WWU's Beth Boland awarded $750,000 grant for rehabilitation counseling program

Beth Boland of the Western Washington University Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation, and Service Administration to support student tuition and stipends for those completing master's programs in Rehabilitation Counseling.

The grant is funded for five years providing $150,000 annually. Seventy-five percent will cover tuition for 35 students over the course of two years. The other 25 percent can be used for salary, travel and supplies.

Students who receive tuition support through the grant need to work two years for every year of tuition support at an approved agency as a rehabilitation counselor or similar role. Students have up to two years after graduation to find acceptable employment within the U.S. and its territories. Because the grant is federally funded, agencies must have a contract with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Services for the Blind or the Veterans’ Administration. Students also receive regular compensation for work.

The Rehabilitation Counseling program at WWU's Woodring College of Education has had long-term training grants since 1995. The program previously received a similar $750,000 grant in 2008, which currently supports 37 students.

For more information on the grant and the Rehabilitation Counseling program at WWU, contact Beth Boland at (425) 259-8920 or elizabeth.boland@wwu.edu