#### U. S. Department of Education

***Office of Postsecondary Education***

######## Washington D. C. 20006-8501

#### ![](media/image1.png){width="7.125in" height="5.625in"}

#### 

#### TITLE V: THE HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (84.031S)

PROJECT ABSTRACTS FOR FY 2004 NEW GRANTEES

#### 

![](media/image2.png){width="4.445138888888889in" height="1.7625in"}

TABLE OF CONTENTS

***INTRODUCTION***

***NEW DEVELOPING GRANTS***

###### CALIFORNIA

### California State University, Fullerton

### Citrus College

### Imperial Valley College

### Los Angeles Mission College

### Mission College

### San Diego City College

### Santa Monica College

### Victor Valley College

### West Los Angeles Community College

### 

### **NEW MEXICO**

### 

### New Mexico State University-Alamogordo

### 

### **NEW YORK**

### 

### CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

### Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College

### 

### **TEXAS**

### 

### North Harris College

### South Plains College

#### NEW COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENT GRANTS

###### CALIFORNIA

### California State University-Dominguez Hills

*Chaffey College*

*The College of the Sequoias*

*Compton Community College*

*El Camino College*

*Fresno City College*

*Long Beach City College*

*Mount St. Mary's College*

###### ILLINOIS

### Harry S. Truman College

###### NEW MEXICO

### Santa Fe Community College

*New Mexico State University at Carlsbad*

*University of New Mexico-Valencia*

###### TEXAS

*University of Incarnate Word*

*Odessa College*

*Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi*

###### WASHINGTON

### Columbia Basin College

### NEW DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

**CALIFORNIA**

## California State University, Fullerton 

***P.O. Box 34080***

***Fullerton, CA 92834-9480***

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

*Project Director: Donald S. Castro*

*Phone: (714) 278-3231*

*Email: dcastro@fullerton.edu*

*Award Amount: \$458,910*

Activity Description:

***Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building as a Hispanic
Serving Institution (HSI).*** This activity consist of four activities:

1\. ***Defining What It Means To Be a HSI and Needs Assessment of Orange
County's Latino Community***---By September 2009, the percentage of
Latino households in Orange County with a positive image of California
State University, Fullerton (CSUF) as a HSI will increase from 10
percent to 80 percent; and the campus culture of evidence portfolio, as
required by our accrediting body WASC, will incorporate 100 percent of
the findings of CATI survey information in our planning efforts.

2\. ***Math Pedagogy Improvement***---By September 2009, all remedial
math instructors will have completed special training to incorporate new
pedagogy to make their courses and their instructional methodology
gender neutral and non-ethnic biased. In addition, all math and
engineering instructors will have been offered special workshops to
increase their teaching effectiveness.

3\. ***Student Tracking and Mentoring***---By September 2009, all Latino
freshman who entered math-based campus programs in 2004, will have been
tracked and given special mentoring, tutorial support and leadership
skills.

4\. ***Student Success and Leadership***--- By September 2009, all
entering Latino students will have been offered opportunities to attend
special workshops to improve their leadership and coping skills as
evidenced by the number of such students' who graduate and pursue
graduate studies, careers in math-based careers, and/or assume
leadership positions in their communities subsequent to graduation.

***Citrus College***

***1000 West Foothill Blvd.***

## Glendora, CA 91741-1899

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Beverly Van Citters*

*Phone: (626) 914-8577*

*Email: bvancitters@citruscollege.edu*

*Award Amount: \$549,250*

Activity Description:

***Growth in Outcomes and Academic Learning***. This activity focuses on
institutional development in problem areas recognized to be critical to
the academic success of Citrus College's under prepared students.
Another key strategy is developing Citrus instructors. Developmental
education instructors will be engaged fully in developing new learning
outcomes, new and redesigned curriculum, alternative delivery systems
and valid assessments to improve the effectiveness of the ESL (English
as a Second Language) and developmental education programs with Hispanic
and other nontraditional under prepared students.

## Imperial Valley College

***380 East Aten Road***

## Imperial, CA 92251-0158

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dawn Chun*

*Phone: (760) 355-6286*

*Email: dawn.chun@imperial.edu*

*Award Amount: \$548,125*

Activity Description:

***Project ACCESO (Accessing Community College Education by
Strengthening Outreach)*** has three activities.

1\. ***Improving Access and Strengthening Student Learning through
Curriculum and Faculty Development***---This activity is designed to
restructure the design of and pilot the distributed distance delivery of
three curricula (English, College Mathematics, and English as a
Second-Language) and provide extensive faculty and staff development to
support curriculum development. It will also prepare faculty to
effectively implement technology-enhanced distance learning
capabilities, and effectively manage distributed and distance course
delivery.

2\. ***Improving Access and Strengthening Student Learning through
Student Support Development***---This will provide faculty, staff and
administration with improved access to student information by: providing
online access to student the assessments necessary to assess student
needs and to place students in appropriate instruction; providing online
enrollment services; providing degree audit capability; and by providing
online access to developmental level instruction.

3\. ***Improving Access and Strengthening Student Learning through
Institutional Management Development***---This will expand the
technological infrastructure to support integration of technology into
the total teaching, learning, and support services package. Also, it
will enable decision-makers to better plan for instructional delivery by
improving scheduling processes so that these are driven by student need
rather than faculty availability.

***Los Angeles Mission College***

***13356 Eldridge Avenue***

***Sylmar, CA 91342-3245***

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Edgardo Zayas*

*Phone: (818) 364-7758*

*Email: zayasee@laccd.edu*

*Award Amount: \$515,122*

Activity Description:

***Improvement of Academic Programs, Faculty Development and Student
Services.*** This activity presents a five-year integrated plan to
improve retention and progression in math using academic support
initiatives, curriculum development for critical thinking skills,
computer-assisted instruction, and the development of a new math center.
The activity will also enhance the Learning Center, through tutoring and
supplemental instruction, and increased computer-assisted instruction.
Los Angeles Mission College will also provide faculty and staff
development, strengthen comprehensive support services and initiate
outcomes assessment and evaluation.

***Mission College***

***3000 Mission College Blvd.***

***Santa Clara, CA 95054-1897***

### Type/Control: 2 -year/Public

*Project Director: Jane Patton*

*Phone: (408) 855-5296*

*Email: jane_patton@wvmccd.cc.ca.us*

*Award Amount: \$549,856*

Activity Description:

***Improving Access and Success for Hispanic and Other Underserved
Students*** has three activities: Outreach to Underserved Communities,
Improving Learning Outcomes for Hispanic and Other Under prepared
Students, and Developing a More Welcoming and Supportive Environment for
Hispanic Students. This activity will increase Hispanic enrollment at
least 8 percent over the next five years as a result of much stronger,
more coordinated outreach into the Hispanic communities in the service
area. The activity will improve rates for students in ESL and basic
skills program. In addition, there will be a significant increase in the
engagement of Hispanic and other underrepresented students in the
college.

***San Diego City College***

## 1313 Park Blvd.

***San Diego, CA 92101-4787***

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Peggy Hayward*

*Phone: (619) 388-3870*

*Email: phayward@sdccd.net*

### Award Amount: \$469,415

Activity Description:

***Strengthening Student Retention and Success through the Development
of Academic Support Programs, Student Services and Faculty
Development.*** The goals of this activity are: to increase the academic
achievement and success of at-risk students by enhancing their access of
at-risk students; improve student retention, persistence and success by
increasing professional development for all faculty and staff; and to
enhance the quality of student services and to improve student retention
and timely program completion by implementing an academic management
system that supports program development and review, budget planning,
enrollment management, and course and facility scheduling.

***Santa Monica College***

***1900 Pico Blvd.***

***Santa Monica, CA 90405-1628***

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Erica K. LeBlanc*

*Phone: (310) 434-4227*

*Email: leblanc_Erica@smc.edu*

*Award Amount: \$550,000*

Activity Description:

***Enhancing the Success of First-Time College Students.*** This
activity is comprised of four interwoven activities: 1. Systemic "New
Student" bridge program; 2. Strengthened services to address the needs
of first-time students on probation; 3. Changes in the classroom:
faculty development, development of linked courses and supplemental
instruction; and 4. Comprehensive intake services: electronic Student
Education Plans (SEPs), an Early Alert System, Assessment and
Advisement. The goals are: at the end of five years, 10 percent or more
first time students will have completed their AA degree/certificate or
transfer; 25 percent or fewer will withdraw from classes; 10 percent
will persist to second term enrollment; 20 percent or fewer will be
placed on probation after their first semester; and 10 percent of first
time students placed on probation will return by the spring.

## Victor Valley College

***18422 Bear Valley Road***

***Victorville, CA 92392-5849***

*Type/Control:2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Fay Freeman*

*Phone: (760) 245-4271*

*Email: freemanf@victor.edu*

*Award Amount: \$547,924*

Activity Description:

***Providing Access and Success For Hispanic Students.*** This activity
consists of two activities:

1\. ***Improve Academic Programs***---This will transform ESL and
remedial math instruction to include faculty training, state-of-the-art
software and computer labs, and integrated lab assignments in these
gateway courses.

2\. ***Improve Academic Programs***---This will develop faculty and
improve student success in courses across the curriculum with culturally
sensitive teaching and learning, instructional technology.

***West Los Angeles Community College***

***9000 Overland Avenue***

## Culver City, CA 90230

### Type/Control: 2-year/Public

*Project Director: Dr. Paul Stansbury*

*Phone: (310) 287-4398*

*Email: stansbp@wlac.edu*

*Award Amount: \$531,591*

Activity Description:

***BEST (Bundled Educational Services for Transfer) -*** This activity
will "bundle" academic programs and services with educational and
information technology to provide a far-reaching solution to the problem
of low student progress along the educational continuum. The Academic
Support Bundle will pair academic courses with student success courses
developed especially for cohorts of each population.

# NEW MEXICO 

***New Mexico State University-Alamogordo***

***2400 North Scenic Drive***

***Alamogordo, NM 88310***

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Debra Teachman*

*Phone: (505) 439-3622*

*Email: teachman@nmsua.nmsu.edu*

*Award Amount: \$549,355*

Activity Description:

***Strengthening New Mexico State University-Alamogordo Student
Success.*** This activity develops effective, competency-based
developmental instruction with learning center support and the
reinforcement of basic skills in gateway courses. In addition, New
Mexico State University-Alamogordo will create two learning communities
and a Summer Bridge Program for new students who test into all areas of
developmental work. An aggressive faculty development program focusing
on instructional techniques and technologies to promote student success,
including intensive annual summer institutes, will prepare full-and
part-time faculty to serve their students more effectively.

# NEW YORK

***CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College***

***199 Chambers Street***

***New York, NY 10007-1047***

*Type/Control: 2 -year/Public*

### Project Director: Erwin Wong

*Phone: (212) 220-8322*

*Email: ewong@bmcc.cuny.edu*

*Award Amount: \$475,000*

Activity Description:

***Fostering Student Success by Strengthening Academic Advisement and
Developing an Integrated System for Management of Student Data***. This
activity will improve student success by adopting a single comprehensive
activity which introduces: a new academic advisement model aimed at
making students more dynamic decision makers; and an electronic
advisement system to improve the delivery of guidance and support.
Combined, the reform strategies introduce systems and services that will
increase the persistence and retention of liberal arts students.

***Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College***

***500 Grand Concourse***

## Bronx, NY 10451-5323

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Daisy DeFilippis*

*Phone: (718) 518-6660*

*Email: ddefiliippis@hostos.cuny.edu*

*Award Amount: \$542,318*

Activity Description:

***Shifting the Paradigm on Teaching and Learning to Improve Student
Success.*** This activity consists of three activities:

1\. ***Integrate and redefine institutional information management
systems***---Hostos will create the Learner, Educator and Administrator
Portal (LEAP), a campus-wide information management system that will
integrate all of Hostos' information management databases, and provide
consistent access so that students, faculty, and administrators are
interacting seamlessly to identify solutions to student educational
challenges.

2\. ***Retool student learning supports***---Through the Hostos Academic
Learning Center (HALC), the College will implement a College Preparatory
Academy that will operate during the summer and winter intercessions and
on Saturdays during the academic year. The Academy will provide academic
learning supports to entering freshman and English developmental and ESL
students to fortify basic skills, strengthen college readiness, and
improve academic literacy.

3\. ***Increase faculty leadership in curricular revitalization and
innovation on campus***---Faculty will have the opportunity to
participate in a Faculty Development Series where they are competitively
selected to engage in seminars designed to support their development of
curriculum innovations to be implemented on campus.

# TEXAS

***North Harris College***

***5000 Research Forest Drive***

***The Woodlands, TX 77381-4399***

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

*Project Director: Ginni Whitten*

*Phone: (281) 765-7922*

*Email: ginni.whitten@nhmccd.edu*

*Award Amount: \$475,989*

Activity Description:

***Strengthening North Harris College's Capacity for Student
Engagement***. This activity has three activities:

1\. **Increase** **student engagement within their chosen
disciplines**--- This activity establish a faculty-advising program (the
Academy Program) that promotes the engagement of students in their own
academic planning and that creates incentives for students to engage in
behaviors that lead to academic success. This activity also establishes
a system of learning support that promotes student engagement within
particular classes, providing course-based supplemental instruction,
group study sessions, and hands-on study activities.

2\. **Increase faculty innovation in techniques of engaging students in
active learning**---This will implement a college-wide standard of
technologically-mediated classrooms and implement a system of incentives
for promoting faculty innovation in the application of technology,
service learning, and other instructional innovations within their
classrooms. This will also implement a knowledge management system that
will enable faculty to share instructional innovations, online
instructional modules, and a variety of course materials and best
practices.

3\. **Increase student engagement through hands-on involvement and the
creation of a college wide learning community**---This will increase
levels of student engagement through academic performance ensuring that
students have needed equipment, good performance facilities, and
college-wide and community-wide audiences. In addition, levels of
student engagement will be increased through service learning, offering
students opportunities for hands-on application of course concepts. The
level of student engagement will also increase through the establishment
of an annual college-wide learning community event.

***South Plains College***

***1401 College Ave.***

***Levelland, TX 79336-6595***

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Gail Platt*

*Phone: (806) 894-9611*

*Email: gplatt@southplainscollege.edu*

*Award Amount: \$498,239*

Activity Description:

**Building Connections for Access and Student Success.** This activity
has three activities:

1\. ***Branching Out to Underserved Rural Populations***---This will
design and develop an educational outreach center in the city of
Plainview.

2\. ***Developing Technology-Based Student Services***---This will
identify critical student information, available but not easily
accessible through our current MIS and information not currently
gathered by South Plains College, and develop a comprehensive intake
process for collecting the information.

3\. ***Maximizing Teaching Excellence Through Technology
Transfer***---Professional development activities will increase faculty
and staff knowledge and use of alternative teaching strategies and
instructional technologies including online supplemental instruction and
the use of computer-assisted and media-assisted instruction.

#### NEW COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENT GRANTS

##### CALIFORNIA

**California State University-Dominguez Hills**

**1000 East Victoria Street**

**Carson, CA 90747-0005**

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

*Project Director: Linda Pomerantz*

*Phone: (310) 243-3213*

*Email: lpomerantz@csudh.edu*

*Award Amount: \$671,493*

Activity Description:

**Opening Academic Gateways to Science and Technical Professions for
Hispanic Students.** This activity has two activities:

1\. **Gateways to Math-Science Literacy**---This specializes in tutoring
and supplemental instruction; curriculum modification using
computer-assisted instruction; new course development; innovative
scheduling and systemic student leaning outcomes assessment; and faculty
development activities to improve the instruction of basic skills, math,
and science with diverse learning.

2\. **Gateways to Student Success**---This will improve student support
services by developing information resources and improving student
advising; greatly expand First Year Experience programs; and conduct
faculty development to support first year students.

**Chaffey College**

**5885 Haven Avenue**

**Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737-3002**

### Type/Control: 2-year/Public

*Project Director: Inge Pelzer*

*Phone: (909) 987-1737*

### Email: i.Pelzer@chaffey.edu

*Award Amount: \$699,264*

Activity Description:

**Opening Pathways for Future Hispanic Teachers and Educational
Paraprofessionals.** This activity consists of four activities:

1\. Improving success rates in teacher education programs, with an
emphasis on encouraging Hispanics and other groups under-represented in
teaching to become transfer ready.

2\. Developing Paraprofessional Certification, in response to the
mandates of California and the No Child Left Behind legislation, to
develop the capacity to assist with the certification of educational
professionals, with an emphasis on assisting Hispanics and other
under-represented minority groups to meet certification requirements.

3\. Strengthening relationships with K-12 systems, regional four-year
colleges, and vital community councils and organizations.

4\. Improving student success in math and science, and improving
transfer in general math and science initiatives.

**The College of the Sequoias**

**915 South Mooney Blvd.**

**Visalia, CA 93277**

### Type/Control: 2-year/Public

*Project Director: Robert Urtecho*

*Phone: (559) 730-3942*

*Email: robertu@cos.edu*

*Award Amount: \$700,000*

Activity Description:

This activity has three activities:

1\. **Increasing course offerings and diversity through SMART
classrooms**---SMART classrooms will be arranged that contain
state-of-the-art equipment that will allow the College of the Sequoias
and partner institution to offer their courses in similar classrooms
between the two.

2\. **Student success and retention through Learning Communities**---The
College of the Sequoias Learning Communities model will bring together
interested faculty from both campuses to discuss efficacious methods of
instruction that increase student understanding at the same time they
keep the students focused on their goals of completing their program of
study.

3\. **Academic Outreach for improved placement tests**---In conjunction
with high school districts in the service area, efforts will be made to
strengthen the first semester senior year to better prepare students for
the collegiate experience.

**Compton Community College**

**1111 East Artesia Blvd.**

**Compton, CA 90221**

### Type/Control: 2-year/Public

*Project Director: Ron Chatman*

*Phone: (310) 900-1600*

*Email: chatman_r@compton.edu*

*Award Amount: \$652,655*

Activity Description:

**Closing the Funding Gap**---The goal of this activity is to create
effective resource development capabilities at the two participating
institutions, resources that will increase student access and success.
Implementation steps include: building and training effective resource
development staff at both institutions; and creating an integrated
database of information about donors, funding agencies, opportunities,
and prospective business liaisons.

**El Camino College**

**16007 Crenshaw Blvd.**

**Torrance, CA 90506**

### Type/Control: 2-year/Public

*Project Director: Bo Morton*

*Phone: (310) 660-3235*

*Email: bmorton@elcamino.edu*

*Award Amount: \$700,000*

**Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers Today**---This activity will: bridge the
gap for under-prepared students; develop and refine essential curriculum
and delivery methods; create multifunctional partnerships with school
districts and community organizations; and improve conditions for
transfer.

**Fresno City College**

**1101 East University Ave.**

**Fresno, CA 93741**

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Ned Doffoney*

### Phone: (559) 442-4600

*Email: ned.doffoney@fresnocitycollege.edu*

*Award Amount: \$696,841*

Activity Description:

This activity has two activities:

1\. **Extending Learning Centers**--- These centers will address
individual needs and bridge the gap for students who are under-prepared
to succeed in college level coursework.

2\. **Improving Online Distance Education Services**---This will improve
technological resources for Admissions and Records to meet the needs of
faculty, staff, and students; improve online counseling; increase the
number of students that effectively use online orientation services;
create and implement a virtual campus that offers an Online Associate
Degree; increase the number of skilled online faculty; and provide a
comprehensive online tutorial program.

**Long Beach City College**

**4901 East Carson Street**

**Long Beach, CA 90808**

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Dr. Jan Kehoe*

*Phone: (562) 938-4121*

*Email: jkehoe@lbcc.edu*

*Award Amount: \$668,564*

Activity Description:

This activity has two activities:

1.  **Latino Excellence in Academics Program (LEAP)** ---This will
    improve student success and increase retention by raising competency
    in foundational skills with learning communities, supplemental
    instruction and technologies for transfer support and career
    planning.

2.  **Strengthening Student Learning Outcomes, Success, and
    Transfer**---This will establish comprehensive learning outcomes and
    assessment effort for collaboration across the institutions and
    increase the number of students, especially Latinos, transferring to
    California State University -- Long Beach and other four-year
    institutions.

**Mount St. Mary's College**

**12001 Chalon Rd.**

**Los Angeles, CA 90049**

*Type/Control: 4-year/Private*

*Project Director: Larry Smith*

*Phone: (310) 954-4000*

*Email: lsmith@la.msmc.edu*

*Award Amount: \$696,000*

Activity Description:

**Collaboration to Improve Student Persistence and Degree
Completion**---This activity will provide learning communities of
majors, including Health, Business, and Teacher Education, with tutors
and mentors.

###### ILLINOIS

**Harry S. Truman College**

**1145 W Wilson Ave.**

**Chicago, IL 60640-6063**

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Michael Schoop*

*Phone: (773) 907-4445*

*Email: mschoop@ccc.edu*

*Award Amount: \$701,039*

Activity Description:

**Collaboration to Improve Student Persistence and Degree Completion.**
This activity has two activities:

1\. **Develop Studio Classrooms**---This will improve faculty
application of 7 Principles of Good Practice; increase student
completion and performance in Studio Classrooms and higher productive
grades; increase faculty skills in design and management of Studio
Classrooms; and increase Hispanic students' access to technology
resources for learning with up-to-date networked systems.

2\. **Transfer Support Systems**---This will increase bilingual and
other students' persistence to AA/AS and BA/BS degrees, above the
previous year's baseline; increase all students' transfer rates in ESL
and general curricula above the previous year's baseline; increase
transfer success with on-site advising and mentoring on local surveys;
increase accurate, accessible, complete monitoring data in a Transfer
Tracking System and increase Hispanic student success through LEA
partnerships.

###### NEW MEXICO

**Santa Fe Community College**

**6401 Richards Ave.**

**Santa Fe, NM 87508**

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

*Project Director: Virginia Padilla*

*Phone: (505) 428-1000*

*Email: vpadilla@sfccnm.edu*

*Award Amount: \$646,906*

Activity Description:

**A Virtual College for New Mexico**---This activity will provide access
for Hispanic and low-income students to high-demand programs; provide
Hispanic and low-income students with anytime, anywhere support;
strengthen faculty and staff development in distance learning; and
augment the technology infrastructure for distance learning.

**New Mexico State University at Carlsbad**

####### 1500 University Dr.

**Carlsbad, NM 88220**

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

*Project Director: Rhonda Austin*

*Phone: (505) 234-9200*

*Email: raustin@cavern.nmsu.edu*

*Award Amount: \$695,476*

Activity Description:

**Broadening Access for Hispanic and Low-Income Students**---This
activity will increase the transfer of Hispanic students from two-year
to four-year institutions. The activity will also develop and share
technological resources in order to enhance each institution's ability
to serve the needs of low-income communities with Hispanic populations.
Finally, the activity will create an arrangement between institutions
where one of the institutions in the arrangement is not a current
grantee under the Developing HSI Program.

**University of New Mexico-Valencia**

**280 La Entrada Rd.**

**Los Lunas, NM 87031**

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

*Project Director: Gerald F. Willis*

*Phone: (505) 925-8553*

*Email: gfwillis@unm.edu*

### Award Amount: \$671,104

Activity Description:

**Cooperating to Improve Rural Hispanic Student Success Through
Technology**---The goal of this activity is to work cooperatively to
improve the transfer and degree program graduation rates of the
colleges' rural Hispanic and low-income populations.

###### TEXAS

## University of the Incarnate Word

**4301 Broadway CPO #112**

**San Antonio, TX 78209**

*Type/Control: 4-year/Private*

*Project Director: Dr. Jessica Kimmel*

*Phone: (210) 829-3144*

*Fax: (210) 829-3134*

*Email: jessicak@universe.uiwtx.edu*

### Award Amount: \$656,742

***Activity Description:***

***Increasing First-Year Student Engagement and Involvement, Leading to
Greater Fall-to-Fall Retention.*** This cooperative arrangement with
Northwest Vista College focuses on the problem of retention of students,
especially Hispanic students in persistence towards graduation. Three
outcomes are planned for this activity:

1\. Significantly increase the number of first-year students at UIW and
NVC who declare a major by the end of their second semester in college.

2\. Significantly increase the number of first-year students who
discover and participate in campus-based activities; and

3\. Significantly increase the number of faculty involved in programs
designed to promote retention of first-year students.

## Odessa College

**201 West Univ.**

**Odessa, TX 79764**

*Type/Control: 2-year/Public*

### Project Director: Robert Munoz

*Phone: (432) 335-6885*

*Fax: (432) 335-6667*

*Email: Munoz@odessa.edu*

*Award Amount: \$697,229*

***Activity Description:***

**Crossing the Digital Divide for Rural, Hispanic, Low--Income, and
Placebound Students.** These institutions share a dedication to serve
Hispanic students by linking their college and their larger extension
sites (Andrews, Pecos, Carlsbad, and Seminole sites) through a new,
shared distance education system. The system will improve Hispanic and
other low-income, rural students' access to developmental education and
high-demand degree programs developed within this project. It will also
provide new resources such as the Virtual Learning and Support Plaza, a
bilingual interactive portal for online learning and support under
development by the Hispanic Educational Telecommunications System (HETS)
and The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Virtual
Learning Marketplace (HVLM), an online collaboration of HACU
institutions where learners can "shop" for the resources they need.

**Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi**

**6300 Ocean Dr.**

**Corpus Christi, TX 78412**

*Type/Control: 4-year/Public*

### Project Director: Dr. Veronica Guerra

*Phone: (361) 825-2639*

*Fax: (361) 825-5946*

*Email: veronica.Guerra@mail.tamucc.edu*

*Award Amount: \$615,070*

Activity Description:

**Opening the Pipeline---Closing the Gaps**. This activity has two
activities:

1\. **Opening the Pipeline**--- Two institutions target student led
centers at selected high schools in Corpus Christi and Nueces County.
The institutions will provide information to the at-risk secondary level
students on pursuing a postsecondary degree and obtaining motivation and
support to complete their high school diploma and be admitted to a
postsecondary institution.

2\. **Maintaining the Pipeline**---This seeks to create learning
communities to address the needs of first generation Hispanics;
strengthen a faculty development initiative to provide expertise in
developmental pedagogy; increase the number of students graduating and
transferring to A&M-CC and enhance high school students chances of
success at Del Mar College through a summer bridge program.

###### WASHINGTON

**Columbia Basin College**

**2600 North 20^th^ Ave.**

**Pasco, WA 99301**

### Type/Control: 2-year/Public

*Project Director: Evangelina Galvan-Holt*

*Phone: (509) 547-0511*

*Fax: (509) 546-0404*

*Email: eholt@columbiabasin.edu*

*Award Amount: \$549,915*

Activity Description:

**Utilization of Technology to Strengthen At-Risk Student Persistence
and Academic Achievement.** This activity will increase the number of
degree-seeking students actively utilizing online advising Web pages;
increase by 40 percent over the 2002-03 baseline the number of
under-represented students who are making substantial progress in math
and science; and increase by 35 percent over the 2002-03 baseline the
number of faculty using technology in the classroom to support
traditional courses, hybrid courses, or distance courses, particularly
in the math and sciences.