## Strengthening Institutions Program 

## FY 2008 Funded Abstracts

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# The purpose of the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) authorized by Title III, 

# Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 USC 1057-1059d, is to provide grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help them become self sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability. 

# P031A080252 -- Albany Technical College, Georgia

**[Albany Technical College]{.underline}** (ATC) of Albany, Georgia is a
two-year, public, postsecondary institution, located in rural southwest
Georgia.  The College was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the
Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Albany Technical College is
charged with the mission of providing technical education and training
support for evolving workforce development needs of Southwest Georgia.

**[Faculty Characteristics]{.underline}**

Albany Technical College employs a combined total of 331 full- and
part-time individuals. The full-time staff includes 83 faculty members.
The part-time staff includes 109 adjunct instructors. The faculty to
student ratio is 28:1.

**[Student Body Characteristics]{.underline}**

In fiscal year 2008, the college has an unduplicated credit enrollment
of 4,788 students, for a full-time equivalent of 2,639. 54.3 percent
attended college full-time, and 45.7 percent attended part-time. 81.7
percent received the HOPE Grant or Scholarship and 41.8 percent received
a Pell Grant. The student population is 38.1 percent male and 61.9
percent female. Nineteen percent of the students are 16 to 20 years old,
26 percent are 21 to 25, 18 percent are 26 to 30, 12 percent are 31 to
35, nine percent are 36 to 40, and the remaining 16 percent are over 40.
The student population is composed of the following races and
ethnicities: American Indian - 0.2 percent, Asian - 0.4 percent, Black -
69.3 percent, Hispanic - 0.5 percent, White - 28.6 percent, and
Multiracial - 1.0 percent.

**[Activity One: Strengthening Academic Programs: The Development of an
Academic Achievement Center]{.underline} (\$2,000,000 over five-year
period)**

Albany Technical College is requesting Title III funding for one
activity -- to design and develop the college's first Academic
Achievement Center (AAC) in order to increase student achievement and
student retention for learning support courses and other historically
difficult courses. This activity has four (4) parallel components of
activities that span the five-year period:

1.  **Infrastructure and Platform** (e. g. academic policies and
    guidelines for AAC program and services, AAC equipment and
    classrooms, communication system, etc.). The approximate cost of the
    equipment in this component is \$138,552 and represents seven (7)
    percent of the total activity budget.)

2.  **Faculty** **Development** (e.g. Web Conferencing, Multimedia
    Applications, Assessing Learning Outcomes in Technology-rich
    Environments, Assessment of Student Use of Technology, Adapting
    Teaching Strategies for Diverse Audiences, Statistical Analysis of
    Student Learning Outcomes, etc.) The approximate cost of this
    component is \$20,821 and represents one (1) percent of the total
    activity budget.)

3.  **Coordination** **of** **Academic Achievement Center**
    **Components** (i. e. Title III Coordinator, AAC Director, AAC
    Reading Faculty Coordinator, AAC Mathematics Faculty Coordinator,
    AAC English Faculty Coordinator, Adjunct Faculty, Peer Tutors);
    Supplemental Instruction, Faculty-led Tutoring, Peer-led Tutoring,
    Extended Hours of Operation. The approximate cost of this component
    is \$1,150,496 and represents fifty-eight (58) percent of the total
    activity budget.)

4.  **Course** **Revision** (e.g. stipends to full-time Albany Technical
    College faculty to participate in professional development (PD)
    activities of the AAC prior to revising course requirements,
    syllabi, and lesson plans, etc.) The approximate cost of this
    component is \$12,400 and represents one (1) percent of the total
    activity budget.)

**P031A080033 -- Arkansas State University, Arkansas**

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH) is a two-year affiliate
of the Arkansas State University System and a relatively new, public,
open door college serving the town of Mountain Home and a very rural
area of north central Arkansas. More than 1,600 students attend ASUMH
each year, and enrollment grew 119 percent in ASUMH's first decade. We
offer a comprehensive array of college credit and non-credit
instruction, including associate degrees in eight fields, and
certificate, adult and continuing education, and workforce

development. Arkansas State University-Mountain Home's mission statement
is "to lead through educational opportunities: lifelong learning,
enhanced quality of life, academic accessibility, and diverse
experiences." Chancellor Ed Coulter reports to the Arkansas State
University System President, and ASUMH is overseen by an appointed
five-member board of trustees. We received the first ten-year North
Central Association of Higher Learning Commission accreditation in 2008.

Unlike many rural regions, the seven counties we serve are growing---36
percent since 1990 (ACS 2006). However, the median household income is
only 60 percent of the national average and almost one in five residents
lives in poverty, more than half again the national rate. Clearly, area
residents recognize that postsecondary education is a way out of
economic need.

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home offers credit classes at the
main campus and five other locations. However, our largely at-risk
students are not succeeding at acceptable rates. More than two-thirds of
entering students test into college-preparatory (pre-college,
developmental) courses, yet their failure rates in these courses are as
high as 62 percent, and failure rates in gateway courses (required for
most degree programs) are as high as 56 percent. As a result, about a
third of fall enrollees do not return in the spring and nearly
two-thirds do not return the next fall. This attrition is increasing
steadily, now almost double what it was in the mid-1990s, and only 16
percent of our students' complete Associate degrees in three years.
Access is as critical as success. Arkansas State University-Mountain
Home has built a substantial distance education offering, which students
without home computers can access at area libraries, schools, and
community centers. However, 19 AA degree core and high-demand courses
are not available online.

Therefore, we propose a project called Strengthening Student Access and
Success in which we will create effective academic support for
college-preparatory and gateway course students, high-demand online
courses, and on-campus / online student services. Faculty and staff
development will ensure that new programs and services are delivered
effectively**.** Resulting increases in retention and enrollment of
under prepared and previously underserved students will strengthen ASUMH
to serve our constituents more effectively in the future.

**P031A080054 -- Bay de Noc Community College, Michigan**

**College:** Bay de Noc Community College is a small, rural two-year
public college located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The college
has its main campus in Escanaba and operates satellite campuses in Iron
Mountain (West Campus) and in Manistique. The college offers 31
different occupational and technical programs, two-year AA and AS
degrees in over 100 different content areas, and four-year degrees in
partnership with Lake Superior State University and Franklin University
(online instruction). Total headcount for fall 2007 was 2,203; the
entering class size was 600. Of the total population, 57 percent were
enrolled full-time; 48 percent were 18-21 years of age; 60 percent were
female; 91 percent were of White, non-Hispanic ethnicity, and four
percent were Native Americans. The college employs 43 full-time and 144
part-time faculty; faculty-to-student ratio is 1:23. Sixty-one percent
of students at Bay receive financial assistance; 54 percent are
first-generation college students.

**Project:** The objective is to increase student success in math and
science (M/S) courses and to increase persistence and retention rates of
all students who enroll in M/S courses. The project will target students
who enroll in developmental, i.e. pre-college level, courses and
continue into sequential college-level M/S courses and earn grades of C
or higher.

**Strategies:** Strategies include development and implementation of
supplemental instruction, M/S learning communities, a M/S Learning
Center, remodeled science laboratories, a new biotechnology program, a
new orientation program for M/S students, professional development for
M/S faculty, enhanced advising for M/S students, and a special Web site
devoted to mathematics and science topics.

P031A080125 -- Bristol Community College, Massachusetts

Bristol Community College (BCC) is a comprehensive, public, two-year
community college offering 41 associate degree and 67 certificate
programs. Bristol Community College serves 9,680 students at its largest
campus in Fall River, Massachusetts, and at centers in New Bedford,
Attleboro, and Taunton. Of the combined group of full-time (45 percent)
and part-time (55 percent) credit students, two-thirds are women and 52
percent are over the age of 21. The student body is composed of the
following racial/ethnic groups: 75 percent white; six percent
African-American; three percent Hispanic, and two percent Asian/Pacific
Islander. There are 99 full-time faculty, and 402 part-time faculty
(full-time faculty equivalent is 265), yielding a faculty-to-student
ratio of one to 17 students. As the region's most affordable source of
higher education, BCC is a critical waypoint on the journey to
educational opportunity, prosperity, and cultural enrichment.

The first year passage that students make into higher education is a
rough and unforgiving journey that one-third of new BCC students do not
survive. Buffeted by the winds of poverty (a majority of BCC students
work more than 21 hours per week) and pushed off course by the adverse
currents of inadequate academic preparation, (New Bedford and Fall River
are among the poorest cities in the Commonwealth with high drop-out
rates), BCC students struggle to make academic headway. The College
offers many kinds of support, including tutoring and reading, writing,
and math labs, but too few students connect with these services to get
the help they need.

In response, BCC will construct a Connected College that will strengthen
the strands of early student supports and weave them through a
success-oriented first-year curriculum to create a web that shapes deep,
integrated learning, fosters student engagement and retention, and
improves mastery of critical thinking skills. Moving from an
institution-centered focus to a learner-centered framework and a student
success culture, the Connected College will enhance admissions
assessment, improve connections to faculty and peers through smaller
group orientation, engage students in creating individual learning plans
with advisor support, and reshape gateway courses (highly enrolled
first-year courses) to improve student success.

The Connected College will assist faculty to significantly restructure
gateway courses that typically represent stumbling blocks to large
numbers of students in the first few semesters, and are necessary for
advancement in higher education. These courses will be designed by
applying principles of integrative learning that emphasize critical
thinking, use active instructional strategies, and make a direct
connection with individual learning plans.

The expanded assessment and individual learning plans will provide
students with an accurate compass reading of their strengths and
challenges and enable them to shape a learning plan that specifies
courses to take, learning supports and accommodations to secure, habits
of learning to practice, and personal strategies for academic success.
Students will be assisted by advisors in mapping out their learning plan
using an e-planning tool that is student-centered and provides a
comprehensive method of planning goals, courses, and academic supports.

The Connected College's expanded assessment, enhanced orientation,
individualized learning plans, restructured gateway courses, and unified
advising will reach thousands of BCC students across the College. The
Connected College will boost successful course completion rates, improve
overall first-year student retention by ten percent, and will cost
approximately \$1.9 million dollars. The budget is allocated with 58.6
percent in "Personnel," 21.4 percent in "Supplies," five percent in
"Travel," 3.8 percent in "Contractual," and 11.2 percent in "Other."

**P031A080158 -- Butler Community College, Kansas**

Butler Community College (Butler), El Dorado, Kansas, is a two-year,
comprehensive, open door public college (fall 2007 enrollment 8,414)
that serves portions of metropolitan Wichita and rural stretches of
south central Kansas. In the words of our mission statement, "Butler
Community College exists to develop responsible, involved lifelong
learners and to contribute to the vitality of the communities it
serves." Governed by seven elected Trustees,

Butler is accredited by the North Central Association's Higher Learning
Commission and offers associate degree and certificate programs in 76
fields representing math, science, humanities, fine arts, business,
physical education /health, industrial technology, and nursing.

Butler's faculty is a dedicated group; 82 percent of full-time faculty
have advanced degrees and their average teaching load includes one or
two overload courses per semester. Their age and tenure reflect their
commitment to students' success.

However, as an institution, we have been unable to support that success.
Most students share characteristics that put them at risk for failure in
college, and Butler's limited resources have prevented the development
of academic programs and services to support their success, including
faculty training in techniques and technologies most effective with
under prepared learners. As a

result, basic skills (developmental) failure rates average from 26 to 42
percent and failure rates in key college-level courses required for most
degree programs ("gatekeeper" courses) are similar. Not surprisingly,
nearly two-thirds of all first-time students drop out during or after
their freshman year---a tremendous loss of opportunity for them and a
substantial cost to the college.

We propose to address our students' needs and stabilize enrollment-based
revenues with a comprehensive initiative titled Increasing Student
Success and Retention. The project will address problems in academic
programs (ineffective basic skills instruction, inadequate faculty
development in instruction for at-risk students) and institutional
management (underdeveloped information-based student services) by
developing effective basic skills instruction (including ESL for a
growing non-native English-speaking population), information-based
intake strategies (orientation, assessment, career / educational
planning, and advisement), early alert / referral, tutoring, and faculty
/ staff development in instructional techniques and technologies and
effective delivery of new programs and services. Rigorous evaluation
will ensure that new programs and services do in fact improve student
success and ease their institutionalization into ongoing operation. An
endowment request of 12.7 percent of the project budget will further
sustain new practices and improvements and strengthen the college's
fiscal stability.

**P031A080012 -- Campbellsville University, Kentucky**

Campbellsville University (CampbellsvilleU) is a master's degree
granting institution that is private, non-profit and affiliated with the
Kentucky Baptist Convention. The primary service population is a
16-county area in Central Kentucky, which is geographically isolated
from urban areas such as Louisville and Lexington. CampbellsvilleU
offers 40 undergraduate majors and 10 master's programs which are
structured through the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of
Education, the School of Business and Economics, the School of Music,
the School of Nursing, the School of Theology, and the Carver School of
Social Work.

The 2005 enrollment of 1,242 full-time equivalent undergraduate students
consists of 84 percent Caucasian, five percent African-American and
international students from 34 countries. Non-traditional students (age
25 and older) represent 22 percent and 57 percent of all students are
female. Faculty characteristics include 100 full-time members and 123
adjuncts with a student faculty ratio of 13 to 1.

The project title is The Servant Leader Project: Improving Student
Retention, Achievement, and Persistence and has an overarching goal of
improving student success in the formative first two years of the
baccalaureate.

The Servant Leader Project has three interrelated key elements: an
expanded first-year experience program (FYE), a redesigned general
education program, and intensified academic support services. In the FYE
program, students will complete individual servant leadership projects
related to their academic and professional interests and begin an
electronic servant leadership portfolio as a record of their learning
experiences, achievements, and accomplishments. Faculty members will
align general education course syllabi with core student learning
outcomes, use active teaching strategies, and develop instructionally
based assessments. A Learning Commons will offer students a multitude of
resources such as tutoring, electronic databases, multimedia
workstations, and ample space for collaborative learning experiences.

The expected outcomes are to increase academic achievement in general
education by 20 percent as measured on the *CAAP*, fall-to-fall freshmen
retention by 15 percent, and student persistence to the third year
towards completing a baccalaureate degree by 10 percent. These project
outcomes relate to the CDP goals and objectives, the Title III
priorities and the GPRA performance measures and are assessed annually
through evaluation.

Managed by the Title III Coordinator along with an Activity Director,
the five-year project budget reflects 80 percent in direct services to
students, 10 percent for project management and10 percent for endowment,
which is critical to institutionalization. Endowment funds will be
matched by the University in years one, two, four, and five.

**P031A080120 -- Cedar Valley College/Dallas County Community College
District, Texas**

Cedar Valley College is a two-year community college that serves the
southern most part of the Dallas County Community College District, has
faced dramatic growth since 2000. Seventy-five percent (75 percent) of
students are low income, minority, or first generation. Cedar Valley
College has struggled to keep pace with the needs of a student
population who arrive under prepared for success in a postsecondary
educational environment. With an enrollment of 4983 (fall, 2007), the
college is a minority-serving Institution with 71 percent minority
enrollment; 65 percent indicate family incomes that are considered
economically disadvantaged. The college has 64 full-time faculty and 131
adjuncts with 64.5 percent of all courses taught by full-time faculty
and staff. All instructors meet Southern Association of Colleges
standards for faculty teaching in higher education.

The Title III Planning committee identified and documented these
significant weaknesses: (1) the college is not prepared for the number
of poorly prepared students; (2) high numbers score into remedial level
classes; (3) high drop-out rates in all first year courses; (4) only a
third of first year students persist to the second year; only 14 percent
complete programs; (5) the college budget continues to shrink due to
state and local cutbacks.

**Based upon sound research and model programs,** this project details a
three-part strategy to improve retention and student success: **1.
Intense Academic Advisement -** intrusive case-management,
screening/assessment system, student educational action plans, a
Web-based intervention system, resource center and mandatory
orientation. **2**. **Instructional Improvement -** faculty development,
alternative delivery models, upgraded technology and classroom
configurations; and **3. Academic Services Improvement -** expanded
tutoring and study skill workshops.

The college's emphasis on continuous improvement strategies, measurable
outcomes, and commitment to evaluation will ensure the success of
project objectives.

### P031A080094 -- Central Florida Community College, District Board of Trustees, Florida

Central Florida Community College (CFCC) is a two-year, public college
governed by the State of Florida through the CFCC District Board of
Trustees. Begun in 1957, CFCC is the only comprehensive, open door
institution of higher education within 50 miles of most service area
residents. Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees are
awarded along with industry recognized certificates of completion.
Central Florida Community College is accredited by the Commission on
Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

For people in all parts of our society, CFCC is the most important and
visible doorway to higher education in our three-county service area.
These three counties have significant poverty levels with per capita
income that is 60-72 percent of the national average. Only 16 percent of
residents in the area have earned a bachelor's degree, compared to the
state average of 23 percent. The college has 114 full-time and 488
part-time faculty. Of the full-time faculty 84 percent hold master's
degrees, 23 percent a doctorate. For credit courses, the full-time
equivalent faculty/student ratio in the classroom is 1:20.

In academic year 2006-2007, approximately 11,000 district residents
attended CFCC. More than 24 percent were from minority groups, a higher
ratio than the general population's 17 percent. Some 63 percent were
female; the average age was 25. Most importantly, according to the
Florida Community College System 2006 accountability report, CFCC loses
42 percent of its first time in college (FTIC) students who enter under
prepared. The major reason for this low retention is failure in the
remedial classes needed by 70 percent of these students. The 2006-07
success rate for these classes in math was 59 percent, reading 64
percent and in English only 50 percent.

**[Comprehensive Development Plan]{.underline}**: The college has
concluded that these students would be better served and the college
institution greatly strengthened by going beyond strategies involving
access, and instead focusing on student success and retention. Because a
majority of the students who enter CFCC are under prepared academically
and are extremely burdened economically, the college submits this
proposal to implement new initiatives that will increase the success and
retention of college preparatory students. Several specific and
measurable objectives form the core of this proposed project:

-   The establishment of a highly coordinated college preparatory
    department that will increase coordination of all components of the
    college preparatory program;

-   Training for faculty and staff who work with students in the college
    preparatory program;

-   An improved process for admissions and enrollment services by
    identifying college prep students earlier, establishing
    communications with them and assisting them to complete the intake
    process; and

-   Opportunities for students to participate in learning communities,
    courses with various delivery methods, and other programs to track,
    monitor and support new students through the completion of all
    college preparatory requirements.

Ultimately, the goals of this project are to significantly increase the
percentage of college preparatory students successfully completing
required developmental coursework and staying on to pursue college-level
learning.

**P031A080146 -- Chabot -- Las Positas Community College District,
California**

**[Title III Activity Title:]{.underline}** Improving Basic Skills
Across the Curriculum to Increase Student Success, Persistence, and
Institutional Effectiveness. Chabot College is a fully accredited,
public, urban two-year comprehensive community college with 14,328
students located in Hayward, California in the heart of the San
Francisco Bay Area. It is part of an exceptionally multicultural region,
serving one of the ten most diverse counties in the United States.
Chabot serves a diverse student body and offers over 100 instructional
programs including general education, technical/career-vocational
education, transfer/continuing education, and basic skills instruction.

+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| **Fall 2007      |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
| Chabot           |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
| C                |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
| haracteristics** |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| **Enrollment**   | **   | **  | *        | **   | **Per  | *  |    |
|                  | Numb | Per | *Student | Numb | cent** | *% |    |
| Total Students   | er** | cen | Age**    | er** |        | ** |    |
| (headcount)      |      | t** |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  | 14   |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  | ,328 | 1   |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      | 00% |          |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
|                  |      |     | 19 or    | 3    | 24%    | 24 |    |
|                  |      |     | younger  | ,448 |        | %  |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | 20-24    |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | 25-39    |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | 40-49    |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | 50 or    |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | older    |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| **Gender**       |      |     |          | 4    | 31%    |    |    |
|                  |      |     |          | ,379 |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Female           | 8    | 56% |          | 3    | 26%    | 26 |    |
|                  | ,016 |     |          | ,703 |        | %  |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Male             | 5    | 42% |          | 1    | 9%     | 9  |    |
|                  | ,993 |     |          | ,314 |        | %  |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Unknown          | 319  | 2%  |          | 1    | 10%    | 1  |    |
|                  |      |     |          | ,484 |        | 0% |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| **               |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
| Race-ethnicity** |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| African-American | 2    | 14% | *        | **   | **Per  | *  |    |
|                  | ,075 |     | *Faculty | Numb | cent** | *P |    |
|                  |      |     | P        | er** |        | er |    |
|                  |      |     | rofile** |      |        | ce |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        | nt |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        | ** |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Asian/Pacific    | 2    | 20% | F        | 191  | 37%    | 3  |    |
| Islander         | ,799 |     | ull-time |      |        | 7% |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | A        |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | djunct/P |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | art-time |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | St       |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | udent-to |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | -Faculty |      |        |    |    |
|                  |      |     | Ratio    |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Filipino         | 1    | 10% |          | 321  | 63%    | 6  |    |
|                  | ,442 |     |          |      |        | 3% |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Latino           | 3    | 24% |          | 31:1 | \      | \  |    |
|                  | ,385 |     |          |      | -\-\-- | -\ |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        | -\ |    |
|                  |      |     |          |      |        | -- |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Native American  | 103  | 1%  |          |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| White            | 3    | 22% |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  | ,123 |     |          |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+
| Other/Unknown    | 1    | 10% |          |      |        |    |    |
|                  | ,365 |     |          |      |        |    |    |
+------------------+------+-----+----------+------+--------+----+----+

Ninety-two percent of the approximately 26,000 new students who enroll
at Chabot each fall, require developmental education in either
mathematics or English. Once enrolled, students struggle to master
foundational skills with only 58 percent of developmental English
students 42 percent of developmental math students succeeding each
semester (Office of Institutional Research, fall 2008). This seriously
inhibits progress towards transfer or degree/certificate goals.

To address this situation, Chabot will use Title III funding to increase
student success and persistence of developmental students across the
curriculum. The Title III Activity is guided by the following goals:
**Goal 1**: Increase success and persistence in developmental courses;
**Goal 2**: Increase success and persistence in courses supported by
learning support services; **Goal 3**: Develop student learning outcomes
and appropriate assessments at the course, program and college level;
and **Goal 4**: Maintain and increase enrollment by increasing
persistence.

Expected Outcomes of the Title III Activity are: 1) Increased course
success; 2) Increased next-level course success; 3) Increased
fall-to-fall persistence; 4) Increased student engagement in learning;
5) Increase the development and assessment of student learning outcomes.

Funds are requested for a Title III Activity Director; a Learning
Assessment Coordinator; and Center for Teaching and Learning
Coordinator; five Faculty Leads; and Administrative Assistant; stipends
for faculty; tutors/peer leaders; books and resources; speakers for
training workshops; and an endowment for sustaining activities into the
future.

**P031A080089 -- Chattahoochee Technical College, Georgia**

Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC), established in 1961, is the
largest of Georgia's 33 public, two-year technical colleges. With its
main campus located just 20 miles north of Atlanta in Marietta, CTC
serves the ethnically diverse populations of Cobb and Paulding Counties
(combined population 813,896). In the last decade, CTC has opened three
satellite campuses in South Cobb County (city of Mableton), Mountain
View (East Cobb County), and Paulding Campus (City of Dallas). High
schools closest to CTC's main campus enroll the highest percentages of
ethnic/racial minorities in the county (up to 86 percent) and for the
majority of area residents; CTC is their only option for higher
education.

Chattahoochee Technical College has a rich tradition in technical
education and has built a strong reputation with this mission. The
college has witnessed an unprecedented enrollment increase in recent
years, evidence of the high need for educational programming in the
region. **Half of all CTC students are minority, with the largest group
comprised of African-Americans (36 percent).** **We now face a severe
institutional problem\--our inability to develop new high-demand allied
health associate degree programs is limiting educational access for
students, creating an obstacle to their employability, and threatening
our historic strength and stability.**

In response to this problem we propose a Title III Activity designed to
**[Strengthen Chattahoochee Technical College by Creating New Associate
Degree Programs in High-Demand Health Fields (Associate Degree Nursing
and Occupational Therapy Assistant)]{.underline}**.

New degree programs will qualify graduates for high-demand, high-paying
occupations in the greater Atlanta area, throughout the state, and
across the nation. The activity also calls for the development of a new
microbiology/chemistry lab, renovation necessary to accommodate both new
programs, and development of a new advising system for allied health
students. A **total five-year request of \$1,997,025** includes
\$309,000 (15 percent of total request) in endowment funds to be matched
by the CTC Foundation. Endowment interest will be used to assist with
institutionalization of the ADN and OTA programs and to fund
scholarships for ADN and OTA students.

Ongoing formative and summative evaluation processes have been
integrated in the design of this activity in order to assess project
progress toward benchmarks in stated objectives and against defined
baseline statistics. Data and information gathered through the
evaluation and analysis process will be used to modify the proposed
project (within federal guidelines) so as to maximize the project
success and positive impact of proposed strategies on improved CTC
student success, successful course completion and persistence.

**P031A080124 -- Cleveland Community College, North Carolina**

Located in Shelby, the county seat of Cleveland County in North
Carolina, Cleveland Community College began in 1965 and is a Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited two-year,
comprehensive, public, nonresidential, educational institution.
Cleveland Community College offered more than 100 degree, diploma, and
certificate programs to over 3,300 students in fall 2007. Cleveland
Community College employed 300 full-time and adjunct faculty teaching
794 courses resulting in a 1:12 faculty to student ratio in fall 2007
(unduplicated head count was 9,265). Programs are designed for college
transfer, technical, and occupational students. Student body
characteristics in the fall 2007 show that 24 percent of students were
either American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black, Non-Hispanic,
and Hispanic while the remaining 76 percent were White, Non-Hispanic.
Students were predominately female; 68 percent were female and 32
percent male. Students ranged in age from 17 to 85 with a breakdown of
age ranges shown below.

+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **Fall 2007**                    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| **Student Registrations**        |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **Age**                          | **Percentage**                    |
|                                  |                                   |
| **Range**                        | **( percent)**                    |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 17-18                            | 16.16                             |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 19-24                            | 32.65                             |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 25-29                            | 10.61                             |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 30-39                            | 19.59                             |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 40-49                            | 12.83                             |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 50-59                            | 6.15                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 60-69                            | 1.65                              |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| 70-85                            | .35                               |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

The proposed project requests \$1,944,251 and provides personnel and
respective travel; equipment, supplies, and renovation for a Student
Success Center; equipment and supplies to enhance faculty online
delivery; and project management and expertise in the areas of
assessment and instructional design. The single activity to engage
students will address dynamic growth in student enrollment and
nontraditional course offerings through online and blended (online and
face-to-face combination) courses in recent years leading to a void in
student service measures including self-serve options with information
access, tutoring, counseling, and career advising. The project seeks to
address these areas and strengthen online courses and course components
to better engage students.

Outcomes of the project are to increase student retention, completion
rates within a three-year period, engagement scores, number of students
passing online and blended courses, and the number of faculty trained in
instructional technology.

# P031A080239 -- Coffeyville Community College, Kansas 

**[Coffeyville Community College (CCC), Coffeyville
Kansas:]{.underline}** Coffeyville Community College is a two-year
residential, public community college and technical school located in
rural Southeast Kansas, with campuses in Coffeyville (Montgomery County)
and Columbus (Cherokee County), Kansas. Coffeyville (population 11,092)
is the largest city in Montgomery County (population 34,520) and borders
the state of Oklahoma. Columbus (population 3,396) is 52 miles from
Coffeyville, is the county seat of Cherokee County and is situated near
the Missouri state line.

Coffeyville Community College is accredited by The Higher Learning
Commission and a member of the North Central Association. Coffeyville
Community College is also accredited by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Coffeyville Community College's general service population is the
southern half of Montgomery County (same as our taxing district). Thirty
percent of our students are minority (see Student Profile Table), with
Blacks representing 52 percent of total minorities, and Native Americans
representing 33 percent.

The college's programs of study are in the areas of **Arts and
Sciences** (24 programs including Art, Biology, Education, English,
Health, History, Music, Pre-Engineering, Pre-Veterinary Medicine,
Theatre); **Occupational/**

**Technical** (15 programs including Agriculture, Auto Collision Repair,
Emergency Services Education, Horticulture, Marketing, Welding
Technology), and ten **certificate programs** (including Dietary
Manager, Electrical Technology, Certified Nurse Aide, Home Health Aide).

Both the Coffeyville and Columbus areas have long been plagued by a weak
economy and declining population. Coffeyville Community College is vital
to service area recovery efforts. However, in recent years the college's
limited resources have stymied the development of emerging high-priority
technical programs. The region is desperately in need of skilled
workers, but area residents simply do not possess the skills to meet
industry demands.

We have conducted an extensive analysis of industry, community, and
student needs and identified three new, high-demand technical programs
with great potential for student success with immediate employment or
transfer opportunities. These programs will also give CCC a much-needed
boost in enrollment revenue.

We have developed this Title III proposal for a single activity
targeting new program development, **Creating Technical Programs to
Strengthen CCC**, and request funds in the amount of \$1,584,362 over
five

years to fund the development of **Construction Technology, Precision
Machining,** and **Information Technology associate degree programs.**
In addition, CCC also requests a total of \$395,000 in endowment
matching funds to assist with institutionalization of programs developed
through this activity.

# P031A080046 -- Columbia College, California

**Columbia College Title III LUMBIA COLLEGE TITLE III PROJECT ABSTRACT**

Established in 1968, Columbia College (Columbia) is a small, public,
comprehensive, two-year college in California. It is one of two
institutions (including Modesto Junior College) comprising Yosemite
Community College District (YCCD). The district is one of the largest in
California, transecting more than 100 miles of the fertile San Joaquin
Valley from the Coast Range on the west to the Sierra Nevada on the
east. The boundaries encompass over 4,500

Square-miles, serving a population of more than 550,000. Columbia's
service area consists of all of Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties and
portions of Stanislaus County, which include Oakdale, Knight's Ferry,
Valley Home, Riverbank, and Waterford. The majority (64 percent) of
Columbia students are from Tuolumne County although an increasing
percentage of students (19 percent) come from Calaveras County, with
additional demand in the Oakdale area. Yosemite Community College
District delineates and communicates operational responsibilities to
Columbia College and Modesto Junior College (MJC). There are a number of
centralized support functions that are controlled by the district rather
than each separate college. These include human resources, fiscal
control, technology support, grant support, research and planning and
facilities, among others.

Columbia College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for
Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and
Colleges.

**[Title III Activity:]{.underline}** Improving Instruction, Expanding
Online Learning and Support and Increasing Resource Development
Capacity*.* This single activity is designed to: 1) improve student
learning through enhanced pedagogy and appropriate uses of technology,
2) expand online access to courses and student services, and 3) expand
resource development capacity. These strategies should positively impact
the institution's fiscal stability as state-reimbursable full-time
equivalent and tuition revenue grows from online courses, retention
improves from increased student satisfaction and more private gifts and
public grants are secured. The activity has six major components:

-   Improve learning ;

-   Expand effective online learning opportunities;

-   Expand online student services;

-   Expand teaching and learning innovation and application;

-   Expand fundraising capacity and stewardship; and

-   Expand grant development capacity and compliance.

**P031A080221 -- Cuyahoga Community College, Ohio**

Cuyahoga Community College (Cleveland, OH) provides comprehensive
two-year college programs and services to Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It is
regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools. The College serves 55,000 students annually with an annual
operating budget of \$178 million. Student faculty ration is 18:1.

+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| Faculty Demographics        | Student Demographics                   |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| -   384 full-time, 964      | -   FY 07 FTE 16,930 (annualized)      |
|     adjunct faculty         |                                        |
|                             | -   62% female, 38% male, 35% are of   |
| -   80%                     |     minority descent                   |
|     Caucasian/non-Hispanic, |                                        |
|                             | -   59% study part-time; 23% attend    |
| -   15% Black/non-Hispanic, |     classes only in the evening and on |
|     3%Asian/Pacific         |     weekends                           |
|     Island/Indian;          |                                        |
|                             | -   More than half are the first       |
| -   1% Hispanic, 1% other   |     generation of their families to    |
|                             |     attend college                     |
| -   246 full-time and       |                                        |
|     adjunct faculty teach   | -   18% take distance learning courses |
|     distance learning       |                                        |
|     courses                 |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+

Cuyahoga Community College has identified a critical need to support the
enhancement, and in many cases, fill the gaps in our infrastructure to
better support students taking, and faculty teaching fully distance
programs (DL). Four key problems were identified: 1) low persistence
rates for students, 2) faculty members are under-prepared to teach DL,
3) quality in distance learning is inconsistent, and 4) there are
significant gaps in infrastructure. The activity was designed around
addressing these problems in alignment with the College's mission,
goals, and objectives. The overall activity goal is to improve student
retention, success, and persistence in DL courses, and eventually fully
online degree programs. The Title III activity will strengthen the
institution in these ways during the grant:

-   The college will build academic and online student support services
    to enhance persistence and engagement. This includes development of
    an online student orientation, a virtual front door to DL, online
    tutoring services, and online advising. As a result, 70 percent of
    students will participate in advising or e-Advising. There will be
    100,000 average page views on the virtual "front door" per month. A
    total of 8,250 online tutoring sessions will be conducted.
    College-wide, 500 staff members will participate in one or more DL
    professional development activities to support these DL features.

-   A technological infrastructure for DL will be built. This includes a
    performance audit of the course management system, Blackboard (Bb),
    the acquisition of a content management system and community
    management system, and additional SAN storage drives and servers. It
    is projected that 75 percent of faculty teaching with Bb will
    utilize the Bb Content Management System.

-   The college will enhance faculty preparedness to teach DL. This
    includes the creation of beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels
    of online faculty training program, with train-the-trainer
    components. As a result, 90 percent of new DL faculty will complete
    at least one level of the Online Faculty Training program.

-   The college will enhance the quality of DL courses. This includes
    the development of a quality evaluation instrument, master
    developmental mathematics and English courses for DL, and an online
    peer-review assessment process. Thirty percent of faculty new to
    online teaching and Blackboard will participate in a peer-reviewed
    quality course review process.

As a result, 70 percent of DL students will persist to the next semester
and 46 percent will persist to the next year. In a commitment to the
success of the activity, the college will make significant in-kind and
cash contributions, the college will sustain ongoing expenses after the
grant. The Tri-C Foundation will match the endowment support with
non-federal funds.

**P031A080091 -- Edmonds Community College, Washington**

[MISSION & SERVICE AREA]{.underline}: Edmonds Community College (EdCC)
is a public, two-year institution, governed by a statewide system that
operates under an open-door policy. Edmonds Community College's mission
is "to provide quality opportunities for learning and service responding
to the dynamic needs of our diverse community." Its fifty-acre campus is
located twenty miles north of Seattle amid a densely populated area
characterized as urban concrete sprawl; 76 percent of the service area
population over age 25 does not have a college degree.

[STUDENTS & FACULTY]{.underline}: Edmonds Community College serves over
10,000 students each quarter; 63 percent are part-time; 40 percent are
transfer students and 32 percent professional-technical students; 70
percent are day students; 40 percent are low-income; 60 percent are
women; 40 percent are non-Caucasian; and, the average student age is 30.
There are 149 full-time faculty, and 350 part-time faculty deliver over
half of all instruction. The student-faculty ratio is 23:1.

[PROGRAMS]{.underline}: Edmonds Community College has five academic
divisions: Humanities; Social Sciences; Math/Natural Sciences; Business;
and Health & Human Services. A mix of academic programs is offered which
includes an A.A., A.S., and A.A.S. Transfer in 46 program areas and 42
A.T.A Degrees and 52 Certificates in professional-technical programs.

[INSTITUTIONAL GOALS]{.underline}: The overall institutional goals
related to EdCC's weaknesses/ significant problems are to: a) improve
classroom assessment and instructional effectiveness by developing and
implementing a data-driven comprehensive assessment plan that is
integrated into institutional reporting and strategic planning; b)
improve student tracking, advising and assessment methods by providing
professional development opportunities to full-time and part-time
faculty; and, c) improve institutional efficiency and effectiveness by
providing faculty and administrators with the quantitative tools needed
to determine how students are performing at the course and program level
and evaluate the impact of college activities and programs.

[ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES]{.underline}:

-   100 percent of academic programs will have identified and documented
    outcomes that are reviewed annually;

-   80 percent of programs will have documented evidence of the use of
    assessment strategies and data to improve student learning and
    instructional effectiveness;

-   80 percent of faculty will report that college-wide abilities are
    adequately integrated and assessed in course curriculum;

-   100 percent of full-time faculty will be able to retrieve student
    records electronically; student satisfaction with advising will be
    increased by 10 percent;

-   the percentage of faculty who report improved instructional
    effectiveness using classroom assessment techniques will increase by
    60 percent;

-   90 percent of department chairs and administrators will report
    improved use of data for decision-making and planning;

-   100 percent of Annual Reports submitted by instructional divisions
    to the Board of Trustees will use data-driven goals.

> [BUDGET]{.underline}: 49 percent of the budget will support
> administrative positions and other key personnel; 18 percent will
> support professional development activities; 10 percent will support
> hardware and software; and 20 percent will support an endowment for
> continued sustainability.

**P031A080154 -- Moraine Valley Community College, Illinois**

**Project Abstract**

Moraine Valley Community College, the second largest community college
in Illinois, marked its 40th anniversary of service providing
educational opportunities for the more than 380,000 individuals living
in the twenty-six communities within our college district. Moraine
Valley Community College's service area population includes a third
representing a variety of minorities. Hispanics and African-Americans
represent over 55 percent of minority populations, and one of our
communities, Robbins, is 98 percent minority. The number of minority
residents is predicted to grow 10 percent by the year 2013 (Crains
Chicago Business, 2004).

As a comprehensive, open-door, two-year public community college located
in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Moraine Valley offers transfer
programs, career and technical education programs, developmental
education, Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language, and
Workforce Development and Community Services. For students planning to
transfer to a four-year institution, the college offers four associate
degrees: Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), Associate of
Fine Arts (AFA), Associate of Arts Teaching (AAT). For students who seek
employment after graduation from Moraine Valley, the college offers an
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in 27 career programs. In addition,
the college offers 74 technical and career certificates.

Moraine Valley is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and governed by an
elected Board of Trustees.

In fall 2007, headcount enrollment of 15,859 was made up of
African-American -- 9.2 percent, Hispanic -- 13.7 percent, Foreign --
1.8 percent, Asian - .2 percent, and White -- 72.6 percent. The 171 full
time teaching faculty taught 42 percent of the credit hours offered and
the 607 part time faculty taught 58 percent. Faculty to student ratio
was: 26 to 1.

**Activity:** Strengthening Student Success: Intervention Strategies to
Increase At-Risk Student Success. One component: \$2,000,000 over five
years.

High failure and attrition rates are the result of assessment/advising,
academic support and fiscal deficiencies, including ineffective
assessment and course placement, insufficient academic advising,
outdated academic progress mechanisms, and a low capacity information
system.

The proposed activity develops effective comprehensive assessment,
advisement and developmental education strategies supported by new
Student Information System capacities. Improved student success and
retention will increase enrollment-based revenues to fund the ongoing
incorporation of new practices and improvements into MVCC operations.

**Project Management/Evaluation:** Personnel will be hired to
administer, assess and ensure effective project implementation and
compliance with Title III regulations.

**P031A080188 -- Fort Lewis College, Colorado**

**Institutional Features:** Fort Lewis College (FLC), located in
Durango, Colorado, plays a historic role as an undergraduate, public,
four-year liberal arts college with a historic commitment to educate
Native American students "free of tuition and on an equality with white
students" in perpetuity. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of
the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and governed by a
nine-member Board of Trustees, FLC offers 96 majors, minors,
certificates, and special academic programs, with an average class size
of 19. The college is located within the culturally and environmentally
unique Four Corners region of the southwestern United States, a sparsely
settled region of small towns, high plains desert, and the only two
tribal reservations in the state. Here, three of the top five industries
are in decline; average pay is 24.1 percent lower than the state
average; median housing prices are 187 percent of the state's, and the
Consumer Price Index for goods and services is 114.

**Student and Faculty Characteristics** (see chart): Students come to
FLC for a 21^st^ century liberal arts education at an affordable price.
The faculty at FLC is comprised of highly motivated professionals for
whom student success is the highest priority.

**Significant Problems:** Fort Lewis College has identified low math
success as the greatest obstacle to our ability to deliver high quality
liberal arts education and our highest priority is improving academic
programs to increase student retention and success. Student success in
mathematics at every level and mathematical skills across the curriculum
are too low, inhibiting retention, matriculation in high-demand STEM
programs, and ultimately graduation. However, changes in revenue streams
have limited our ability to address obstacles to student success and
ensure long-term fiscal stability.

**Proposed Solution: Mathematical Foundations and STEM Success**

Mathematics curriculum redesign and learning support will address
identified problems of student math failure and attrition by: (a)
infusing program courses with best practices, effective instructional
technology, and culturally-appropriate strategies; (b) revising and
improving placement procedures; (c) developing course- and
level-specific academic support services; and (d) embedding evaluation
into each activity element. In addition, faculty in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics will engage in professional development,
and the faculties will collaborate to increase the mathematical rigor in
key science, technology, and engineering courses. The Fort Lewis College
Foundation has pledged to raise \$303,000 to match federal funds for the
Endowment option.

**P031A080176 -- Greenville Technical College, South Carolina**

Greenville Technical College (GTC), located in Greenville, South
Carolina, is a public, two-year, comprehensive community college with a
headcount enrollment of 15,070 students. The college's state-designated
service area is Greenville County with a population of 417,000 persons.
Greenville Technical College offers certificates, diplomas, and
associate degrees in 174 technical programs ranging from allied health
to industrial and engineering technologies to culinary arts technology
to computer science technology to business management technology. The
liberal arts transfer option offers an associate degree in arts or
science. Characteristics of the student population: 69 percent
Caucasian, 22 percent African-American, three percent Hispanic, and four
percent other. Females comprise 60 percent of GTC's student enrollment
and part-time students represent 61 percent. The average age of a GTC
student is 28 years. Greenville Technical College's faculty is comprised
of 729 members with 61 percent who teach part-time. The faculty to
student ratio is 1:20.

While GTC is proud of its growing enrollment, at the same time, the
percentage of new students under-prepared for college studies is
increasing. Moreover, the percentage of students failing in
developmental studies courses and leaving the college is increasing.
Through two interlocking components, the activity will address one of
six college strategic goals: improve student learning and experience
through exemplary student support services and teaching/learning
environments.

**Component I** will **reform** the developmental studies curricula and
instruction through a whole course design approach incorporating five
design principles: extending time on task; learning outcomes assessment;
critical thinking; problem-solving and active learning within a
multi-mediated environment including learning communities. **Component
II** will **restructure** student support services by extending
classroom instruction into a comprehensive Learning Commons for
additional time on assignments as well as offer independent and group
study areas. The functionality of Datatel, the college's student
information system, will be enhanced to provide an intervention system
comprised of three new modules: early alerts to at-risk students;
comprehensive e-portfolio capability to serve as an electronic
transcript for students and assessment tool for faculty; and
comprehensive monitoring/tracking of students from registration to
enrollment to graduation. Undergirding both components will be a
comprehensive professional development program comprised of an annual
on-campus faculty institute, faculty-led learning circles, conference
participation, and online resources.

As a result of the Title III funds, the college will realize a 10
percent increase in students who earn a letter grade of C or better in
developmental courses and subsequent general education entry-level
college-credit courses; a 10 percent increase in persistence from
semester to semester; and a 10 percent increase in retention from fall
to fall semesters. These institutional outcomes are directly related to
Title III and Government Performance Review Act (GPRA) priorities.

The total cost of the Title III project over the five years is
\$1,941,497: Personnel and Fringes, 63.1 percent; Travel, 3.0 percent;
Equipment,13.6 percent; Supplies,2.0 percent; Contractual, 6.0 percent;
Other,12.3 percent. Major personnel costs include a
Curriculum/Instructional Designer, a Learning Commons Coordinator, and a
Data Support Specialist.

**P031A080210 -- Hazard Community & Technical College, Kentucky**

The eight-county region served by Hazard Community & Technical College
(HCTC) lies in a rugged mountainous area in the heart of the Appalachian
region in eastern Kentucky, where nearly one-third of the residents live
at the poverty level (compared with 13 percent nationally) and
educational attainments are also among the lowest in the United States,
with only 8.6 percent of the residents having earned a bachelor's degree
or higher, compared with 24.4 percent nationally (Census, 2000 and
Census, Small Area Estimates, 2005).

Reflecting the service region, HCTC, a public, two-year college, serves
a rural, isolated student populated, eager for a chance at a better
life, but highly vulnerable to college failure. To counter, HCTC will
strengthen its support services to include: (1) initiation of new
retention strategies, with emphasis on career/transfer planning;
![](media/image3.png){width="2.7493055555555554in"
height="3.0506944444444444in"}

\(2\) introduction of "one-stop" service centers at the

main campus in Perry County and a satellite campus

in Breathitt County; and (3) employment of new

Web-based technologies and "real-time"

communications throughout the service region so

that students can obtain the help and the support

services they need regardless of their location or

circumstances.

The adjacent map shows the proposed service

centers (Breathitt and Perry Counties) and locations

where students will be able to access new online

support services (five campus sites and four adult

education centers), through the proposed project.

The proposed strategies will increase retention of

> HCTC Students by at least seven percentage points, increase
>
> graduation rates by at least five percentage points, significantly
> improve "best practices" in support services, and transform online
> support services and supporting technologies at HCTC. (Total funds
> requested: \$1,971,642, including 20 percent for Endowment, over five
> years.)
>
> This project is designed to serve a student population that is
> isolated and especially at risk for college failure. As the
> accompanying table indicates, 86 percent of the students are
> under-prepared for college study, based on basic skills assessments;
> 85 percent are first-generation college students; and 89 percent are
> low-income.

**P031A080071 -- Hilbert College, New York**

+-------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| **Hilbert   |                                                        |
| College -   |                                                        |
| In          |                                                        |
| stitutional |                                                        |
| Profile**   |                                                        |
+-------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| **Level &   | four-year (since 1992), private non-profit college     |
| Control**   | with an open access mission                            |
+-------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| **Student   | **[Race/ethnicity]{.underline}**: 93% White; 2%        |
| Body**      | Hispanic; 1% Native American;                          |
|             |                                                        |
| 1,064       | 3% African-American; 1% Unknown                        |
| students    |                                                        |
| (headcount) | **[Gender]{.underline}**: 37% male; 63% female;        |
|             | [Largest age group]{.underline}: 18-19= 298            |
+-------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| **Faculty** | Full-time: 48; Part-time: 55; Faculty to Student       |
|             | Ratio: 1:14                                            |
+-------------+--------------------------------------------------------+

**Activity:** **[Developing Institutional Capacity to Improve Success
and Degree Completion of Under-prepared, At-risk Students]{.underline}
--** proposed as a comprehensive, integrated strategy to strengthen
Hilbert College at a critical juncture. The college must strengthen its
liberal arts core and improve student outcomes of its under-prepared
students who critically need to complete a college degree. The
overarching objective of this activity is to address weaknesses in the
freshman year environment necessary to improve the academic success and
degree completion of Hilbert's students which threaten academic quality,
management and fiscal stability through one well-planned, evidence-based
strategy. **Developing an effective First Year Experience (FYE**) will
include: mandatory pre-enrollment testing; an intense Summer Bridge and
customized Learning Community program for students who are most
under-prepared for college; a strengthened basic skills program linked
and integrated with other first-year curricula; a strong faculty
advising/mentoring program which ensures that each Hilbert student
develops and follows an individualized learning plan to achieve the
liberal learning expectations of Hilbert College; and developing the
capability of Hilbert faculty and student support professionals in
pedagogy and methods now known to be most effective in improving
outcomes with under-prepared, at-risk students\--the typical student who
enrolls at Hilbert College.

**Rigorous evaluation plan with best practice research design.** Based
on the highly-regarded national Center for First-Year Experience
recommendations, the activity evaluation will provide a thorough
assessment of the impact of Hilbert's FYE program on the academic
success of affected students. The results will provide solid evidence to
inform master planning.

**P031A080063 -- Indiana Institute of Technology, Indiana**

**Activity title: Freshman College: a highly structured and supportive
retention program**

> **for at-risk first-year students**

Indiana Institute of Technology (commonly known as Indiana Tech),
enrolls 3,500 students in 23 locations statewide, including 760 students
on the residential campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana's second largest city.
Offering two-year, four-year, and graduate degrees, it is a private
university governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees. The heart of
Indiana Tech, and the focus of this proposal, is the traditional,
four-year, undergraduate Day School program in Fort Wayne, offering
engineering, business, criminal justice, education, and computer science
degrees.

Indiana Tech holds accreditations from the Higher Learning Commission of
the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology, and the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Indiana Tech proposes to address the facts that: a) too many students
leave during the first two years; b) students express dissatisfaction
with campus services; and c) these factors affect fiscal stability. Key
institutional objectives for the Title III project are to: a) increase
the percentage of students returning for their fifth term; and b)
increase the five-year graduation rate.

These objectives will be achieved by strengthening services for
high-risk students. A key component will be implementation of Freshman
College, a highly structured and supportive student development program
for at-risk first-year students, incorporating intensive advising, a
core group of faculty, developmental courses, and tutorial services.

**P031A080233 -- Lake Tahoe Community College, California**

Since 1975, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC), located on the southern
shore of Lake Tahoe at an altitude of 6,250 feet, has been the sole
provider of postsecondary education for the estimated 30,000 residents
of its 196 square mile alpine service area. With beautiful Lake Tahoe on
the north, Nevada on the east and high mountain passes at south and
west, the community of South Lake Tahoe is isolated from mainstream
California and is over two hours driving time from any other California
institution of higher education. The Tahoe Basin has not experienced the
same economic growth and diversification as the rest of California.
Contributing factors are geographic isolation, severe winter weather,
limited employment opportunities and stringent environmental concerns,
which have virtually stopped commercial and residential development. The
major industries of the service area of LTCC are tourism and
hospitality. The ski slopes of Heavenly Valley rise above the college,
and the Nevada state line, which runs through the center of town has
given rise to a row of famous gambling and entertainment casinos.
Because the local economy is heavily dominated by tourist-oriented
enterprises, seasonal fluctuations in employment are relatively high,
much of the workforce is unskilled, and average pay is only slightly
more than minimum wage. Employment in the lodging and gaming industry
far surpasses any other single industry in the region.

Lake Tahoe Community College is the fifth smallest of the 109 community
colleges in the state, and serves an area considerably larger than its
district. While the district consists mainly of California communities
located along the south shore of Lake Tahoe, in the extreme eastern
portion of El Dorado County its service area extends into the Nevada
side of the Lake Tahoe basin. Lake Tahoe Community College has a "good
neighbor" policy that allows Nevada students to pay a reduced
out-of-state rate. Approximately 10-15 percent of LTCC's students reside
in Nevada.

**Title III Activity:** Improving Institutional Management through
Technology Infrastructure Enhancements and MIS Conversion to Datatel
Colleague*.* This Activity centers on the conversion to and
implementation of Datatel's Higher Education Software (Colleague) and
necessary technical support and training to improve institutional
decision-making, enrollment management, Web-based student services,
staff efficiency and effectiveness, and fiscal stability.

**P031A080162 -- Lamar Community College, Colorado**

**Lamar Community College (LCC),** located in Lamar, Colorado (CO) (on
the historic Santa Fe Trail), has been serving southeastern Colorado
since 1937. It provides the residents of Prowers, Baca, Kiowa, and
Cheyenne counties (population, 20,167) with programs that offer new hope
and options for the future. The college serves approximately 1,500
students annually in an area that is rural, isolated, and sparsely
populated. Once a flourishing agricultural region, the beleaguered
economy is undergoing restructuring through alternative crops,
value-added agri-business (cattle/pork) and development of large
"high-tech" wind farms. Known as the "Emerald of the Plains," the region
will soon have a new "gem," the \$50 million Pierre Auger Observatory.
As the local economy is undergoing a transformation, the college
continues to strive to fulfill its mission to provide **"enriched lives
through learning**" in spite of significant fiscal challenges.

We serve a highly disadvantaged service area\--among the poorest in the
state of Colorado. Nearly 30 percent of area families have an annual
income of less than \$25,000 compared with 14 percent for the state.
This is reflected in the college's student population as over 75 percent
of incoming students qualify for federal need-based financial aid. Lamar
is more than 120 miles from Pueblo, CO, the nearest largest metropolitan
area. Many LCC students must drive an hour and a half each way to attend
LCC. But for many area residents, LCC is the only viable option for
postsecondary education and skill training.

However, decreases in enrollment and in state funding have stretched
LCC's resources to the limit and make it impossible to develop new
programs needed to meet the needs of service area residents and current
students. Yet without new program development, we cannot increase
enrollment, which will generate increased revenue. We are caught in a
"catch 22"and the situation is becoming critical. In order to address
this crisis our faculty, staff and administrators have developed the
following comprehensive activity to address the needs of the college,
our students, and service area:

**[Activity: Strengthening LCC's Academic Quality and Fiscal Stability
by Developing New Academic Programs]{.underline}**.

Funds in the amount of **\$1,994,102** over five years are requested to
fund the development of the following three new degree programs at LCC.

1)  **Associate in Science - Science, Technology, Pre-Engineering, and
    Math (STEM) emphasis (AS).** To prepare students transferring to
    four-year colleges and those entering STEM-related fields with a
    rigorous program rich in math and science.

2)  **Construction Technology (AAS and Certificate Options) -** Prepares
    students for positions in the construction industry by providing a
    strong technical foundation that focuses on all aspects of industry.
    The CBC program emphasizes hands-on facets of industry as well as
    drafting, management skills, and historical preservation.

3)  **Canine Training and Management (AAS)** - Prepares students to
    manage businesses designed to provide canines to the growing service
    and working dog industry to support the disabled and Homeland
    Security.

**P031A080262 -- Lane Community College, Oregon**

**Engaging Students: A Comprehensive, Integrated First-Year Experience
Program**

**Project Overview.** Through Title III, Lane Community College will
estab­lish the Engaging Students (ES) program---a comprehensive,
integrated First-Year Experience Pro­gram for all new students (entering
summer or fall terms) who are enrolled in credit classes and who intend
to earn a degree or transfer to a four-year university. The program
integrates eight research-proven strategies to improve persistence,
graduation, and transfer rates for first-year students. Program
strategies include: (1) positive campus climate; (2) intervention
systems; (3) academic advising; (4) first-year/front-end experiences;
(5) learning communities; (6) supple­mental instruction; (7) active and
collaborative learning strategies; and (8) a student portal to fur­ther
engage students through two-way interactive communication with the
college and faculty and to provide customizable information relevant to
individual students' academic and career needs.

  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------
  Institution Name: **Lane Community  City: **Eugene (Oregon)**
  College**                           

  **Geography Served**:               
  Western-Central Oregon (Lane        
  County, Oregon)                     

  **Purpose/Mission**: Lane is a      
  learning-centered community college 
  that provides affordable, quality,  
  lifelong educational opportunities  
  that include: (1) professional      
  technical and lower division        
  college transfer programs; (2)      
  employee skill upgrading, business  
  development and career enhancement, 
  (3) foundational academic, language 
  and life skills development, (4)    
  lifelong personal development and   
  enrichment, and (5) cultural and    
  community services.                 

  **Grant Purpose**: To improve       
  retention and quality of services   
  for all first-year students through 
  an integrated, first-year           
  experience program.                 

  **Public/Private**: Public          **Affiliation**: n/a

  **Level**: Two-year community       
  college in the Oregon Community     
  College System                      

  **Primary Service Populations**:    
  (1) four-year transfer students;    
  (2) career technical students; (3)  
  dislocated workers; (4) adults      
  returning to school/work.           

  **Programs of Study**: (1)          
  traditional academic transfer       
  programs (e.g., science, social     
  services); (2) professional         
  technical; (3) career- and          
  enrichment-related noncredit        
  programs; (4) customized employee   
  training.                           
  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Student Characteristics (2006-07)**

  **Enrollment: Credit**: 17,140 (headcount); 8,592.1 FTE. **Total**
  (with noncredit)**:** 35,666

  **Gender: Male**: 4,200 (43.7%); **Female**: 5,415 (56.3%) **(116
  unknown)**

  **[Demographics]{.underline}: Credit:** African-American -- 158 (2.0%);
  Asian -- 240 (3.1%); Caucasian --6,683 (86.4%); Hispanic -- 437 (5.6%);
  Native American -- 221 (2.9%); Un­known -- 1,878 (% not coun­ted).
  **Noncredit:** African-American -- 75 (1.6%); Asian -- 131 (2.8%);
  Caucasian -- 3,773 (80.5%); Hispanic -- 625 (13.3%); Native American --
  81 (1.7%); Unknown -- 4,328 (% not coun­ted)

  **[Age]{.underline}: [Credit]{.underline}: 16-17** - 2,253 (14%);
  **18-21 -** 5,236 (33%); **22-25 -** 2,707 (17%); **26-30 -** 1,850
  (12%); **31-40 -** 1,771 (11%); **41-50 -** 1,102 (7%); **51-55 -** 428
  (3%); **56-64 -** 322(2%); **65+ -** 53 (0.3%).
  **[Noncredit]{.underline}: 16-17 -** 428 (2%); **18-21 -** 1,037 (7%);
  **22-25 -** 1,643 (9%); **26-30 -** 2,052 (11%); **31-40 -** 3,324
  (18%); **41-50 -** 3,506 (19%); **51-55 -** 2,029 (11%); **56-64 -**
  2,375 (13%); **65+ -** 1,585 (9%). **Average age:** Credit -- 26.8;
  Noncredit -- 48.2; Overall -- 34.3.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Faculty Characteristics**

  **Full-time**: 251**; Part-time/adjunct**: 302**; Student-to-Faculty
  Ratio**: 26.9:1
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

**P031A080177 -- Maysville Community and Technical College, Kentucky**

Maysville Community and Technical College (MCTC), located in central
Appalachia in northeastern Kentucky is the only open door,
comprehensive, public two-year college in a service region encompassing
17 counties in Kentucky and two counties in Ohio. Maysville Community
and Technical College serves more the 3,600 unduplicated students
annually through its main campus in Maysville, the Rowan Campus in
Morehead, the Licking Valley campus in Cynthiana, a new extension site
in Paris, and numerous outreach sites. Within the service area, 22
percent of individuals live in poverty, less than 12 percent of adults
have a bachelor's degree; and more than 33 percent have not completed
high school. Eleven counties within the service area are classified as
economically at-risk based on poverty, unemployment and per capita
income (Appalachian Regional Council, 2007).

Maysville Community and Technical College's students are time and place
bound, (77 percent are working; 55 percent w/children). For these
students, distance delivery courses are not just a preference, they are
a necessity and as evidence of this great need, MCTC's enrollment in
courses delivered by distance education has skyrocketed in recent years.
But despite our best efforts, limited resources have prevented MCTC from
expanding course offerings via distance education in
high-demand/high-need disciplines, and student services for distance
education students are severely lacking. Our faculty do not have the
proper training for effective delivery of online, interactive
television, or hybrid courses and our infrastructure is severely taxed.

Thus, we submit this Title III proposal with a single activity for the
purpose of Increasing Access and Improving Instructional Quality through
Distance Education. We request a total of \$1,992,841 over five years
to: 1) covert traditionally delivered courses to online, hybrid, and
Interactive Television (ITV) delivery; 2) enhance learning inclusive of
ITV classrooms and computer labs at access points, faculty studios for
course development, and expanded server capacity to accommodate
increased volume of distance education users; and 3) develop online
academic support service including orientation, tutoring, advising, and
basic skills support.

Ongoing formative and summative evaluation processes have been
integrated in the design of this activity in order to assess project
progress toward benchmarks in stated objectives and against defined
baseline statistics. Data and information gathered through the
evaluation and analysis process will be used to modify the proposed
project (within federal guidelines) so as to maximize the project
success and positive impact of proposed strategies on improved MCTC
student success, successful course completion and persistence.

**P031A080182 -- Merritt College, California**

**[Overview of Title III Activity and Institutional
Overview]{.underline}**

Merritt College, located in Oakland, California, is seeking \$1,897,314
from the Department of Education's Strengthening Institution's Program
to improve educational outcomes for Merritt students by strengthening
and integrating its academic programs and student services. The proposed
Title III Activity, Strengthening Pathways, Systems, and Services to
Maximize Student Success, consists of three interrelated components: 1)
curriculum and instruction; 2) faculty and staff development; and 3)
support services for students. The project will focus on improving
academic performance indicators in four key areas: retention, drop-rate,
course completion, and transfer, and will align and link support
services to 35 core pre-collegiate and entry-level collegiate courses.
The ultimate goal is to transform the way in which both instruction and
support services for students increase student success at Merritt.

**[Institutional Level]{.underline}:** Two-year comprehensive community
college

**[Control/Affiliation:]{.underline}** One of four public colleges in
the Peralta Community College District

**[Primary Service Population]{.underline}:** Merritt serves students
from six cities in Alameda County\--Alameda, Albany, Berkeley,
Emeryville, Oakland, and Piedmont

**[Programs of Study]{.underline}:** Offers transfer, technical,
vocational, and basic skills education

**[Head Count/FTES (Fall 2007)]{.underline}:** 7,409 (FTES = 1,949)

**[Race/Ethnicity]{.underline}:** African-American 35 percent; Asian 15
percent, Filipino two percent, Hispanic/Latino 16 percent, Other two
percent, Native American one percent, Unknown seven percent, White 21
percent

**[Age]{.underline}:** Average age of students is 33.
**[Gender]{.underline}:** M 2,253-30 percent, F 5,104-85 percent

**[Faculty Number]{.underline}:** 284 total faculty (94 FTE; 190 PTE);

**[Faculty-to-Student Ratio]{.underline}:** 1:27

**P031A080057 -- Middlesex Community College, Massachusetts**

#### Strategies for Success: Increasing Achievement, Persistence, Retention and Engagement

Middlesex Community College, with campuses in urban Lowell and suburban
Bedford, MA, is a comprehensive, two-year, publicly supported community
college founded in 1971. It draws its students from 30 communities
northeast of Boston and offers the Associate in Arts in 12 programs, the
Associate in Science in 42 programs, and certificates in 29 programs.
Fall 2005 full-time equivalent enrollment was 4,854; 60 percent female
and 40 percent male. A total of 26 percent of the students are persons
of color with an ethnic breakdown that includes: Latino (10 percent);
Asian, (10 percent); and Black (six percent). Many students (74 percent)
are 29 years of age or younger. In fall 2005, there were 486 faculty:
123 full-time and 363 part-time and a faculty-to-student ratio of 1:19
based on a five-course workload.

# One Activity: Strategies for Success

To address the key academic problem of student attrition, faculty and
staff designed a single Title III Activity focusing on Reformed
Curriculum and Comprehensive Advising. The project aligns with Title III
and GPRA priorities. Reformed Curriculum involves the design of
developmental and college gateway courses and learning communities
embedded with core student success skills related to critical thinking,
communication, collaboration, organization, and self-assessment.
Comprehensive advising involves the design of integrated advising
services to include identification of academic and career goals,
creation of realistic educational plans, and continuous tracking and
intervention with an emphasis on the core student success skills. The
curriculum and advising components will be implemented in four groups of
programs that encompass all majors. Key measures are:

-   Design of 45 developmental and college gateway courses and learning
    communities with embedded core student success skills;

-   Development of four complementary comprehensive advising programs;

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-   Increase of 15 percent in first-time full- and part-time student
    achievement;

-   Increase of 17 percent in first-time full- and part-time student
    persistence;

-   Increase of 12 percent in first-time full- and part-time student
    retention; and

-   Increase of 45 percent in first-time full- and part-time student
    engagement, as measured by the Community College Survey of Student
    Engagement (CCSE).

An intensive evaluation plan ensures continuous quality improvement to
support the achievement of intended impact with a federal investment of
\$1,937,148 over the five years of project implementation: Personnel and
fringe (60 percent), travel (three percent), supplies (seven percent),
contractual (17 percent) and other (10 percent), endowment (three
percent) is matched by the institution in year five.

**P031A080005 -- Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical,
Minnesota**

**Strengthening the Capacity of Minnesota State College-Southeast
Technical**

**by the Development of an Additional Program and Four Certificates in
the Nursing/Allied Health Sciences Department**

**Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical (SETC**), founded in 1949,
is a public two-year technical college with two campuses (Winona and Red
Wing, Minnesota). It is one of the thirty-three institutions within the
Minnesota State Colleges and University System (MnSCU). The total
student enrollment (full-time and part-time) for fall semester 2005 was
1,993. Of this total 138 were minority students. From 2001-2006
enrollment increased by 500 full-time students and 27,343 credits or
1,578 full year equivalent credits, were earned. Of those students
seeking degrees in the fall of 2005, 64 percent (592) were retained or
graduated by fall of 2006 compared with 58 percent for all MnSCU
colleges during that same period. Fifty-two percent of students (Fall
2005) received financial aid; three percent received Aid to Families
with Dependent Children (AFDC); and 28 percent were first generation
college students. Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical's primary
service region encompasses southeast Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and
northern Iowa along a corridor stretching from Minneapolis/St. Paul to
Decorah, Iowa. Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical is accredited
by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central
Association. The SETC operating budget for 2005-2006 was \$13,571,470.

**Activity:** To develop, implement, and sustain a two-year degree
program in Radiography with certificates for technicians in pharmacy,
phlebotomy, ultrasound, and mammography. This project, which focuses on
the \"Development of Academic Programs," has an annual budget of
\$395,000 for a total of \$1,975,000 over five years.

[Invitational Priority]{.underline}: The design, activities, and focus
of this proposal meets the invitational priority of providing academic
programs that are designed to improve and enhance opportunities for
low-income students in the workforce and meet local workforce needs.

**Key Project Objectives:**

\(1\) To develop, maintain, and sustain a MnSCU-Office of the Chancellor
state approved two-year degree in Radiography (Years 1-5); (2) To
develop, maintain, and sustain MnSCU-Office of the Chancellor state
approved technician certificate programs in pharmacy, phlebotomy,
ultrasound, and mammography (Years 2-5); (3) To develop, implement, and
sustain strategies in classroom and laboratories to support students who
are under-prepared in math, reading, and science entering the
Radiography degree program and technician certificate programs in
pharmacy, phlebotomy, ultrasound, and mammography (Years 1-5); (4) To
develop, implement, and sustain strategies and tools to measure, assess,
and predict student retention in the Radiography degree program and
technician certificate programs in pharmacy, phlebotomy, ultrasound, and
mammography (Years 1-5); and (5) To develop, implement, and sustain
strategies for placement in internships and jobs for which students are
trained in the Project's expanded Allied Health Sciences areas (Years
1-5).

**P031A080116 -- Missouri State University, Missouri**

**[Description of the Two Institutions forming the Cooperative
Project:]{.underline}** Missouri State University-Springfield (lead
institution and main campus of university) and Missouri State
University-West Plains (partner institution and independent two-year
branch campus). The Springfield campus and the West Plains campus of
Missouri State University are separately accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission-North Central Association of College and Secondary
Schools; the West Plains campus qualifies as an independent branch
campus under federal guidelines.

Missouri State University (MSU) is a public, comprehensive university
system founded in 1905. The main campus of the university is located in
Springfield, the third largest population center in Missouri with a
metropolitan statistical area population of approximately 385,000.

  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------
  **Institutional Characteristics     
  2007-08**                           

  **Springfield Campus**              **West Plains Campus**

  **Headcount**: 16,255               **Headcount**: 1,757
  undergraduate; 3,093 graduate       

  **Student Age**: 14% 25 and over;   **Student Age**: 31% 25 and over;
  86% 24 and under (undergraduate)    69% 24 and under.

  **Gender:** 56% Female, 44% Male    **Gender:** 62% Female, 38% Male
  (undergraduate)                     

  **Ethnicity:** White 88%; Black 3%; **Ethnicity:** White 94%; Black 1%;
  Hispanic less than 2%;              Hispanic 1%; Asian/Pacific Islander
  Asian/Pacific Islander 2%; Native   0%; Other 4%.
  American less than 1%; Non-Resident 
  Alien 2%; Race/Ethnicity Unknown    
  4%. (undergraduate)                 

  **Faculty Characteristics:** 718    **Faculty Characteristics:** 30
  Full-time faculty, 42% Female, 63%  Full-time faculty, 53% female, 47%
  Male                                male

  **Faculty Ethnicity:** 89% white,   **Faculty Ethnicity:** 93% white,
  11% minority                        7% minority
  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

West Plains is located 110 miles southeast of Springfield. This city of
nearly 11,000, located in the Ozarks heritage region of the state,
serves as a regional hub for a seven-county area of south central
Missouri and several adjacent counties in north central Arkansas.
Established in 1971, the West Plains campus is an open admission
institution offering one-year certificates, two-year associate degrees,
and continuing education courses. The campus is integral to the
successful implementation of the overall system mission, serves as a
major feeder for the Springfield campus, and provides a site for the
Springfield campus to offer upper-level and graduate programs.

This cooperative project will improve business workflows through
implementation of electronic document storage and management, develop an
Operational Data Store/Enterprise Data Warehouse, improve communication
with stakeholders through implementation of a web portal, enhance
information security, and train faculty and staff to effectively use
these new resources.

**P031A080068 -- Mitchell College, Connecticut**

Mitchell College is a private, not-for-profit, non-affiliated four-year
liberal arts college located in New London, CT. It was founded in 1938
as New London Junior College, and renamed in 1951 as Mitchell College.
It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
and began offering baccalaureate degrees in addition to associate
degrees in 1998. There are fourteen bachelor degree programs and seven
associate degree programs. In fall 2007, 589 full-time students were
enrolled in bachelor degree programs and 38 were enrolled part-time;
additionally, 73 percent of the incoming class enrolled in baccalaureate
programs. In fall 2007, there were 162 full-time students enrolled in
associate degree programs and 19 enrolled part-time. There were also 54
non-matriculated students. The headcount total for both baccalaureate
and associate degree students is 846. Of those enrolled, 50 percent are
female and 25 percent are minority students. In addition, approximately
26 percent are first-generation and 93 percent are traditional age
college students. Ethnic diversity among full-time students includes:
four Asian; 92 Black; 67 Hispanic; 18 Native American; 33 Other/or no
listing; five Non-resident Alien and 532 White. There are 31 full-time
and 42 adjunct faculty members; the faculty to student ratio is 1:14.

**Mitchell College is seeking Title III funds to:**

-   Implement ability-based education and learner-centered assessment to
    effectively support student learning and future employment;

-   Implement a comprehensive program to integrate first-year students
    into the college community;

-   Implement academic and career advising strategies to support
    students' ability to succeed in a changing economy;

-   Implement a college-wide institutional research program to increase
    effectiveness; and

-   Increase endowment to support need-based student scholarships.

Key measures of success will include increasing graduation rates by 15
percent, increasing fall-to-fall retention by 15 percent, decreasing the
percentage of freshmen with low GPAs (below 2.0) by 20 percent, and
increasing academic departments with assessed learning outcomes to 100
percent.

**P031A080013 --** Mohave Community College**, Arizona**

###### 

###### Mohave Community College (MCC) is a public, two-year degree-granting comprehensive community college that serves the residents of rural Mohave County in southwestern Arizona. The MCC district operates campuses in Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City and Colorado City. MCC was founded in 1973 and has a current operating budget of \$36,150,562. Enrollment is 3,402 full-time equivalent (5,474 headcount) in fall 2007. 

This grant proposes to improve student success at MCC with a focus on
high risk, low income and first generation students. The project is one
integrated activity, Providing Improved Instruction and Support for High
Risk Students, involving instruction, student services and learning
support services. Most of our students enter college lacking the basic
skills proficiencies needed for college level courses. In addition,
these entering students frequently lack the knowledge or demonstrate the
behaviors often needed for college success. They require
remedial/developmental courses to strengthen their reading, writing and
mathematics so critical for their success. Retention and success in
these beginning courses become pathways to access and success in
subsequent college courses and in reaching their career goals.

We propose to develop alternative curriculum pathways, which recognize
the diversity of our student learners by training faculty and staff to
alternative teaching methodologies. In this regard, we plan to use
research in identifying possible strategies, training faculty to use
appropriate methods, and carefully and rigorously evaluate the success
of out efforts. In addition, we propose working with local high schools
to address articulation of standards and improvements in the preparation
of students before they enroll in college. In seeking to achieve our
goals, we also propose a comprehensive and well-coordinated effort
between instruction and student support services to provide supplemental
assistance to these targeted students including additional career
counseling, tutoring/supplemental instruction, special courses and
workshops, and increased access to financial aid. We expect to
significantly increase the success outcomes of our students in terms of
learning, retention, graduation and transfer. Details of these outcomes
and the comprehensive evaluation process that will be used are provided
in appropriate charts herein. 86 percent of the budget costs are for
salaries and benefits; three percent is for supplies, et al; two percent
is for faculty/staff travel to exemplary programs and conferences; nine
percent is for consultation including external evaluation.

**P031A0800161 -- Nashville State Technical Community College,
Tennessee**

Nashville State Technical Community College (NSCC) is a public, two-year
institution in metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee. There are four
additional centers/sites to serve the diverse urban and rural
populations in the surrounding areas. Nashville State Technical
Community College offers lower-division college transfer programs;
professional/technical programs; and adult, community and developmental
education. In 2006-2007, NSCC enrolled over 7,077 students. The
operating budget for fiscal years 2007-2008 is \$43,251,100.

**Activity: \$1,370,826 over five years:** **Implementing** **Strategies
for Retention**

**Primary Goal: To improve student retention through a comprehensive
plan to strengthen student services, provide faculty training for
advising, and improve the quality of Web-based instruction to address
course attrition rates.**

**Academic Goals:**

1.  To increase the quality and delivery of student services and
    advising methods to improve overall fall-to-fall retention rates of
    students; and

2.  To improve the quality and methods of Web-based curriculum to
    increase course retention.

**Significant Problem:** Nashville State Technical Community College
ranks in the lowest percentile of college averages in retention in the
Tennessee Board of Regents system (NSCC also ranks below the National
Average).

**Key Measures:**

1.  By September 30, 2009 increase fall-to-fall retention rates of
    developmental first-time freshmen by two percent (10 percent over
    the life of the grant).

2.  By September 30, 2009 increase fall-to-fall retention rates of
    non-traditional first-time freshmen by two percent (10 percent over
    the life of the grant).

3.  By September 30, 2009 increase fall-to-fall retention rates of
    economically challenged first-time freshmen by two percent (10
    percent over the life of the grant).

**Project Management:**

Approximately \$198,000.00 (plus benefits) will support a full-time
equivalent Title III Project Director. Also, \$40,000 (plus travel
expenses) will be paid from Title III funds for the evaluator. Nashville
State Technical Community College Title III will operate in accordance
with all General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) and Government
Performance Results Act **(**GPRA**)** requirements to ensure program
objectives are met for diverse participant groups.

**P031A0800062 -- National Park Community College, Arkansas**

National Park Community College (NPCC), a public two-year college in Hot
Springs, Arkansas, proposes a project with the purpose of strengthening
its fiscal stability by developing new programs to increase
enrollment-related revenues. Fall 2007 enrollment was 2,529 (down 7.3
percent over the last five years). Students are typically low-income,
with 42 percent receiving Pell grants and 75 percent needing to work at
least part time. National Park Community College cannot rely on tuition
increases because of area poverty, and state funding is inadequate for
anything beyond maintaining the status quo.

The college's service area, comprising Garland, Pike, and Montgomery
Counties, has a population of 108,616 (2000 Census), is largely rural,
with most of the population centered in Hot Springs. Per capita income
is well below the U.S. average, and the percentage of persons living in
poverty is correspondingly higher. Educational levels are also far below
the national average (24.4 percent with bachelor's or higher), dropping
from 18 percent in Garland County all the way down to just 8.8 percent
in Montgomery County. With manufacturing employment declining by 19
percent since 2000 (Arkansas Economy at a Glance, 2008), people are
looking for new job possibilities. We need to take advantage of this
situation by providing access to education for new careers, thus
increasing our enrollment and related income while meeting community
needs.

Health-related careers are especially attractive to potential students
because of Hot Springs' status as a regional medical center, with four
hospitals and a rehab center that draws patients from across the state.
In addition, the state's four largest hospitals are located just 53
miles up the freeway in Little Rock. A growing retirement community in
the Hot Springs area, along with overall aging of the population, also
places many demands on the health care system. The existing NPCC
Registered Nurse and Practical Nurse programs will be revised to address
an increasing emphasis on gerontology and to allow online delivery of
three courses to expand opportunities for time- and place-bound
students. In addition, both RN and LPN program capacity will be
increased to address growing demand for graduates, and access to
up-to-date equipment and simulation technologies will better prepare
students for clinical practice.

New Certified Nursing Assistant, Respiratory Therapy, and Pharmacy
Technician programs will be developed and piloted. The 1-semester CNA
program will provide the first step on a nursing career pathway, and
Pharmacy Technician will also be developed with career ladder steps at
the Certificate of Proficiency (1 semester), Technical Certificate (2
semester), and Associate of Applied Science levels. To meet licensure
requirements, the Respiratory Therapy program will be at the Associate
degree level.

Enrollment revenues from expansion of nursing and introduction of new
programs will allow these programs to become self-sustaining and will
promote the college's fiscal stability.

**P031A0800017 -- Neumann College, Pennsylvania**

Neumann College is a private, four-year college near Philadelphia that
enrolls approximately 3,100 students (headcount) in 18 majors, with the
largest enrollments in nursing and education. More than two-thirds of
Neumann students are from groups at a high risk of not completing their
degrees--including minority (17 percent), first-generation
(approximately 50 percent) and low-income students (approximately 40
percent). In addition, incoming freshmen increasingly require
developmental coursework because they are not academically prepared to
succeed at the college level.

Based on a thorough analysis of its strengths, weaknesses and problems,
the college is requesting Title III funding to: 1) establish a Walk-In
Advising Center dedicated to improving the quality of advising on a
college-wide scale, and redesign the Freshman Seminar to better support
effective advising, and 2) establish a Centralized Developmental
Education program that is supported by learning communities,
supplemental instruction, instructional technology and faculty
development.

Key measures of success will include increasing four-year graduation
rates by five percent, increasing student satisfaction with advising by
20 percent, increasing students accepted into majors by the end of their
sophomore year by 20 percent, increasing student participation in
co-curricular activities by 20 percent, increasing fall-to-fall
retention of first-time full-time freshmen with developmental needs by
five percent, and increasing course completion rates of developmental
students in gateway credit courses by 10 percent.

**P031A080144 -- New River Community and Technical College, West
Virginia**

New River Community and Technical College is a developing, two-year,
public institution. It was founded in 2003 when the West Virginia
Legislature desired to better address workforce needs and to increase
access to higher education in this state that is characterized by high
unemployment and low educational attainment. The creation of New River
was accomplished by combining the associate degrees and technical
programs of two existing four-year colleges (Bluefield State and
Glenville State) to form the new two-year institution.

Nestled in the midst of Appalachia, New River operates five campuses to
serve its rurally isolated, low-income population spread across a
nine-county, 5,700 square mile district. As a public, comprehensive,
open door college, New River is the only educational provider for most
of this service area and is the only accessible option for the entire
service area. The college offers a diversified curriculum that includes
an associate of arts degree in liberal studies, associate of science
degrees in 14 areas, associate of applied science or associate of
applied science/technical study degrees in 11 areas, and seven
vocational certificate programs.

##### Student Body Characteristics

New River's student body demographics mirror those of the service area
-- largely white and impoverished residents of rural Appalachia.

**Faculty Characteristics**

New River is fortunate to have a dedicated, experienced faculty, most of
who were drawn from one of the parent institutions when New River was
formed.

  ------------------- ----------- -------------------------------- -------
  **Faculty                                                        
  Characteristics,                                                 
  Fall 2007**                                                      

  Full-Time           34          Total Faculty                    171

  Part-Time           137         Faculty: Student Ratio           1:13
  ------------------- ----------- -------------------------------- -------

**Activity Title: Developing a Distance Learning System for Rural
Appalachia**

In order to address institutional problems with poorly designed and
ineffectively delivered distance education courses and New River's
inability to provide services to time- and place-bound students,
problems which severely limit student access to the learning
opportunities provided by New River, this project proposes a single,
comprehensive activity: "Developing a Distance Learning System for Rural
Appalachia."

The project calls for an Interactive Video learning network (IVN) with
multiple access points throughout the service area to provide video
classes. In addition, we will expand quality and quantity of IVN and
Internet college courses, provide extensive faculty development
preparing faculty to teach at a distance, and develop basic college
services in an online format so that students can apply for admission,
register for classes, pay their bills and receive advising through the
Internet.

Once this coordinated, comprehensive distance learning system is in
place, more Appalachian students will have access to a quality higher
education.

**P031A080260 -- Northwest Iowa Community College, Iowa**

Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public, two-year
postsecondary institution located in rural northwest Iowa. NCC is the
only public institution of higher learning in its four and-a-half county
service area encompassing the extreme corner of the state -- an area
about twice the size of the state of Rhode Island and serves a
population of 69,290.

Established in 1966 as a pilot of the Iowa Community College system, NCC
is a comprehensive community college offering associate degree transfer
curricula and technical programs. Students can graduate from 46
different programs with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science,
Associate of Applied Science Degree or Diploma. The college is
accredited by the Iowa Department of Education and Higher Learning
Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools (NCA).

According to Iowa Department of Education's [Annual Condition of Iowa
Community Colleges Report 2007]{.underline}:

47 percent of total enrollments are full time students (606). Two
primarily part-time student categories account for the fastest growing
enrollment segments: online (23 percent) and high school (41 percent).
1,288 full and part-time students attend classes through NCC. 56 percent
of students are female. 74 percent of our student body is traditional
aged. 91 percent of the student body lists their ethnicity as Caucasian.
The College's minority population has quadrupled in the last four years.
1:12 is the average faculty/student ratio in face-to-face courses. 1:21
is the average faculty/student ratio in online courses. 42 instructors
are full-time. 93 instructors are considered adjunct faculty.

Activity 1: Strengthening student learning through outcomes assessment,
active learning strategies, and new program development. To improve
student learning through: (1) improving the use of outcomes based
assessment in courses and programs, (2) increasing the use of active
learning strategies and technologies, and (3) expanding student learning
opportunities through the development of model new programs.

**P031A080115 -- Northwest-Shoals Community College, Alabama**

Northwest-Shoals Community College (NW-Shoals) is a comprehensive,
public, two-year community college serving 3,600 credit students at two
main campuses located in the Alabama communities of Muscle Shoals and
Phil Campbell. The expanded service area includes northwest Alabama,
south central Tennessee and northeast Mississippi.

Northwest-Shoals Community College's mission as a state-supported
open-door admissions institution is to provide "*vocational, technical,
academic, and lifelong educational opportunities*" that promote economic
growth and enhance the quality of life for the people of northwest
Alabama. The college is a member of the Alabama College System and is
accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award
associate degrees and certificates. The curriculum includes both
university--parallel programs that prepare students for transfer to a
four-year university and occupational and career programs that lead
directly to employment.

Fall 2007 headcount enrollment was 3,691, and 97 percent of the students
reside in the three-state expanded service area. Eighty-four percent of
entering students must take one or more developmental courses. The
student population is 15 percent minority, reflecting the population of
the service area. Sixty percent of the students are female, the average
age is 23, and 55 percent of students attend full-time.

The faculty consists of 77 full-time and 155 adjunct instructors. Of the
full-time faculty, eight percent hold doctorates; 71 percent hold
Masters and 21 percent hold Bachelors, Associate degrees and/or
specialized training that qualify them to teach in terminal career or
developmental programs. The faculty to student ratio is 1 to 24.

The most critical need of the college is to develop innovative
curriculum and support services to better serve the large number of
underprepared and "at-risk" students, thereby improving student-learning
outcomes in developmental and gatekeeper courses. The proposed activity
will have two components. The first is the development of a
comprehensive "one-stop" Learning Success Center (LSC) located on both
NW-Shoals campuses that includes a comprehensive, flexible student
support system. Engaging students in alternative learning methods that
meet individual student needs will also reduce the high attrition rates
the college is currently experiencing. Support services will include
assessment, placement, intrusive advising, intervention strategies,
instruction, and academic and other flexible support services for
"at-risk" students. [The term "at-risk student" identifies those
students academically underprepared for college-level work]{.underline}.
The second component is a Faculty Development program for faculty who
teach developmental and gatekeeper courses to support and improve
student learning. The outcomes for both components will be improved
student learning as reflected in higher student achievement, course and
program retention and completion, and improved graduation and transfer
rates.

**P031A080115 -- Ohio Dominican University, Ohio**

Ohio Dominican University is a four-year, private, Catholic liberal arts
university founded and sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of
the Springs. Ohio Dominican welcomes to its student body sincere seekers
of truth whatever their age, gender, race, religious background, or
ethnic and cultural heritage. Originally a women's college, Ohio
Dominican became coeducational in 1964 and has served both traditional
and adult students for several decades. In 2002, the Board of Trustees
approved a plan for institutional reorganization and sought and obtained
approval from the Ohio Board of Regents to change to university status.
Ohio Dominican has the highest percentage of minority students among the
many four-year colleges and universities in central Ohio. The enrollment
is approximately 3,100 students, of whom about 700 reside on campus. Of
the undergraduate student body, 25 percent are minority, 60 percent are
female, and 53 percent are between 18 and 23 years of age. Ohio
Dominican has an undergraduate faculty-student ratio of 14.3 to 1, with
68 full-time and 149 part-time faculty.

The university is dealing with graduation and retention rates that do
not match the full potential of the institution. Compared to a sample of
peer institutions, the retention rate for first-year students returning
as sophomores is 10-12 percent below that experienced by the peer
universities. To reverse this situation, faculty, staff, and
administration are requesting a Title III Strengthening Institutions
project, with a single activity focusing on Student Retention
Management. One key component of the project is a Summer Transition
Program that will provide a bridge to the social and academic challenges
of the university for students who are potentially at-risk. Another
component is an Early Warning System, which will alert faculty, staff
and administrators when students are encountering issues that will
affect their success and persistence at the university. The following
objectives will be accomplished through the project:

Objective 1: By August 31, 2013, increase the overall fall freshmen to
fall sophomore retention rate to 67.6 percent;

Objective 2: By August 31, 2013, increase the fall-to-fall retention
rate for African-American students to 57 percent; and

Objective 3: By August 15, 2013, increase the number of at-risk entering
freshmen who complete an Early Transition Program to 60 students per
year.

Approximately \$1,750,000 is requested over a five-year period (October
2008 through September 2013) to initiate these activities. The largest
portion of these costs is the salaries and fringe benefits for staffing
including a half-time Title III Coordinator/Activity Director, a
Database Analyst to assist with development of the Early Warning System,
a full-time Student Success Specialist to help the Summer Transition
Program, and a full-time Academic Resource Center Specialist to
coordinate ongoing academic support services for students at risk. An
additional \$250,000 will be placed in Ohio Dominican University's
endowment fund, and these Title III funds will be matched by other funds
raised by the University.

**P031A080127 -- Onondaga Community College, New York**

Onondaga Community College (OCC), in Syracuse, NY, is a two-year, public
community college, located in central New York, serving a five-county
region devastated by a severe loss in manufacturing jobs over the last
two decades. Syracuse was recently named one of the "weakest cities in
the United States", based on such factors as population loss and median
income (Brookings Institution, 2007). Serving a region now struggling to
convert to an information-based economy, OCC has grown to an enrollment
of nearly 11,000 students, with an increasingly at-risk student
population: eighty-one percent of the first-time students receive
financial aid; two-thirds are first-generation college students;
fifty-two percent work twenty hours or more per week; and fall-to-fall
retention rates for full-time students have declined by ten percent in
the past three years.

The proposed activity, Fulfilling the Promise: A 'Power Start' Program
for First-Time

Students, is designed to reverse the college's high attrition rates and
increase degree completion rates by piloting a new
orientation/assessment/advisement system, with emphasis on the
developmental advisement model, offered through a new Advising Center.
The activity also includes piloting a first-year-experience course that
focuses on career/education exploration and development of life skills,
providing new professional development strategies and Master Advisor
training for faculty, piloting a new Retention Alert/Referral process,
and revamping the student information system to improve support for
advising and analysis of student outcomes.

The end results, carefully analyzed and evaluated, will include a
transformation in student engagement in the college environment (as
measured by student responses on the Community College Survey of Student
Engagement), an increase in student persistence (by at least ten
percentage points for full-time students and five percentage points for
part-time students), and an increase in the three-year degree completion
rate (by at least eight percentage points). The project will also
provide faculty advisors and staff with the training and technological
support they need to help students reach their potential.

**P031A080257 -- Palo Verde College, California**

Palo Verde College (PVC) is a public, two-year degree-granting
comprehensive community college that serves the residents of rural
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties in southeastern California. The
college operates under the laws of California and is accredited by the
Western Association of Colleges and Schools. The Palo Verde district has
a main campus in Blythe, CA and a satellite campus in Needles, CA, about
100 miles away. The college was founded in 1947 and currently enrolls
3,900 students.

**Developing a Virtual Campus through Technology-Assisted Distance
Education Programs and Services.**

Technology-assisted education, including media such as video/interactive
television (ITV) courses and conferencing, online courses and services,
and podcasting, can provide an effective learning opportunity for
individuals who live in the isolated rural areas of Riverside and San
Bernardino counties. This well designed system will be a great asset to
students as well as to faculty and staff. After substantial research and
discussion, PVC has developed a comprehensive Title III project to: 1)
significantly upgrade the availability and use of technology on the main
campus and at off-site locations; 2) create and implement a virtual
campus that offers technology assisted courses and programs leading to
certificates and degrees; 3) provide ongoing technical support and
training for faculty and staff to promote a significant increase in the
use of technology in instruction and student services, including online
courses and services; 4) create an online counseling/advising program;
5) implement online academic support and orientation services; and 6)
provide comprehensive virtual tutorial services.

With this project, PVC will experience a significant increase in
opportunity for access and success for students by providing them with a
comprehensive distance education program. This program will allow
students to complete part or all of their Associate of Arts degree
online. The distance education program will also allow students both
access and flexibility in addressing specific services online such as
completing a college application, participating in a college
orientation, and interacting with a counselor. Students will not have to
overly disrupt their busy schedules to drive to campus and in ordinarily
spend time in lectures, computer labs, seek a certificate or degree, or
wait in lines to register, order transcripts, apply for graduation, or
complete required forms. Services and activities in the distance
education program were specifically designed to address just such needs
of the Colleges' students, faculty and staff.

Palo Verde College knows how important management and evaluation are to
the success of a significant development program such as the one that we
are proposing in this application. The fully qualified project director
will have the opportunity, responsibility, and institutional support
required to effectively implement this project which in turn will
strengthen the college's ability to increase access, retention,
graduation / transfer and to better serve our communities.

Details of these outcomes and the comprehensive evaluation process that
will be used are provided in appropriate charts herein. Roughly 68
percent of the funds will be for personnel, two percent for travel, 15
percent for equipment, 14 percent for contractual services including
tech support and training and external evaluation, and one percent for
supplies and copying.

**P031A080080 -- Polytechnic University, New York**

**Project Title**: "Increasing Student Enrollment and Retention through
Faculty Development and the Infusion of Technology into the Classroom
and the Curriculum"

**Institution**: Polytechnic University is a four-year, private,
not-for-profit, coeducational institution with an emphasis in science,
engineering and technology. The main campus is located in Brooklyn, New
York.

**Student Body Characteristics**: Total enrollment for 2006-2007 was
3,396 (IPEDS). Forty-eight percent (n = 1,621) of total enrollments were
undergraduate. 80 percent of undergraduate students are male; 20 percent
are female. 95 percent of undergraduate students attend full-time. Of
Polytechnic's undergraduate students, 30 percent are White, 11 percent
are Black, 12 percent are Hispanic, 31 percent are Asian/Pacific
Islander, seven percent are unreported, and 10 percent are
international.

**Faculty Characteristics**: Polytechnic employs 142 full-time and 159
part-time faculty. 85 percent of full-time faculty members hold Ph.D.s
and 89 percent of faculty members hold terminal degrees. 18 percent of
full-time faculty members and 19 percent of part-time faculty members
are women. With respect to ethnicity, 24 percent of full-time faculty
members and 16 percent of part-time faculty members are members of
minority groups. The student-to-faculty ratio is 14-to-1 and the average
class size is 20.

**Activity Description**: Polytechnic University's proposed activity,
"Increasing Student Enrollment and Retention through Faculty Development
and the Infusion of Technology into the Classroom and the Curriculum"
addresses enrollment and retention problems at the institution by
infusing best practices in technology-mediated educational tools into
the classroom and the curriculum. Components of this activity include:
(1) Establish a Faculty Innovations in Teaching and Learning (FITL)
Center; (2) assessment and implementation of a single university-wide
course management system; (3) provide technology teaching tools in 40
classrooms / SMART classrooms; (4) provide faculty professional
development to 100 full-time faculty in the use of educational
technology to enhance teaching and learning; (5) provide 100 faculty
with updated laptop computers to enable incorporation of educational
technology into curriculum; (6) modify 50 courses to incorporate best
practices in educational technology; and (7) upgrade the wireless
infrastructure to support student wireless computing program and
increase student access to technology-mediated curricular components.

**Key Performance Measures**: Institutional objectives/key performance
measures include an increase of seven percent in undergraduate
enrollment over the five-year grant period and an increase of seven
percent in the full-time student retention rate over the five-year grant
period

**Budget**: A total of \$1,919,240 is requested over the grant period.
Of this, 36 percent is for personnel, including the salary of the
Activity Director/Director of the Faculty Innovations in Teaching and
Learning (FITL) Center and the Instructional Designer, which will be
institutionalized over the course of the grant. 31 percent of the budget
is allocated for equipment, including the establishment of the FITL
Center and the installation of 40 SMART classrooms. 25 percent of the
budget is allocated to contracted services/other, including the upgrade
of the wireless network; the evaluation and implementation of the course
management system; and the services of an external evaluator to ensure
efficient and effective implementation of the grant. Six percent of the
budget is allocated for supplies, and three percent is for
travel/faculty professional development.

**P031A080080 -- Research Foundation of SUNY on Behalf of SUNY Potsdam,
New York**

**Activity Title: Expansion of Undergraduate Research to Strengthen
Student Confidence and Retention**

**Institution:** The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY
Potsdam) is a four-year public college. It offers undergraduate and
master's programs in three schools. These are the School of Arts and
Sciences, the School of Education and Professional Studies and the Crane
School of Music. Students are largely drawn from New York State and the
northeastern United States.

**Student Body:** Total enrollment in fall 2007: 4,338. These included
3,999 full-time and 339 part-time. Undergraduate students: 3,614. Among
these students 14 percent are White, four percent are Black, three
percent are Hispanic, one percent is Native American, three percent are
other and 14 percent are unknown. Among undergraduates, 56 percent of
students are female and 44 percent are male.

**Faculty:** The faculty has 377 members - 267 full-time and 110
part-time). The faculty to student ratio is 16 to 1.

**Abstract:** SUNY Potsdam seeks to address two academic weaknesses
identified in an institutional planning process: (1) SUNY Potsdam
students are less confident learners than students at other comparable
institutions and (2) the potential benefits of student-faculty research
programs in addressing that lack of confidence are not fully realized at
SUNY Potsdam. These two weaknesses impact on both academic program
strengths and fiscal stability.

The specific institutional goal being addressed is to "promote universal
individualized instruction." The specific project objectives include:
(1) to increase from 24 percent to 40 percent the number of seniors
reporting participation in research with faculty; and (2) increase from
18 percent to 50 percent the number of faculty in the School of Arts and
Sciences who are engaged in undergraduate student research activities as
part of the curriculum.

Specific tasks will be carried out to increase the engagement and
confidence of students as learners. These tasks are to **s**trengthen
the use of undergraduate research in the curriculum through support for
curricular development at the departmental and individual faculty level.
Support will include release time, faculty development and establishment
of an office of Undergraduate Research at SUNY Potsdam.

The results of the project will be the institutionalization of an Office
of Undergraduate Research. The Office, with an Advisory Board, will
promote the use of undergraduate research activities in the curriculum,
promote faculty development in undergraduate research, and support
student participation in undergraduate research and research conferences
off campus. As a result, an increasing number of students, who have been
shown to be less confident learners than students at other institutions,
will become engaged and confident in their educational activities and
select areas of studies in which they can excel. Students will have
closer and more continuous contact with faculty in a small-group
context. Research indicates that these strategies will lead to increased
student success and retention.

**P031A080261 -- Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan**

Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), located in Saginaw County at
University Center in Michigan, is a four-year public institution of
higher education. Saginaw Valley State University's five colleges - Arts
and Behavioral Sciences; Business and Management; Education; Nursing and
Health Sciences; and Science, Engineering and Technology -- offer 88
programs of study leading to bachelors and masters degrees. The
39-credit general education requirement draws on traditional liberal
arts and sciences, providing students a broad range of intellectual
inquiry and disciplinary knowledge in nine content areas: Literature,
Arts, Numerical Understanding, Natural Sciences, Historical and
Philosophical Ideas, Social Science Methodologies, Social Institutions,
Communication, and International Perspectives. Saginaw Valley State
University offers eleven masters degrees, in the fields of Communication
and Digital Media Design, Administrative Science, Business
Administration, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Education. These
programs have been developed to meet the needs of working professionals
in our service region.

Saginaw Valley State University's project is to strengthen online and
distance education programs to facilitate degree completion for a
diverse student population that includes students living at a distance
from the main campus and those students employed in the region that need
or desire more advanced professional education in business, education,
or health sciences. Two specific activities have been identified: the
development and improvement of academic programs (via distance and
online); and the acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening
management and academic programs via the improvement of the
infrastructure. Specific objectives are to facilitate online and
distance course development, provide additional faculty development and
support, to enhance the technological infrastructure to best meet the
needs of an off-campus population and to provide enhanced communication
with other regional agencies including school districts, and health
care, and government agencies.

Saginaw Valley State University's current academic program serves the
East Central Michigan's 24-county region and is the only public
four-year institution of higher education in the region. The campus is
between Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland with freeway access from other
communities enabling students to commute to the campus. A majority of
SVSU students come from the four-county region of Saginaw (24 percent),
Bay (11 percent), Tuscola (six percent), and Midland (six percent);
however, (43 percent) of the students are from other Michigan counties
(39 percent) and other countries (four percent). Most of the students
attend class full-time (69 percent); nearly one-third (31 percent) of
the students attend SVSU part-time and work full-time. Nearly all the
graduate students are employed full-time. Close to 1,000 students attend
classes off campus, in Cass City, Macomb, and St. Clair County. Fall
2007, SVSU enrolled 9,662 students with the majority being
first-generation university students. Of these, 7,489 (78 percent) were
undergraduates; 1,593 (17 percent) were graduate students; and 580 (five
percent) were non-degree students, (teacher certification students,
post-baccalaureate students and undergraduate guests and auditors). The
average SVSU undergraduate student is under the age of 25 (66 percent).
The university seeks to attract minority students, and the student body
includes 12 percent from minority groups and four percent nonresident
aliens. The 14-county region in which SVSU is located is approximately
ten percent minority. Female students represent 61 percent (5,962) of
SVSU\'s student body. Students range from dual-enrolled high school
students to non-traditional second career students; more than 80 percent
require financial assistance to attend the university. The university
faculty has grown to 282 full-time members and 300 adjunct members; most
faculty (79 percent) have doctoral/terminal masters degrees. Many
faculty members have received local, state, or national recognition for
their work, including Fulbright Fellowships. Saginaw Valley State
University enjoys a twenty to one student to faculty ratio.

####  

**P031A080036 -- Saint Xavier University, Illinois**

Saint Xavier University (SXU) in Chicago, IL, is a private, Catholic
institution enrolling approximately 5,700 degree-seeking students in 75
undergraduate and graduate programs in business, education, nursing, and
liberal arts. Founded in 1846, SXU was Chicago's first college. The
institution has been regionally accredited by the Higher Learning
Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
since 1937 and maintains several programmatic accreditations for
professional degrees. One hundred and eighty-seven full-time faculty and
approximately two hundred and twenty-two adjunct faculty each semester
enable SXU to maintain a conservative 16:1 student:faculty ratio. In
2005, SXU was identified as the eighth fastest-growing public college in
Illinois, and we continue to be recognized as a national leader in
serving students from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Sixty-four percent of SXU students are first-generation college
students. Recently ranked as a "residential college" by the Carnegie
Classification, SXU still enrolls a large number of commuter students in
its undergraduate program, which underscores the need for this
University to serve multiple populations with different academic,
professional, and personal needs.

<table>
<colgroup>
<col style="width: 11%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
<col style="width: 11%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
<col style="width: 11%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
<col style="width: 9%" />
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td colspan="10"><strong>SXU OVERVIEW FALL 2007 N=5,678</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td colspan="3"><strong>Race</strong></td>
<td colspan="2"><strong>Level</strong></td>
<td rowspan="2"><strong>Ugrad. Av Age</strong></td>
<td rowspan="2"><p><strong>First</strong></p>
<p><strong>Gen.</strong></p></td>
<td colspan="2"><strong>Gender</strong></td>
<td><strong>Aid</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><strong>Cauc.</strong></td>
<td><strong>Black</strong></td>
<td><strong>Hisp.</strong></td>
<td><strong>Ugrad.</strong></td>
<td><strong>Grad.</strong></td>
<td><strong>Fem.</strong></td>
<td><strong>Male</strong></td>
<td><strong>%</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>64 %</td>
<td>18 %</td>
<td>13 %</td>
<td>58 %</td>
<td>42 %</td>
<td>24yrs</td>
<td>64 %</td>
<td>74 %</td>
<td>26 %</td>
<td>90 %</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

For the last several years, SXU has experienced continual enrollment
growth that has outpaced our institutional capacity and collaborative
culture. Attrition (especially in the freshman year) is unacceptably
high, graduation rates are below selected peer institutions, and student
evaluation of their level of engagement is not what it once was at this
liberal arts institution. SXU must create a dynamic academic community
where students are engaged---with themselves (as scholars), with their
fellow students, with faculty and staff, and with their
communities***.***

Through broad-based strategic planning, SXU stakeholders have identified
a multi-faceted project to create, evaluate, and continue to build upon
the envisioned engaged learning community: a) meaningful first-year
academic experiences; b) effective student intervention strategies; c)
community-based and collaborative learning experiences; d)
technology-rich learning opportunities; and e) imbedded assessment for
continuous project improvement. Faculty development focused on SXU's
greatest needs is infused throughout the project design.

The result of this Title III project will be significantly increased
retention and graduation---for all students and for the at-risk students
depending upon SXU in greater numbers than ever before in our history.
Cost-effective project design and a commitment to sound
institutionalization strategies will help insure the long-term benefit
of the Title III initiative on the university and on the students we
have pledged to serve.

**P031A080036 -- Santa Fe Community College, Florida**

**[Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), Gainesville]{.underline}**, in
north central Florida is a public two-year community college established
by the Florida legislature in 1965 to serve Alachua and Bradford
counties, having an operating budget of \$65,009,895 in fiscal year
2006-2007.

**[Students]{.underline}** - There were 16,588 total headcount including
8,075 full-time students in fall, 2007. Females comprise 52 percent of
all students. 69.8 percent are White, 13.4 percent are African-American,
9.4 percent Hispanic, 2.9 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and 4.5
percent Other. The average age is 24.1 years.

**[Faculty]{.underline}** - There are 253 full-time and 312 part-time
faculty members. Six percent hold doctorates and 63 percent have a
masters degree. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:22. The proposal will
address poor student success rates, low retention rates, excessive time
to degree and low graduation rates in barrier gateway math courses.

**[Activity 1: \$1,996,099 over five-years: Improving Student Success
through a Transformational Math Redesign Program]{.underline}**. The
goal of this activity is to increase student success and graduation
rates by developing a comprehensive math redesign program that includes
assessment, placement and mandatory math sequencing registration, course
redesign, and professional development. Five math courses will be
redesigned consistent with the National Center for Academic
Transformation model.

**[Samples of Key Measures]{.underline} -** Include the following: a)
students who satisfy math general education requirements within two
years will increase by 17 percentage points over baseline of 53 percent;
b) students who complete redesigned developmental math coursework within
the state two-year standard will increase by 12 percentage points over
the baseline of 58 percent; c) drop-out rates in two math courses
(MAT1033 and MAC1105) will decrease by five and three percent over
baselines; e) success rates in all five redesigned math courses will
increase at least ten percentage points over current baselines; e)
fall-to-fall retention rates of redesigned courses will increase by
three and six percentage points respectively for college-level and
developmental math courses over respective percentage baselines of 62
and 50; and f) three-year graduation rates of MAT1033 students will
increase six percentage points over the baseline of 34 percent.

The Title III Activity will cost \$1,996,099 for five-years providing a
full-time Title III Project Director, Support Specialist, and
decremental funding for a Math Emporium Director and two Math Emporium
Coordinators. Funds will also be used to develop the Math Emporium,
programming for the Math sequencing system, consultants for professional
development and evaluation, travel and faculty stipends/release for
course redesign. Funds will expand the Emporium to two additional
instructional sites.

Santa Fe Community College's strong commitment is evident with a total
contribution of \$1.43 million for the five-year project, and \$303,229
average annual cost to institutionalize and sustain it.

**P031A080084 -- Seton Hill University, Pennsylvania**

**Activity Title: Integrating Outcomes-based Assessment with Interactive
and Assistive Instructional Technology to Improve Retention**

The proposed Title III activity will transform the way Seton Hill
University U)Himproves retention. It represents an integrated and
comprehensive plan to increase persistence and retention of first-year
students. By integrating interactive and assistive technology with
outcomes-based assessment and combining that with a plan to improve
administrative decision-making this Title III activity will have a
"double-barreled" approach to the problem of student retention which
continues to drag down the university's ability to be successful. The
activity will culminate in the institutionalization of a faculty and
staff training program in the classroom use of interactive and assistive
technologies and outcomes-based assessment to improve teaching and
learning. Most important it will give administrators the ability to
analyze institutional data to improve immediate and long-term decision
making, effect outcomes-based curricular and other changes and
ultimately improve recruitment, retention and graduation rates.

**[Programs and Primary Audience]{.underline}:** Founded by the Sisters
of Charity in 1883 and located 30 miles east of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Seton Hill University (SHU) is a Catholic, private,
coeducational, liberal arts institution offering 87 baccalaureate and
master's degree programs. Fall 2007 total headcount enrollment was
2,005; the highest ever with 1,649 undergraduates, and 356 graduate
students. Traditional undergraduate students: come from 36 states and 20
foreign countries; 18 percent belong to minority groups (regionally two
percent of the population are minorities); 39 percent are male and 61
percent are female; and the average age is 21.5. Approximately 50
percent of traditional undergraduates are first generation/low-income
students.

**[Faculty]{.underline}:** SHU has 60 full-time, five part-time teaching
faculty and 57 adjuncts. Faculty to student ratio is 1:15. Fifty-seven
percent of faculty are women; 86 percent have terminal degrees.

**P031A080084 -- Silver Lake College of the Holy Family, Wisconsin**

Silver Lake College (SLC) is a four-year, coeducational liberal arts
college founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. The
campus is located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, which is on Lake Michigan, 90
miles north of Milwaukee. Silver Lake College offers Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Science degrees in 15 majors and a Bachelor of Business
Administration in two majors. The College also offers Master of Arts
degrees in Education and Special Education, a Master of Music degree in
Music, and a Master of Science degree in Management and Organizational
Behavior.

The total Title III, Part A Strengthening Institutions grant request is
\$1,998,613 over five-years for the following activity: **Increasing the
integration of the liberal arts and professional studies*.***

The goals and objectives of the activity come directly from four of the
college's five strategic initiatives and the strategic plan. The four
goals the project will address are: 1) the college will fully develop
and clearly articulate the concept of an integrated curriculum to its
internal and external constituencies where the liberal arts and
professional studies can thrive together as the heart of the academic
enterprise; 2) the college will commit to placing the right people in
the right positions to best carry out the mission and vision; 3) the
college will create a culture that makes service to students a priority;
and, 4) the college will grow in enrollment and in financial resources.

The implementation strategies to achieve the goals and objectives
are: 1) to strengthen the informational technology infrastructure and
implement an IT system that supports the college's growth and expansion;
2) to institutionalize a comprehensive professional development model
that prepares all college personnel for 21^st^ century IT and
instructional technology; 3) to create a liberal arts competency
assessment system that measures where and when the college's liberal
arts competency are integrated into learning; 4) to create an
institutional research system that analyzes and applies data to
planning, budgeting, and responds to future educational needs learners;
and 5) to institutionalize an experiential learning system that enables
every student to have access to an experiential learning opportunity and
faculty to have access to an externship opportunity to apply
discipline-related theory to practical applications.

End-of-project performance measures that will show:

The college has increased its enrollment of disadvantaged students.

The college has expanded its services to retain and graduate
disadvantaged students.

> The college has increased the number of disadvantaged students
> graduating within six years of initial enrollment.

The college has increased the number of professional credentials of
full-time personnel.

> The college operates within an IT system that is fully supported and
> integrates the academic and administrative functions of the college.
>
> The college has deployed a comprehensive institutional effectiveness
> assessment system that generates data and other information that
> informs all plans, actions, and goals of the college.

####### P031A080024 -- Southeastern Community College, Iowa

**ABSTRACT---Making Good on the Promise of the Open Door:**

**Transforming Instructional Programs and Student Support Services**

Founded in 1920, Southeastern Community College is a **public
comprehensive community college**, accredited by the North Central
Association, that each semester serves approximately 3,200 credit
students at its main campus in West Burlington, Iowa, and three outreach
centers. Our **mission** is to provide quality, affordable, and
accessible lifelong learning opportunities, which meet or exceed the
expectations of the people we serve. The district, lying along the
Mississippi River, is economically challenged, with high rates of family
poverty (13.1 percent) and unemployment (5.2 percent) and low levels of
educational attainment (only 14.7 percent with a bachelor's degree or
higher), compared to Iowa's 7.3 percent, 4.9 percent, and 24 percent,
respectively (American Fact Finder, 2006).

The purpose of our proposal is to improve the success of the college's
diverse, under-prepared, at-risk and non-traditional student population,
which has historically been underserved and under-represented in higher
education. The proposed project will improve student success by: (1)
strengthening instructional programs; and (2) strengthening student
support services, including institution-wide access to critical student
information. Achieving the grant objectives will transform our
institution by strengthening:

*(1) The instructional program---*changes to help students gain skills
needed to achieve their educational goals include redesign of
developmental and key gateway courses to incorporate technology, new
instructional methods, and new writing and math labs;

*(2) Student support services*---strengthened support services,
including tutoring, advising, tracking, and intervention will help
students overcome barriers to success; and

(3) *Faculty/staff professional development---*training topics will
    include integrating technology, diverse learning styles, and
    effective strategies and proven methods, including transition
    services, for helping high-risk students succeed. Carefully managed,
    in-depth training on the student information system (Datatel) will
    provide convenient access to information critically important to
    intervention, tracking, early alert, and outcomes assessment.

The college will increase student success (as measured by course
completions, transition from developmental to college-level courses,
fall-to-fall retention, and graduation) through improved advising,
competency-based curriculum modifications, and greater use of technology
for improved learning and student support.

####### P031A080090 -- Southwest Virginia Community College, Virginia

***[Institutional Characteristics]{.underline}:*** Southwest Virginia
Community College (SVCC) is located in Cedar Bluff, Virginia. Southwest
Virginia Community College is a comprehensive two-year public
institution and is one of 23 colleges in the Virginia Community College
System (VCCS). The primary service population is 118,279 and includes
the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, and Tazewell, Virginia,
located in the Appalachian coalfields.

The college offers six Associates of Arts & Science degree programs**:**
Business Administration, Education, Engineering, General Studies,
Liberal Arts, and Science. Other awards include 19 Associate of Applied
Science; 4 Diploma; 22 Certificate; and 48 Career Studies programs of
study.

***[Student Characteristics]{.underline}:* Race:** 96 percent White,
three percent Black, and one percent other. **Gender:** 42 percent male;
58 percent female. **Average Age** is **29**. \[**18** (three percent);
**18-21** (28 percent); **22-24** (13 percent); **25-34** (21 percent);
**35-44** (16 percent); **45-59** (15 percent); **60+** (four
percent)\]. **Full-Time Equivalent:** **2,369**; **Headcount: 5,902**.
**[Faculty Characteristics:]{.underline}** Total Faculty: **198: 68**
full-time; **130** adjunct. **Faculty/Student Ratio** is **1:18**.

**[Activity: Strengthening Academic Programs through Curriculum
Development and Revision]{.underline}.** This five-year project
primarily addresses community workforce needs through matching or
adapting occupational offerings with student and area manpower needs. A
new occupational/technical program will be developed in *Network
Security* and two new associate degree programs will be developed in
*Technical Studies -- Construction Management* and *Polysomnography*.
The General Studies core curriculum will be transitioned to an online
format to serve as the foundation from which all subsequent online
programs can evolve. An associate of applied science degree program in
*Respiratory Care* will be upgraded, as well as a certificate program in
*Practical Nursing*. A total of 46 courses will be developed, including
27 online courses.

A **Distance Learning Academy** will be created to improve the quality
of technology-enhanced instruction and to provide faculty with
opportunities to become certified Distance Learning Instructors. All
full-time faculty will have the opportunity to participate in one or
more professional development opportunities that will result in
incorporating current technology-based instructional methods into their
teaching practices. Seven classrooms will be converted to an
electronic/multimedia format and 48 classrooms will be upgraded with
interactive touch response systems to further facilitate the integration
of technology-based instructional methods into teaching practices.

A **Virtual Advising Center** will be created to provide online advising
and other support services for distance learners during evening and
weekend hours. Help Desk services will also be expanded to include
evening and weekend hours, as well. Online Academic Advisors will
provide "Live Help" and will develop new online student support
services, such as "at-risk" intervention systems and online
communication systems for distance learners, as well as developing and
teaching online orientation courses. The impact of these activities will
be to significantly increase retention and pass rates among distance
learners.

####### P031A080019 -- Terra Community College, Ohio

Terra Community College is a two-year, comprehensive community college
situated in the northwest quadrant of Ohio. It was founded in 1968. It
offers pre-baccalaureate Associate of Arts and Associate of Science
Degrees for students who plan to transfer in to a bachelor degree
program. It also offers 43 A.A.B. and A.A.S. degrees and 38 Certificate
programs. Fall 2007, the student head count was 2,495; 527 students were
enrolled in distance learning course sessions. There are 39 full-time
faculty and the number of adjunct faculty teaching varies from semester
to semester, with 220 adjuncts comprising the part-time faculty roster.
One hundred sixty-six faculty taught during the fall 2007 semester. The
student to faculty ratio is 15:1. The college has 921 (36.9 percent)
full-time students and 1,574 (63.1 percent) part-time students. Its
ethnic diversity is made up of 84.6 percent Caucasian, 3.4 percent
African-American, 0.4 percent Asian, 5.8 percent Hispanic, 0.4 percent
American Indian, and 5.4 percent unknown. It had 426 graduating students
in 2006-2007.

The project\'s major purpose is to establish a comprehensive distance
learning (DL) program that will build on a current modest program. It
seeks to increase the number of DL course sessions, to increase the
number of faculty delivering such courses and the number of students
enrolled in three different kinds of DL courses, fully online, hybrid,
and course-casting (use of audio/video playback devices). It will hire a
new Instructional Technology Specialist, Help Desk Technicians, a new
science faculty member and a Coordinator for Distance Learners to work
directly with students. It will provide special training to full- and
part-time faculty, those who have taught DL before and those who have
never taught DL, in the ANGEL course management system that has already
been purchased by the college. It will establish a DL Faculty Studio and
purchase some needed audio and video equipment.

**P031A080069 -- Kenai Peninsula College, Alaska**

Kenai Peninsula College (KPC), a public, open door, two-year community
college, is the only institution of higher education on Alaska's Kenai
Peninsula, an area the size of West Virginia. Kenai Peninsula College
serves over 31,346 remote residents and over 20,224 residents living in
four small away in Homer, and a small extension site in Seward, 168
miles distant. Our service area is a land of extremes of geography,
weather, distance, isolation, wildlife, cultures, economics and
education. The economy is embedded in seasonal occupation; average
unemployment for the region (11.4 percent) is consistently well above
the national average; per capita personal income (\$30,795) is 89
percent of the national per capita income; and the cost of living is 134
percent of the national average. Yet, Alaska ranks 47^th^ in seniors
going directly to college and 50^th^ in degree attainment (Alaska PSE
Commission 2008). A community campus of the University of Alaska System
(UA), KPC is affiliated with the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)
and accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Kenai Peninsula College offers programs leading to five technical
certificates, 15 Associate's degrees (AA/AS), and local access to five
UAA Bachelor's degrees.

**Students and Faculty**: As with most community colleges, KPC's student
population is constantly changing. Most significantly, over the past
five years, our traditional-aged population has increased 66 percent to
represent one out of every two students. Our faculty are dedicated
professionals with expertise in high-demand areas of study unique to the
region. (See chart at left.)

Kenai Peninsula College students, faculty, and the college itself have
one basic thing in common: the demands of the physical environment
require ingenuity and fortitude if we are to survive and thrive. These
demands must be faced and a compromise with the environment reached to
achieve success.

####### Problems: Three primary problems prompted this proposal: enrollment is too low (down 10.2 percent in five years), too many students (at least 30 percent) do not have access to support services because they are time-and/or place-bound, and institutional funds are inadequate for the high cost of start-up for a comprehensive distance initiative. 

####### 

####### Proposed Solution: To that end, Kenai Peninsula College requests five years of Title III funding, totaling \$1,996,319 to develop, pilot test, evaluate and institutionalize a Distance Education Access and Success Bundle. We propose to increase enrollments, institutional self-sufficiency, and fiscal stability by converting a high-demand academic program (Process Technology), beginning at the developmental level through core courses, for distance/hybrid delivery through multiple modalities to extend equal access to all service area residents, bundled with a wide array of support services accessible through compatible modalities to ensure their accomplishment of project goals and objectives. 

#######  

####### P031A080032 -- University of Bridgeport, Connecticut

**Project Title**: "**Strengthening Academic Support and Student
Services to Improve Retention**"

**Institution.** The University of Bridgeport (UB), founded in 1927, is
a four-year, private, non-sectarian institution located in Bridgeport,
Connecticut, the state's largest city. The University of Bridgeport is
an urban, culturally-diverse institution. Undergraduate enrollment has
increased 30 percent from 2004-2007; undergraduate growth is primarily
in minority populations, reflecting enrollment trends in the region. The
university has experienced robust enrollment growth in recent years.

**Programs.** Academic programs are career-oriented, pre-professional or
preparatory for graduate and advanced study. Twenty-six undergraduate
majors include accounting, biology, computer science, computer
engineering, dental hygiene, design, human services and social sciences.
Post-baccalaureate programs include business, education, engineering and
health sciences.

**Accreditation.** The University of Bridgeport is governed by a
26-member Board of Trustees and is accredited by the New England
Association of Schools and Universities (NEASC). In 2004, NEASC
reaffirmed UB's accreditation for the maximum ten years.

**Student Body Characteristics.** The fall 2007 undergraduate enrollment
was 1,791; graduate students totaled 2,961. Undergraduate population by
race/ethnicity included: 33 percent Black-non-Hispanic, 31 percent
White-non-Hispanic, 13 percent Hispanic, five percent unknown, three
percent Asian, less than one percent Native American and 14 percent
non-resident alien. Women totaled 68 percent; men totaled 32 percent.
Forty-seven percent are 21 years old or younger.

**Faculty Characteristics.** In Fall 2007, the University employed 114
full-time and 322 part-time (adjunct) faculty. Fifty-six percent (64) of
full-time faculty teach undergraduate courses and 54 percent (175) of
adjuncts teach undergraduate courses. The faculty-to-student ratio is
1:12.

**Activity Description.** With Title III support, UB proposes a single
activity, *Strengthening Academic Support and Student Services to
Improve Retention.* The activity addresses retention and student success
through comprehensive faculty development consisting of professional
training in educational technology, student success strategies, and
improved classroom technology. Components of this activity will: (1)
create the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for
faculty professional development and enhanced student support services,
to include developmental math and English; (2) implement and train
faculty and student support staff to use the early alert software tool,
*Retention Alert*; (3) implement online/Web-based registration for
students; (4) provide technology teaching tools in 30
classrooms/SMART-classrooms and four student study areas; and (5)
provide faculty professional development to at least 60 full-time and 30
adjunct undergraduate faculty.

**Key Performance Measures**. Institutional objectives/key performance
measures include an increase of 10 percent in overall undergraduate
student retention rate over the five-year grant period, professional
development activities for 60 full-time and 30 adjunct undergraduate
faculty, full implementation and functionality of Web-based/online
registration and *Retention Alert* software, the upgrading of 30
classrooms to technology-enabled, Smart classrooms and four student
study areas located in undergraduate residential housing.

####### P031A080196 -- University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

**University of Sioux Falls**

**Promising New Direction: High-Demand Nursing Degree Ladder Program**

**Service Area:** The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private,
faith-based, four-year liberal arts institution -- the oldest in South
Dakota (est. 1883) -- and is affiliated with the American Baptist
Churches. The University of Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, the
lone metropolitan area among the top 50 fastest growing located
completely in the Midwest (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). While the city's
Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population 223,000, Sioux Falls has
a population of 148,100 and is the economic and cultural hub of South
Dakota, recently experiencing exponential growth in the health care
sector. In fact, Sioux Falls is recognized as the finest major medical
center between Denver, CO, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The two
largest hospitals rank first and second among the city's top 10
employers.

**Governance, Mission and Programs of Study:** The University of Sioux
Falls is governed by a Board of Trustees and accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission of the North Central Association (2002). The mission
of USF is to provide academic excellence and to foster personal and
spiritual development. University of Sioux Falls offers 33 major areas
of study, two-degree completion programs, seven pre-professional
programs, and master's degrees in Business Administration and Education.

**Student and Faculty Profile:** As of fall 2007, the total
undergraduate headcount was 1,261 (1,032 full-time); 42 percent (*2006
data*) were classified at or below 150 percent of poverty and 53 percent
were female. Among the *faculty* for fall 2007, 65 were full-time, with
75 percent holding terminal degrees, and 84 were part-time. The
student-to-faculty ratio was 15:1.

**Key Institutional Threats for USF:** Small, faith-based institutions
like USF, known for fostering academic excellence, are increasingly
faced with stronger competition from other institutions with lower
tuitions and broader arrays of degree options tied to market demands.
Having historically followed a traditionalist model for liberal arts
education, USF is missing opportunities to grow with Sioux Falls, which
is attracting new labor markets and populations at a phenomenal rate.
Consequently, USF is threatened with static enrollments (80 percent of
the budget is tuition-driven) and competition from state-funded and
for-profit institutions that have a strong presence in Sioux Falls.
Extensive research, analysis, and planning has led USF to propose a *new
direction* -- to build on the university's solid Natural Sciences
program in order to offer health-related professional degree options
tied to industry demands. Doing this will attract new enrollments that
will ensure USF's long-term growth and self-sufficiency.

**Proposed Activity to Strengthen USF:** Responding to prospective
students' interests and to the labor market demand for nurses, USF
proposes to develop a nursing degree ladder program that will tap into
three different enrollment markets. The University of Sioux Falls will
develop curricula and instructional resources for the following nursing
degrees: *Associate of Science in Nursing; Bachelor of Science in
Nursing;* and *RN-to-BSN Degree Completion Program.* Supportive
instructional resources such as science labs (for nursing prerequisite
courses) will be updated, and a new nursing classroom/lab will be added.
The Title III program, which specifically funds new technical program
development, will provide the startup costs that will enable USF to
achieve the following: (1) necessary classroom/lab space and
equipment/supplies; and (2) nursing specialists (to be hired) to
develop/pilot the nursing ladder program.

**Overall Project Outcomes:** The overall project outcomes are two-fold:
(1) to strengthen academic programs and the university's fiscal outlook
on a long-term basis by tapping into new enrollment markets; and (2) to
strengthen critical instructional infrastructures and resources to
support new professional degree program development.

####### P031A080246 -- Zane State College, Ohio

**Improving Student Success through Expanded Educational Opportunities**

[Name of the institution]{.underline}: Zane State College
[City]{.underline}: Zanesville, Ohio

[Purpose]{.underline}: Improving Student Success through Expanded
Educational Opportunities

[Overview of the proposed project]{.underline}. Based on a thorough
self-analysis, Zane State College identified that low attainment is a
significant problem that affects the college's ability to fulfill its
purpose and implied promise to its community. The college developed two
goals to address the two-pronged problem: getting more students
enrolled; and retaining and supporting student academic needs.
Consequently, the college proposes a single activity, *Success through
Expanded Educational Opportunities*, which will address the problem of
the low number of students attaining a degree, certificate, or other
credential. This comprehensive activity will expand student access to
learning opportunities and increase achievement through strengthening
and maintaining student contact and interaction. Highlights of the
five-year plan include:

-   Increasing the type and scope of educational offerings by creating a
    transfer curriculum (and division) for associate of arts and
    associate of science degrees and offering additional certificate
    programs;

-   Broadening the delivery of course offerings by improving and
    developing additional distance education offerings and enhancing
    classroom and distance learning initiatives by upgrading
    infrastructure; and

-   Implementing a comprehensive first-year student experience that
    enhances targeted efforts for engaging students, including a
    customized orientation process, increased student advising
    (especially with transfer students), and the creation of student
    learning communities.

[Distinguishing Features]{.underline}. Chartered in 1969, Zane State
College is a public not-for-profit two-year technical college. The Ohio
Board of Regents and a nine-member local Board of Trustees govern the
college's mission and policies. The college serves residents of three
rural Appalachian counties -- Muskingum, Guernsey, and Noble -- in the
east-central part of the state. The region has high unemployment and
poverty rates. Its population's average educational attainment level is
significantly lower than the rest of Ohio. The college offers 27
technical programs that lead to associate of applied science, associate
of applied business, or associate of technical study degrees. The
college also offers eight one-year certificates.

The college's student base includes the following demographics:

-   1,843 students (head count) were enrolled (Fall quarter);

-   62 percent are female;

-   Average age is 26 years old (part-time students' average age is 29;
    full-time, 25); and

-   8 percent of our students are minorities.

The College has 219 faculty (51 full-time; 168 part-time): for a
faculty-student ratio of 1:8.4

####### P031A080246 -- University of North Texas, Texas

The University of North Texas (UNT), founded in 1890 as the Texas Normal
College and Teacher Training Institute on the second floor of a hardware
store on the town square of Denton, Texas has grown into the flagship
institution of the UNT System which now includes the main campus in
Denton, the UNT Dallas campus, and the UNT Health Sciences Center in
Fort Worth.

Dedicated to providing quality education and proud of its long history
as an educational leader in the state of Texas, UNT now faces
significant institution-wide challenges with enrollment of an increasing
number of high-risk incoming students (both first-time freshmen and
transfer students). Once students enter our doors, they often risk
facing large impersonal classes and a system they may find confusing and
counterproductive. Retention and graduation rates are below national
averages for similar institutions and failure rates reach 48 percent in
core courses (e.g. College Algebra). We lose more than 1,000 students
from each first-time freshman cohort before their junior year and more
than one-third of freshman transfer students leave UNT after one year
without graduating.

**Major Institutional Challenges**: (1) weak student retention/
graduation; (2) ineffective teaching strategies; (3) weak student
tracking and intervention mechanisms, and (4) insufficient resources for
supporting new initiatives. To combat these challenges, UNT proposes a
single activity ***A Model for Engaged Student Learning: Strengthening
Academic Programs and Institutional Management*** which focuses on
strengthening student learning through (1) core course redesign and (2)
student support services and somprehensive student tracking.

Ongoing formative and summative evaluation processes have been
integrated in the design of this activity in order to assess project
progress toward benchmarks in stated objectives and against defined
baseline statistics and/or in contrast to comparison groups as specified
in the activity design. Data and information gathered through the
evaluation and analysis process will be used to modify the proposed
project (within federal guidelines) so as to maximize project success
and positive impact of proposed strategies on improved UNT student
success as defined by successful course completion, fall-to-fall
retention, and graduation.

####### P031A080246 -- Westmoreland County Community College, Pennsylvania

**[The College]{.underline}:** Westmoreland County Community College
(Youngwood, Pennsylvania) is a public comprehensive community college,
serving Westmoreland County and two neighboring counties with seven
education centers. The college is governed by a local Board of Trustees,
appointed by the Westmoreland County Commission, and is accredited by
the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of
Colleges and Schools. The college offers 62 credit programs leading to
the A.A. and A.A.S degrees, 12 diploma, and 38 certificate programs.
Fall 2007 enrollment was 6,215 students, FTE of nearly 4,700, with an
average age of 28. Of those who reported, 3,821 (61.5 percent) were
female; 2,318 (37.3 percent) male; 5,732 (92.2 percent) White,
non-Hispanic; 140 (2.3 percent) African-American; 44 (.7 percent)
Hispanic; 23 (.4 percent) Asian; 13 (.2 percent) American Indian; eight
(.1 percent) mixed race. Three categories of faculty serve the college:
instructional (85 full-time and approximately 350 part-time); counselors
(five full-time, eight part-time), and librarians (two full-time, one
part-time.) The student to faculty ratio is 17:1.

**[The Purpose of the Request]{.underline}:** The college requests its
first award of a five-year Strengthening Institutions Program grant for
one activity, "Transforming Westmoreland County Community College to
Increase Student Success." The activity will strengthen the
institution's capabilities for achieving its vision and mission revised
in 2007 to expand beyond student "access" to "success." The goal is to
increase the persistence, retention, and academic success of targeted
students, specifically, academically underprepared first-time,
degree-seeking students and students taking the eight most highly
enrolled entry courses referred to as gatekeeper courses, both areas of
identified concern. A cohort of an expected 400 students needing
developmental education in the fall term and 100 in the spring will
experience increased student assessment and placement, academic
advising, formalized first year orientation, and organized case
management. Strategies build upon recent college actions which
established a Department of Developmental Education, and hiring of a
well qualified director, to provide coordinated, integrated academic and
student service support; established 14 faculty coordinator assignments
for developmental and gatekeeper courses; and adopted a policy requiring
entering student assessment and placement. The developmental and
gatekeeper courses will be assessed. Standardized entry skills and
course outcomes will be identified, connecting sequenced courses.
Faculty and staff are preparing to pilot, assess, and refine such
instructional assistance practices as linked courses, learning
communities, and supplemental instruction. An important foundation for
the transformation is the initiation of faculty and staff use of
longitudinal student unit record information for analytical purposes to
understand how students actually progress through college programs in
order to develop strategies and choose appropriate interventions to
improve student outcomes. To achieve these strategies, the activity
provides: acquisition of technological support enabling novice faculty
and staff users to utilize tools for case management, create ad hoc and
canned reports, and conduct trends analysis; a dedicated technician who
provides direct faculty and staff support; student services assistants
who will serve as case managers; and professional development. The
strategies result from thorough analysis and extensive faculty/staff
strategy teams focusing on priority issues as one of 83 selected
community colleges collaborating in the "Achieving the Dream" project
aimed at increasing student success. The project will result in
increased enrollment and tuition and fees adequate to sustain the new
positions and strategies beyond the five-years, providing long-term
success for students and strengthening the college and community.

**P031A080227 -- Butte Glenn Community College District, California**

**BUILDING UNIVERSITY TRANSFER & TEACHING EXCELLENCE (BUTTE)**

The Butte Glenn Community College District (BGCCD) is one of
California's largest single

Campus district, and serves Butte and Glenn Counties. Butte College (BC)
has capitalized on its natural habitat to establish a culture of
sustainability in all areas of its operations, including curriculum,
facilities and student services and is recognized as a national leader
for its efforts. Butte College is an accredited two-year open entry,
community college serving approximately 22,070 students (unduplicated
head count) and 10,812 full-time equivalent students (FTES) for 2007-
2008**.**

This Title III project consists of one-activity **BUILDING UNIVERSITY
TRANSFER & TEACHING**

**EXCELLENCE (BUTTE)** with three components (see below); each of which
will result in increased student success and retention. In a
comprehensive development plan (CDP) process,

faculty, staff, students and community stakeholders identified major
problems that impact the

academic programs, institutional management and fiscal stability. These
problems were converted into opportunities through the Title III project
and its goals: (1) increase the number of students who persist from fall
to fall; (2) increase the number of students who use campus online tools
for career and educational planning; (3) improve success rates in key
basic skills and first semester courses for degree seeking (transfer or
associate degree) students; (4) integrate updated technology with
Web-based student information components to improve academic success and
retention; and (5) obtain financial stability by increasing the current
FTE base at BC. The three components of the proposed Title III project
are described below:

**Academic Foundations for Success:** is a comprehensive offering of a
range of academic

support and instruction for students, including Native American
students, who require significant

study and guided practice outside of class to strengthen their college
readiness skills. It includes

First-Year Experience, Case Management, Passport to Success, Learning
Communities,

Supplemental Instruction, Mentoring Models, and On-Course which will
become the basis of a

comprehensive program providing BC students with a research-based best
practices approach to

integrated learning for increased retention and enrollment.

**Faculty and Staff Development for Transfer and Teaching Excellence**
involves ongoing

training for faculty and staff on teaching effectiveness, instructional
technology, case

management, and sustainability integration.

**Leveraging Technology for Student Success** involves implementing
processes for online

registration, assessment, educational planning, as well as supplying
state-of-the-art hardware for

Native American students and for developmental math students. Butte
College is fully supportive and thoroughly committed to the success of
the Title III project and fully institutionalizing and integrating it
into the campus' mission and strategic plan of increasing student
success and retention.

**P031A080102 -- Delta State University, Mississippi**

**Project Title:** "Increasing Student Success and Retention through the
Transformation of Laboratory Science Instruction."

**Institution**: Delta State University is a four-year, public
institution located in Cleveland, Mississippi. Delta State University
provides a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum, offering twelve
baccalaureate degrees in 42 majors. The three disciplines with the
highest undergraduate enrollments at DSU as of fall 2006 were nursing
(306 students), elementary education (274 students) and biology (207
students).

**Student Characteristics**: Total enrollment for fall 2006 was 4,217
(IPEDS). Eighty-one percent (n = 3,427) of total enrollments were
undergraduate. Sixty-one percent of undergraduate students are female;
39 percent are male. Eighty-three percent of undergraduate students
attend full-time. Of DSU's undergraduate students 60 percent are White,
38 percent are Black, one percent are Hispanic, and one percent are
Asian/Pacific Islander.

**Faculty Characteristics**: As of fall 2006, DSU employed 175 full-time
faculty and 73 adjunct faculty. Among full-time faculty, 51 percent are
male and 49 percent are female. Eighty-nine percent are White, seven
percent are Black, and four percent fall into other categories.
Seventy-five percent of the faculty holds terminal degrees. The
student-to-faculty ratio is 16:1 and the average class size is 22.

**Activity Description**: Delta State University's activity, "Increasing
Student Success and Retention through the Transformation of Laboratory
Science Instruction," involves multiple strategies. The overarching
strategies that comprise this activity include: (1) redesign of 12
high-enrollment laboratory science courses to include best practices in
science education, effective use of educational technology, and applied
use of instrumentation; (2) intensive faculty development in best
practices in incorporating educational technology into the curriculum
and in discipline-specific best practices; (3) equipping 10 biology
laboratory/classrooms, four chemistry laboratory/classrooms, one shared
science computer lab and one physics lab/planetarium with current
educational technology tools (smart classroom packages); and (4)
replacing obsolete instrumentation in 20 science classrooms/laboratories
with current instrumentation with digital interfaces and data collection
capabilities.

**Key Overall Objectives**: Among the key objectives of the activity
are: (1) to increase student success in 12 identified high-enrollment
laboratory science courses by five percent over the baseline; (2) to
increase the retention rate of students enrolled in laboratory science
courses by five percent over the baseline; (3) equip 20
classrooms/laboratories with educational technology tools and upgraded
instrumentation; (4) increase faculty professional development; and (5)
increase headcount enrollment at DSU by seven percent.

**Budget**: A total of \$1,988,289 is requested over the five-year grant
period. Of this amount, 28 percent is allocated for personnel, including
the Title III Project Coordinator/Activity Director and an
Administrative Assistant to help manage the grant; two percent is
allocated for travel/faculty professional development; 27 percent is
allocated for equipment and instrumentation for science laboratories; 20
percent is allocated for supplies, including scientific instruments and
library resources; 23 percent is allocated for contracted
services/other, including external evaluation of the activity.

# P031A080114 -- Ashland Community & Technical College, Kentucky

[]{.mark}

Located in northeastern Kentucky (Ashland) in the heart of the
Appalachian region, Ashland Community & Technical College (ACTC) is a
two-year, open admissions, public community college. In 2003, Ashland
Community College (established 1938) and Ashland Technical College
consolidated to become Ashland Community & Technical College. The main
campus site is College Drive located within Ashland. The Roberts Drive
campus is just outside the city limits and the Technology Drive campus
is in an industrial park 16 miles from the main campus.

**Service Area:** Ashland Community & Technical College serves a
five-county area in an economically distressed region of Appalachia
where persistent poverty and low educational levels prevail. A very high
number of families are low-income (43.6 percent) and the average
unemployment rate is 7.6 percent compared to 4.4 percent for the nation
(January 2008). Few residents complete four years of college (13
percent), far lower than the state (20 percent) and the nation (27
percent).

**Institution Profile:** The college offers university-parallel programs
for transfer to four-year institutions and career programs for
advancement in professional and technical fields. Accredited by the
Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) and governed by the Kentucky Community and Technical
College System Board of Regents, ACTC offers 113 career certificates, 23
associates in applied science degrees, and two associates in arts
degrees.

**Mission/Vision**: The college encourages student success by
maintaining a learning environment that fosters effective communication,
personal enrichment, professional and intellectual growth, and career
and decision-making skills.

**Institutional Threats:** More students enroll at ACTC who are
low-income, academically underprepared, and first-generation college
than most two-year colleges nationwide. Consequently, success rates for
high risk developmental and general education courses are below national
benchmarks and retention and graduation/transfer rates are low and
declining. Access to postsecondary education has become a path to
nowhere for over half of first-time entering students who fail to return
the following fall. As more area residents seek postsecondary
opportunities and enrollment increases, so do the number of students
at-risk for academic success. Severe and recurring cutbacks in state
funding and persistent revenue loss through student attrition threaten
institutional viability. The gap between enrollment increases and state
funding is expected to continue to widen, hampering the ability to
address the needs of predominantly at risk students.

**Proposed Activity**: Funds are requested for developing and piloting
new proactive support services to improve retention and persistence: (1)
Success Centers at all three campus sites; (2) faculty and staff advisor
training in proactive advising; (3) peer mentoring; (4) First Year
Success Course; (5) Supplemental Instruction for high risk courses; (6)
Web-accessible advising resources; and, (7) technology-enabled student
progress and outcomes tracking to more easily facilitate use of
evidence-based data for assessing and improving programs and services.

# P031A080039 -- Austin Peay State University, Tennessee

**Austin Peay State University (APSU):** Located 50 miles northwest of
Nashville in Clarksville, Tennessee, APSU, smallest of six public
universities in the Tennessee Board of Regents system, has served the
state since 1927. Eighty percent of students come from nine counties:
Montgomery, where the University is located, and eight surrounding
counties in rural Tennessee and Kentucky. Most students are
first-generation, and almost 84 percent receive financial aid. Per
capita income for the service area is only \$17,133. More than one in
five adults have not completed high school, and only 14.5 percent have a
bachelor's degree or higher (U.S. Census estimates, 2006).

+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
| **Service Area**     | **APSU Students**        | **APSU Faculty**  |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
| Population = 408,473 | **Fall 2007 Headcount =  | Full-Time = 297   |
|                      | 8,341**                  | (42.8 %)          |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
| **APSU Programs of   | **Minority = 23.6 %**    | Part-Time = 222   |
| Study**              |                          | (57.2 %)          |
|                      | **African-American =     |                   |
|                      | 16.2 %**                 |                   |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
| Associate (AS, AAS), |                          | Faculty-Student   |
| bacca-laureate (BA,  |                          | Ratio = 1:20      |
| BBA, BFA, BS, BSN,   |                          |                   |
| BSPS), master's (MA, |                          |                   |
| MAEd, MS, MMusic,    |                          |                   |
| MSN, MSM), and EdS   |                          |                   |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
|                      | **Average Age = 26**     |                   |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
|                      | Female/Male = 63.3 % /   | **Sources:** U.S. |
|                      | 36.7 %                   | Census 2000, APSU |
|                      |                          | Institutional     |
|                      |                          | Research          |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
|                      | Receive Financial Aid =  |                   |
|                      | 83.8 %                   |                   |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+
|                      | Part-time = 22 %         |                   |
+----------------------+--------------------------+-------------------+

**Problems:** Both APSU's fall-to-fall retention rate and six-year
persistence-to-graduation rate have been consistently around 10 percent
lower than the other public universities in Tennessee. The most recent
fall-to-fall retention rate was 72.7 percent (including students who
transferred within the Tennessee public university systems), compared to
82 percent for the state, and the six-year graduation rate was 37.4
percent, compared to 50.5 percent for the state. With high numbers of
at-risk students enrolling each year, it is not surprising that 30
percent or more of grades in 71 different freshman/sophomore-level
courses, are D, F, or W. In a 2008 faculty survey, one out of five
professors indicated little or no knowledge of skills necessary to teach
and retain under-prepared students, with over 60 percent typically
relying on traditional lecture methods.

**Purpose of Activity:** *Promoting Student Success.* APSU proposes a
single, integrated activity to increase student retention by improving
advising, redesigning high-enrollment/low success courses, and
developing targeted services to highly at-risk students (those
conditionally admitted, placed on academic probation, or returning from
suspension). To do this, we will provide professional development for
advisors (faculty and staff) on intrusive advising and for faculty on
pedagogies proven successful with diverse learners. In addition, we will
combine mentoring, tutoring, advising, and a success course for the
at-risk groups. Within the activity, we will have two focal points: 1)
strengthening student retention; and 2) revitalizing faculty/staff
development. The latter will include creation of a new Teaching/Learning
Center to coordinate on-campus workshops, consultation with experts,
attendance at professional meetings and institutes, and a Summer Academy
to give faculty the opportunity to redesign and pilot courses
integrating new practices to enhance student learning.