The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will receive $300,000 over three years for student-success initiatives in the College of Education and Health Professions.
An anonymous donor gave the money -- $100,000 annually for three years -- to the college's Student Success Center, according to a news release. The center, established last year, helps prospective and current students in the college academically and professionally.
Leah Thorvilson, director of development and external relations for the college, said the donor wanted to help students who needed a lift.
"The donor was really drawn toward the Student Success Center because the donor saw it as an investment in students," she said in a statement.
The money will create a student emergency support fund that could help with necessities, such as food and clothing, and other emergencies that can prompt students to drop out of school.
"Students will be able to request support ranging from being able to purchase a tank of gas or help them pay tuition costs," Thorvilson said. "If a student's car breaks down, that may be the tipping point of whether they can continue in college or not."
The donation will also go toward supporting the funding of a master's degree-level social worker, who will keep an eye on the academic progress of students through the center, the news release states. The social worker will also develop an early-alert system for students so the employee can properly intervene.
The social worker will also help develop more student-success initiatives, create a referral system for student services, apply for grants for the center and foster community relations for student-support services.
Metro on 06/01/2016