$3.6 million in new Title V grants support education access Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, Adams State University was recently awarded two grants totaling more than $3.6 million to improve educational access for Hispanic and low-income students. These awards bring the total Title V funding Adams State has received since 2000 to more than $17.7 million.
improve master's degree attainment A five-year grant of $2,838,865 will help Adams State expand education opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students. It was awarded by the Department of Education's Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA), a Title V program for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI's). HSI is a federal designation for colleges and universities with more than 25 percent Hispanic enrollment. The grant amount for the first year is $574,327. To improve the four-year master's degree attainment rate – now at 50 percent – for Hispanic and low-income students by 15% over the grant period, the project will create a Gradu-
ate Support Center (GSC) that will offer students on-campus and online support services. These will include: • Academic and professional skill-building workshops • A team of Alumni Mentors • Access to streamlined university processes • Incentive stipends and graduate assistantships to support academic success Faculty and staff learning communities will also be created for professional development and best practice sharing. Lillian Gomez, who has directed multiple Title V grants at ASU, will serve as project director, with Dr. Melissa Freeman as activity director and director of the GSC.
cooperation with nm schools
Title V for Hispanic Serving Institutions awarded $3,196,636 over five years for a cooperative project led by University of New Mexico-Taos, "UNIDOS: Building Pathways to Access and Op14th annual portunity for the Upper Rio Grande Region." New Mexico Highlands University is the third partner asu cares day in the project; all three are HSIs. • September 20, 2014 The Title V Project will build upon the • 250 students volunteered strengths of all three HSI's to address barriers of for 27 SLV non-profit orgeography, distance, and under-funded K-16 eduganizations in Alamosa, cational systems – all of which prevent the region's Monte Vista, Creede, communities and residents from accessing quality South Fork, Crestone, postsecondary opportunities. Mosca, Del Norte, La Jara The goals are to: • Coordinated by Student • Increase enrollment and success of Hispanics Affairs and other students at all three institutions • Increase the number of distance education ASU students team up to courses (online and ITV) available to students help SLV Habitat for Humanity. across northern New Mexico • Improve faculty capacity to develop distance education courses and teach effectively in distance modes Adams State will receive $841,470, divided fairly equally over the grant period. The grant will fund a full-time designer/trainer in distance pedagogy, a new lecture capture system and other distance technology upgrades, professional development for faculty in distance pedagogy, online degree development, and other collaborative efforts. Inter-library loan and other digital library services will also be improved.
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aStater fall 2014