A set of federal grants is helping fund tuition for 14 graduate students seeking their master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or Rehabilitation and Addiction Counseling.
The grants come from $1 million five-year federal Rehabilitation Long-Term Training grants for training rehabilitation and addiction counselors.
The Rehabilitation Counseling program earned the grant in 2014 and is in its third year of the grant. The Rehabilitation and Addiction Counseling program earned the grant in 2015 and is in the second year of its grant.
The fall 2016 Rehabilitation Long-Term Training scholarship recipients are:
Rehabilitation Counseling
- Bonnie Bittner, Rochester
- Rebecca “Becky” (Eckenrode) Kristiansen, Staples
- Colleen Longhenry, Becker
- Jessica Norem, St. Paul
- Michael O’Neal, Big Lake
- Dana Thomsen, St. Cloud
- Tristen Skuza, Sauk Rapids
Rehabilitation and Addiction Counseling
- Taylor Briedenbach, Glencoe
- Cassandra Erickson, St. Cloud
- Katie Hanson, Maple Grove
- Wayne Johnson, St. Cloud
- Randa Perfetti, Brooklyn Park
- Sandra Spiczka, Holdingford
- Carrie Wilbert, Columbia Heights
The grants from the Rehabilitation Services Administration’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services of the U.S. Department of Education are providing $200,000 per year for tuition assistance and professional development stipends for each of the programs.
The grants cover the majority of recipients’ tuition in both years of the program. They also provide a professional development stipend that allows students to attend the Minnesota Rehabilitation Association conference during their fall and spring semesters. The stipend can also assist with purchasing books and supplies.
The grants are designed to ensure that skilled personnel are available to meet the growing need for highly-qualified scholars who have an expertise in serving consumers with disabilities and addictions.
Students receiving the scholarships will work at a public vocational-rehabilitation agency or non-profit community rehabilitation program that operates under contract with the federal-state rehabilitation system after completing the program or pay back the funds at a later date.
