Temple professor donates $100,000 prize to student aid fund

PHILADELPHIA – A Temple University professor who won a $100,000 prize for research into the rising cost of college will donate the money to a fund she established to help students cope with financial emergencies.

Sara Goldrick-Rab tells Philly.com she is encouraging others to donate as well, matching their gifts 3-to-1. The FAST fund is designed to help students deal with small but unexpected expenses that traditional financial aid doesn’t cover. The money is distributed by teachers, which she says reduces bureaucracy and gets assistance to the students more quickly.

The fund currently works with teachers at schools in California, North Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts and Wisconsin. Goldrick-Rab hopes the money will help her add others, including Temple, which she joined last year.

The prize was awarded by the University of Louisville.

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Information from: Philly.com, http://www.philly.com/