Announcing The CUPPA Last Mile Fund!
The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs is thrilled to announce the Last Mile Fund! Established in January 2021, the fund serves as much-needed scholarship support for CUPPA undergraduate students who are within 30 credit hours of graduation and in good academic standing, but have a financial hold on their account preventing registration for their final classes.
“We have seen an increased number of students in this situation. They are working extremely hard and achieving high grades in the homestretch towards graduation. Then sadly, due to an unforeseen financial hardship, these students are suddenly facing the harsh reality of not completing their degree requirements,” said Dean Michael A. Pagano.
There are various reasons why some of our students find themselves in this difficult financial predicament. Examples at CUPPA include: their part-time job being eliminated (especially evident during the pandemic); needing to quit their job in order to care for a sick family member; having simply exhausted student loans and other forms of financial aid; and, in one case, a student burdened by unexpected costs related to a home fire.
Recognizing the need, the CUPPA Alumni Association devised a remarkable way to help these students. With significant support from its founding president, Peter Skosey and his company BNSF Railway, members of the Alumni Association have stepped up to endow the Last Mile Fund so that contributions made to the fund will continue to grow and provide emergency relief to eligible students in perpetuity.
Josh Hahn (current president of the CUPPA Alumni Association) exclaimed, “It is incredibly gratifying to make such a meaningful difference! As alumni of CUPPA, it’s quite fitting to lift up students seeking to follow in our footsteps, becoming alumni themselves, and going on to live out their dreams as well as the college’s mission of promoting just, resilient, and livable communities.”
“We are so grateful and proud of all the CUPPA champions who have made this possible,” said Dean Pagano. “Together, we are finishing that last mile with these talented and promising students.”
If you are interested in joining us with a generous and tax-deductible gift, please visit our GIVING PAGE and select “UIC CUPPA Last Mile Fund for Current Use.” Or, if you would like more information about the fund, please contact CUPPA@uic.edu.