ST. MARTIN — Chatfield College has received an anonymous donation of $85,000 to purchase 100 laptops for new students who are interested in online coursework or a career in technology.

Students who do not currently have access to a laptop or desktop computer will be eligible to apply.

After graduating from Chatfield, students participating in this new program will be able to keep the laptop to further their education in the information technology field.

In January, Chatfield launched a new platform to offer online courses to its students, funded by a generous grant from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation. Branded “Chatfield e-campus”, online classes were embraced with enthusiasm by Chatfield students, states a college news release.

A survey of Chatfield students now enrolled in online classes revealed that 17 percent planned to use a mobile smartphone for most class activities because they do not have access to a desktop or laptop computer at home. One advantage of online classes for Chatfield’s population of students — mostly first-generation college students and adult learners — is the flexibility they provide, especially for students with children at home.

With this grant, future students will be able to take online courses more effectively and conveniently.

Applications for this new Technology Scholarship, which includes the use and eventual ownership of a laptop, are available online at www.chatfield.edu/techscholarship. Preference will be given to students who enroll in the summer semester, beginning on June 4.

Chatfield College is a private, faith-based, liberal arts college offering the Associate of Arts degree in northern Brown County. It is an open enrollment college.

For more information, visit www.chatfield.edu, call 513-875-3344 or e-mail [email protected] .