He reported to the SHEFA board on Friday that Finance had not released $13,200 in financial assistance for fall 2010.
The amount, he said, comprised $1,200 grant-in-aid, $4,500 field of study, $6,000 for on-island recipients and $1,500 field of study for off-island recipients.
He said he made several follow-ups with Finance but funds had not been released.
The list of names of eight applicants who were found eligible to receive awards in the fall 2010 term was already submitted to Finance, he added.
“The office of SHEFA will immediately disburse the checks as soon as it receives them from Finance,” he said.
If the $13,200 is released, the total awards approved and disbursed by SHEFA in the fall 2010 academic term will total $2,295,800.
For Spring 2011, Hofschneider said five written requests to Finance for the release of financial assistance have not be processed yet.
“In my attempt not to be a pest to Finance but at the same time maintain a consistent schedule of following up at least once a week, I am beginning to feel I am cutting it close before [the department] loses its patience with me,” he said.
He reported to the board that there were 710 applications received as of July 1, 2011.
These included 201 new undergraduate recipients who will study in the CNMI, 76 new undergraduates who want to study abroad, 230 ongoing undergraduates who are on-island, 196 ongoing undergraduates who are off-island, one ongoing on-island master’s degree recipient, and six off-island ongoing master’s degree recipients.
Hofschneider said the total number of applicants is subject to change as the review of their applications progresses.
SHEFA gets its funds from poker license fee collections which continue to decline due to worsening economy.
