GSIE Launches FundRazor for Graduate, International Student Emergency Funds

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The Graduate School and International Education at the U of A launched a FundRazor crowd-funding campaign to raise money for two funds supporting students: the Needy Family Graduate Student Emergency Support Fund and the International Student Catastrophic Fund.

The two funds provide one-time support to graduate and international students facing unexpected emergencies or crises that could cause them to withdraw from school. Types of emergencies include unexpected medical expenses, technological needs such as broken laptops, transportation needs and unexpected deaths in the family.

"Many of our graduate and international students are living on tight budgets, and emergencies can easily derail their academic studies," said Ed Pohl, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. "These two funds provide critical resources to our students so they can stay enrolled and earn degrees that will change their lives."

The campaign will run until mid-December. Any donation amount is welcomed, and donors can give to one or both funds.

GSIE receives more than 125 requests each year, and, unfortunately, funds are limited. Students on average request $500 for assistance; however, grant amounts are based on funds available and currently average $250. Gifts are tax-deductible and are immediately available for a student in need once the donation is completed.

Additionally, Bill and Dean Kim Needy — founders of the Needy Family Graduate Student Emergency Support Fund — pledged to match the first $2,500 in donations to the graduate student emergency fund, and Pohl and his wife, professor Tish Pohl, committed a $2,500 match for donations to the International Student Catastrophic Fund.

Dean Kim Needy established the Needy Family Graduate Student Emergency Support Fund in 2017 as dean of the GSIE after seeing first-hand the needs of graduate students.

"I got to know them, and I could see first-hand some of the challenges they faced, one being financial challenges," Needy said. "I quickly realized that our university had far more resources available to undergraduate students and far less for graduate students."

"We weren't talking about tremendous dollar amounts," she continued. "It may be a few hundred dollars that they were struggling with due to some unexpected bill or circumstance, like a flat tire or medical bill. I spoke with my family, and we thought, 'What can we do to help make a difference?'"

The International Student Catastrophic Fund was created in 2017 through a major gift from a university benefactor after emergency support for graduate and international students was identified as a key funding priority for GSIE during Campaign Arkansas. In 2022, the fund won the Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education from the Institute of International Education.