University News

Are Job Cuts Coming Your Way? UVA Scholarships May Help You Pivot

With an estimated 100,000 federal jobs cut since January and another 60,000 expected by the end of the month, the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies is offering scholarships and programs to help federal employees shift their careers.

There are no solid numbers on how many federal employees in Virginia, or people with jobs directly related to discontinued federal grants and contracts, have lost their paychecks since January. Figures from UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, issued March 20, estimate more than 441,000 Virginia jobs depending on the federal government.

SCPS is offering summer term scholarships that federal workers “facing unexpected challenges resulting from administrative changes” can use for bachelor’s degree completion programs, the Master of Public Safety degree and professional certificate programs.

The school is prioritizing resources to assist as many individuals as possible based on merit and need. Award values range from $500 to the cost of two courses for the summer term.

Cy Webb, left, is a student success coach and Jeff Martin is a recruitment coordinator with the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)

Deadlines to apply for the upcoming term have been extended to Tuesday for certificate programs and remain May 15 for bachelor’s degree programs. Students must apply and be admitted to be eligible for scholarships.

The school’s scholarships came about after recruitment specialists and coaches found current students concerned about finances and prospective students wanting to change career paths, but worried about paying for it. Many of those with concerns were federal employees.

“Dean Melissa Lubin asked us what we were seeing with prospective students and our current students. We mentioned that we had several students currently enrolled who didn’t have the funding to pay for the current semester. Some had been laid off and were looking to switch careers,” said Cy Webb, a student success coach with the school.

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School officials recently increased fundraising for student financial aid, including establishing a Career Catalyst Fund for students in certificate programs, and were able to create scholarships in response to what they heard from students, Lubin said.

“We recognized an immediate need for our students and an opportunity for us to help them in real time. We also saw the potential to help many others whose futures might benefit from education. The ability to offer scholarships is the No. 1 reason we raise funds,” she said. “We feel like we’re making a generational impact when we give to an adult learner. We’re impacting their whole family.”

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and in health sciences management, a master’s degree in public safety, and numerous certificate programs. Those programs include accounting, certified financial planning, cloud computing, cybersecurity analysis and management, human resources, and project management, among others.

Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies Melissa Rubin says the scholarship program came about after discussions about student concerns and needs. (University Communications photo)

“The online nature of our programs makes it pretty easy to pivot jobs, particularly with certificate programs. Most of them are finished in a year or so, and people come out with greater experience, education and career-relevant skills, so some grant money and additional scholarship aid can go a long way,” Jeff Martin, a recruitment coordinator with the school, said. “The folks I’ve talked to who mentioned losing jobs or expecting to lose them, many of them from USAID, are looking at accounting certificates and accounting jobs.”

“The nice thing about a certificate is that it can set you up for a pretty quick career change,” Webb said. “You can also complete these certificates remotely. Regardless of whether you are in D.C., Northern Virginia or Maryland, you will pay the same tuition rate, as these programs have geographically neutral tuition rates where every student is billed at the in-state tuition rate.”

Lubin said anyone considering a career change should contact the school to learn about programs and possible financial aid.

“It doesn’t hurt to ask. I tell people, ‘Don’t opt yourself out. Let someone else tell you it’s not possible,’” Lubin said. “Pick up the phone, send an email, fill out a form, think about what it is you want to do, and then ask. Our school is nimble, and when we hear of needs, we do what we can to ensure education is accessible, affordable and achievable.”