocations, he said.

"We have submitted the required certification documents and are waiting on approval. We do not yet know when we will receive this funding. CFCC's funding allocation was based on an enrollment formula," Morton said.

"We are extremely grateful to receive this support as a result of the CARES Act," Morton said.  "Funding like this goes a long way for community colleges. Details on how these funds can be distributed are still being developed, but we feel confident this funding will have a significant impact on the success of our students."

Moving classes online presented technical and other challenges for CFCC students, Morton said, adding that some suffered from loss of employment, child care, adult care, housing and had other issues associated with the loss of income.

"Our faculty, counselors, advisors, and staff have worked extremely hard to reach out to students to offer assistance and guidance during these difficult times," Morton added.

Many of the college's university transfer classes transitioned to an online format, he said.

"However, many of our continuing education classes had to be canceled or postponed due to their practical nature. We are currently working with accrediting agencies for online approval in order to begin these CE programs again," Morton said. "Hopefully, we will receive approval very soon."

Assisting students with applications and registration for the upcoming summer and fall terms have also presented challenges, Morton said.

"We have worked through these issues and are now able to offer this type of assistance to our students virtually," Morton said. "Registration began this week, and we are seeing strong results for summer registration; our online offerings are being very well received. Our faculty and staff have worked so hard to move classes and support services to a virtual setting. I am so proud of all we've accomplished."

Continuing to serve students while also adhering to the social distancing guidelines is Brunswick Community College's greatest challenge,  said London Schmidt, the college's director of public relations and marketing, in an email.

The college had more than $795,000 in allocations in the CARES Act, she said.

"In order to access the funds, we must submit an application through the U.S. Department of Education, and currently, may only draw down the 50% of our allocation that must be used for emergency student aid," she said.

Schmidt said the "purpose of these funds is for emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to disruption of campus operations due to CV."

"We do not know if the allocation is enough," she said, "until we get feedback from our students."