Table of Contents

Introduction...................................................................................................................................4

Abstracts..................................................................................................................................5-82

Concordia University Irvine.....................................................................................................................................5

Antelope Valley College..........................................................................................................................................6

Rio Salado College...................................................................................................................................................7

Rockland Community College.................................................................................................................................8

California Lutheran University................................................................................................................................9

College of the Mainland..........................................................................................................................................10

California State University Channel Islands...........................................................................................................11

Wayland Baptist University....................................................................................................................................12

Angelina College....................................................................................................................................................13

Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German Campus...........................................................................14

Napa Valley Community College District..............................................................................................................15

University of Saint Thomas....................................................................................................................................16

San Jacinto Community College District................................................................................................................17

Fresno City College................................................................................................................................................18

Arizona Christian University..................................................................................................................................19

Kern Community College District-Bakersfield College.........................................................................................20

Ventura County Community College District........................................................................................................21

Butte College, Butte-Glenn Community College District......................................................................................22

Eastern University-Esperanza College....................................................................................................................23

EDP University of Puerto Rico...............................................................................................................................24

Ranger College........................................................................................................................................................25

Inter American University of Puerto Rico Metropolitan Campus..........................................................................26

Inter American University of Puerto Rico..............................................................................................................27

National University.................................................................................................................................................28

CSUB Auxiliary for Sponsored Programs Administration.....................................................................................29

Sacramento City College........................................................................................................................................30

Azusa Pacific University.........................................................................................................................................31

College of Southern Idaho......................................................................................................................................32

Columbia Basin College.........................................................................................................................................33

Dominican University of California.......................................................................................................................34

Long Beach Community College District...............................................................................................................35

College of Mount Saint Vincent.............................................................................................................................36
2

Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon Campus................................................................................37

Inter American University of Puerto Rico Fajardo Campus...................................................................................38

Santa Barbara City College.....................................................................................................................................39

Texas Tech University............................................................................................................................................40

Reedley College......................................................................................................................................................41

Peralta Community College District/Merritt College.............................................................................................42

Lone Star College - Kingwood...............................................................................................................................43

The Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz.......................................................................................44

University Corporation at Monterey Bay...............................................................................................................45

Northeastern Illinois University..............................................................................................................................46

Sul Ross State University........................................................................................................................................47

Hartnell Community College District.....................................................................................................................48

The University of Texas at San Antonio.................................................................................................................49

Chandler-Gilbert Community College....................................................................................................................50

Northern New Mexico College...............................................................................................................................51

Colorado State University Pueblo...........................................................................................................................52

Calumet College of Saint Joseph............................................................................................................................53

San Diego Community College District.................................................................................................................54

Big Bend Community College................................................................................................................................55

Elmhurst University................................................................................................................................................56

Western Texas College...........................................................................................................................................57

The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees.............................................................................................58

Trustees of Indiana University................................................................................................................................59

Los Angeles Pierce College....................................................................................................................................60

The University of Texas at El Paso.........................................................................................................................61

Texas A&M International University.....................................................................................................................62

University Enterprises Corporation at CSUSB.......................................................................................................63

Rio Hondo Community College District................................................................................................................64

Northeast Texas Community College.....................................................................................................................65

Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio...................................................................................................66

San Mateo County Community College District-Canada College.........................................................................67

Palo Verde College.................................................................................................................................................68

NMSU - Dona Ana Community College................................................................................................................69

San Diego State University Foundation.................................................................................................................70

University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus.....................................................................................................71
3

University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.......................................................................................72

San Antonio College...............................................................................................................................................73

Dominican University.............................................................................................................................................74

New Mexico State University Grants.....................................................................................................................75

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon..........................................................................................................................76

The University of Texas Permian Basin.................................................................................................................77

Cabrillo Community College District.....................................................................................................................78

MiraCosta Community College District.................................................................................................................79

Merced College.......................................................................................................................................................80

WESTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY..........................................................................................................81

St. Mary's University of San Antonio, Texas.........................................................................................................82
4 

Introduction

The Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division administers the Developing Hispanic–Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program 

which is authorized under Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The purposes of the program are to 

expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students, and to expand and 

enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of the colleges and universities that educate 

the majority of Hispanic students and help large numbers of Hispanic and other low-income students complete 

postsecondary degrees.

In order to apply for a grant under Title V programs, an institution of higher education must have applied for and been 

designated as an eligible institution The notice announcing the FY 2022 process for designation of eligible institutions, 

and inviting applications for waiver of eligibility requirements, was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 

2021 (86 FR 71470). In addition to basic eligibility requirements, an institution must have at least 25 percent enrollment 

of undergraduate full-time equivalent (FTE) Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the 

date of application. 

The DHSI program supports many institutional activities that include purchase of equipment for education and research; 

improvement of instruction facilities (construction, maintenance, renovation); faculty and staff development; curriculum 

revision and development; purchase of educational materials; student support services; community outreach programs; 

establishment or increase of an institutional endowment fund, and more. 

Note: The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) as amended, section 503(b) was expanded to include: 

innovative and customized instruction courses designed to help retain students and move the students into core courses; 

articulation agreements and student support programs designed to facilitate the transfer of students from two-year to 

four-year institutions; and providing education, counseling services, and financial information designed to improve the 

financial and economic literacy of students or their families. The list of authorized activities in section 503(b) was also 

amended to use the term “distance education technologies” in place of “distance learning academic instruction 

capabilities.” 

The Notice Inviting Applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2022 was published in the Federal Register on 

April 6, 2022 (87 FR19904). The deadline for the transmittal of applications was February June 6, 2022. Applications 

for grants under the FY 2022 Developing Hispanic–Serving Institutions program grant competition were submitted 

electronically using Grants.gov and they were reviewed by a panel of three external grant reviewers. 

This year, 205 grant applications were received; 186 were reviewed; and 78 grants were awarded. The maximum award 

size per grant award is $600,000 per year for a period of 5 years. Total funding for new awards was $45,727,609. Below 

are the abstracts for the newly funded grant projects.
5

Concordia University Irvine (“CUI”)

CUI is a private, Christian university in Irvine, CA. CUI enrolls 1,337 undergraduate students 

and over 2,200 graduate and non-traditional students. The university consists of six schools: 

Christ College (theology, philosophy, and church careers), the School of Arts and Sciences, the 

School of Business and Economics, the School of Education, the School of Health and Human 

Sciences, and the Townsend Institute (counseling and leadership); and offers 30 undergraduate 

majors and 60 specializations, 16 graduate programs, an online bachelor’s degree in

Organizational Leadership, and an accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing. In 2014, CUI added 

its first doctoral program, Educational Leadership; a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and 

Supervision was launched in 2021.

CUI is located in Orange County, California, which has a Hispanic population of over 1 

million. Many of the Hispanic and low-income students who chose to attend CUI are first 

generation college goers with little exposure to the opportunities and services available at the 

university. This Title V project, Avanzando: Access and Success, is designed to address the 

needs of these students.

The purpose of the Avanzando: Access and Success project is to build institutional capacity 

to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students attaining postsecondary degrees. 

The project has four goals:

• Increase enrollment and early success of Hispanic and low-income students

• Increase the number of Hispanic and low-income transfer students and create a sense of 

“belonging” on campus.

• Increase retention rates for Hispanic and low-income students by utilization of expanded 

student services

• Increase graduation rates for Hispanic and low-income students.

Project goals will be accomplished through student-centered activities including the a) 

construction of a student success center, b) expansion of Summer Bridge and year-long programs 

for underserved and first-generation students c) provision of success coaching, tutoring and 

career counseling and d) professional development for faculty staff to ensure success of all 

students in a welcoming, inclusive and supportive environment.

Concordia University Irvine is requesting $3,000,000 over five years to support the 

project initiatives.

Access and Success addresses Competitive Preference Priority Number1: Meeting Student 

Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs and Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing 

Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success.
6 

Project Abstract

Antelope Valley College: 3041 W. Avenue K, Lancaster CA 93536

Project Director: Christos Valiotis, Dean of Mathematics, Science and Engineering (MSE)

Project Title: A Serving-Minded Math & Computational Science Pathway

AVC is an accredited, public, two-year community college in Lancaster, California, a high-desert 

community in the westernmost region of the great Mojave Desert (Antelope Valley) 70 miles 

northeast of Los Angeles. AVC enrolls nearly 16,000 students annually, of which 59% are 

Hispanic. AVC has more than doubled our Hispanic student enrollment in the past decade from 

just 26% in 2009. AVC’s service area is an expansive, nearly 2,000 square miles, positioning 

AVC as the only accessible gateway to college for the majority of high school graduates in the 

region. The proposed project will accelerate our trajectory toward a new, research-based HSI 

model of student success – one that emphasizes “servingness” and builds on the cultural assets of 

Hispanic students. Dr. Gina Garcia defines “servingness” as providing Hispanic students not only

an equitable education experience, but one which is culturally informed and culturally enhancing.

CDP Goals: Goal #1. Academic Programs - A Transition-Minded Approach to Serving: Develop 

a more accessible and effective STEM pathway, including in-demand Mathematical & 

Computational Sciences (MCS) career paths with emphasis on closing academic achievement gaps 

for Hispanic and other low-income students; Goal #2. Institutional Management - A Holistic, 

Retention-Minded Approach to Serving: Improve servingness to Hispanic and low-income 

students in STEM pathways through improved advising, early career experience, and co-curricular 

supports which support holistic well-being (cultural wealth, mental health, financial literacy, sense 

of belonging) in and out of the classroom; Goal #3. Fiscal Stability - An Intersegmental & CrossSector Approach to Serving: Increase institutional capacity to leverage strong organizational and 

industry partnerships for sustained and measurable increases in institutional effectiveness at scale. 

Objectives: Obj. 1.a: Strengthen existing outreach efforts and create new onramps to STEM 

programs including new MCS career paths; Obj. 1.b: Servingness Approach to FYE: Enhance 

successful FYE program by adding a STEM FYE that provides a strong foundation for STEM 

success by addressing barriers disproportionately impacting Hispanic and other underrepresented 

students; Obj. 2.a: Second-Year Experience: Enhance Second Year Experience (SYE) program by 

adding a STEM focus that holistically integrates career & transfer planning and work-based 

learning opportunities; Obj. 2.b: Foster academic mindset development and sense of belonging by 

providing multiple opportunities for student engagement with the support of peer coaches and 

faculty trained in inclusive teaching; Obj. 3.a: Collaborate with faculty at partner institutions to 

align outcomes in individual courses, as well as program outcomes, for majors in the MCS track to 

produce a robust articulation agreement with guaranteed admission; Obj. 3.b: Establish an MCS 

academic & industry liaison council that includes industry partners and other education 

institutions (high school, community colleges, 4-year universities).

All project strategies and activities have been designed to meet both Competitive Preference

Priorities (#1 & #2) as described in the NIA. The ways in which our project services meet the 

CPPs include: Academic Advising Intrusive advising across educational sectors with tailored 

guidance and accelerated pathways to completion (CPP 1; CPP 2.a.2). Career Readiness 

Incorporate career-building and giving Hispanic students tools to become competent professionals 

(CPP 2.b, d). Mentoring Peer, faculty, and other mentorship helps students’ problem solve and 

feel a sense of support and belonging (CPP 1.a.1, 2; 2.b, d). Culturally Responsive welcoming, 

supportive, and inclusive environment (CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3). Developing a Mathematical Sciences 

Pathway A new high-need and high-earning degree pathway will increase postsecondary access 

for Hispanics (CPP 2.a, b, c, d). Mental Health Interventions Addressing the mental issues

affecting students mainly due the pandemic (CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3)
7

Rio Salado College Title V Abstract

Established in 1978, Rio Salado College (RSC) is one of ten individually 

accredited colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD). 

Located in Tempe, AZ, RSC was established as a “college without walls” to serve 

nontraditional students at a variety of locations. RSC enrolled 8,000 students in distance 

learning and in-person classes in its first year and has grown significantly over the past 

four decades. In 2020-2021, RSC served more than 37,000 students, of which, more 

than 23,000 were online learners. The college offers 600+ online classes and 135+ 

degree and certificate programs. RSC is a Hispanic Serving Institution with Hispanic 

enrollment at 26.4% in 2020-2021. In addition, 70.7% of students were Pell-eligible and 

45.1% were first-generation students.

RSC will address the Department of Education’s Title V program by 

implementing the Avanzar Project. This project will improve outcomes for Hispanic and 

underserved students through a three-pronged approach to deploy Student Success 

Coaches as “solution guides,” enhance and expand Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and 

Belonging (DEIB) best practices, and enhance academic success programming. This 

approach will allow students to move ahead (“avanzar”) in their educational journeys.

RSC will also address Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) 1 and 2. CPP 1 

will be addressed by success coaches helping students improve their social, emotional, 

and academic development, and by improving RSC’s DEIB practices. CPP 2 will be 

addressed by increasing completion and success for underserved students through 

academic success programs, such as financial literacy training, time management, 

reading strategies, exam prep, and test-taking strategies.
8

Realizar en RCC 

Project Abstract

ABSTRACT

Located in historic and scenic Hudson Valley, Rockland Community College (RCC) is 

25 miles northwest of New York City. RCC is the only public institution of higher education in 

Rockland County and hasserved as an educational resource for Rockland since 1959. In addition 

to a main campus in Suffern, RCC operates an extension in Haverstraw, the Herbert Kurz 

Automotive Technology Center in Orangeburg, and the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Center in 

Nyack, making RCC education accessible throughout the county. RCC functions under the 

auspices of the State University of New York (SUNY) and is sponsored by Rockland County.

The Realizar en RCC project was thoughtfully developed to provide increased evidencebased strategies and support to increase student retention, completion, and transfer goals. It was 

guided by the four major strategic directions identified by a comprehensive institutional inquiry 

conducted between November 2021 and January 2022: 1) INCREASE career readiness and 

guarantee work-based learning 2) DESIGN and implement stackable pathways 3) MAKE 

learning and skills visible to learners and employers 4) LAUNCH a student milestones approach 

for success. Responses to Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2 demonstrate how the project 

aligns to these considerations.

Realizar en RCC is comprised of four interrelated components: 1) Greater efficiency and 

coordination around RCC student support services 2) Model the Accelerated Study in Associate 

Programs (ASAP) in order to increase the number ofstudents who complete their degree in 

150% (3 years) 3) Strengthen Data Infrastructure and Utilization in order to become a more datainformed institution, particularly around student engagement, retention, persistence, and 

completion, and 4) Provide Faculty and Staff professional development and training

opportunities around holistic student advising, technology-enabled advising tools, and greater 

data literacy.
9 

Abstract

Vocational Identity and Talent in Academic Learning (VITAL): A Five-Year Plan for 

Student Success at California Lutheran University

Goals: (1) Increase retention and completion rates of Hispanic and low-income students 

by developing a personalized, proactive advising model that intentionally connects 

academic programs to meaningful university-sponsored employment opportunities and 

is grounded in DEIJ principles. (2) Increase retention and completion rates of Hispanic 

and low-income students by providing a robust peer mentoring program, financial 

literacy support, and flexible online learning options. (3) Increase fiscal stability by 

establishing an endowment that will contribute to institutionalization of high-quality 

student employment opportunities.

Expected Outcomes: An array of outcomes will result from the VITAL project, as follows: 

Student outcomes:

● Improved persistence and degree completion rates among Hispanic and Lowincome students; More students are able to describe & take action toward their 

own vocational pathways (social mobility); First-year and transfer students will 

navigate campus resources more confidently and will become more 

knowledgeable about how to get help for social-emotional concerns; Cal Lutheran 

remains a top-choice university among post-traditional students who prefer 

remote coursework; Improved knowledge about how to cover the cost of college

Faculty/staff outcomes:

● More faculty and staff on campus receive DEIJ training toward relational, 

student-facing objectives; More visible connections between degree areas and 

potential career pathways

University-level outcomes:

● Stronger financial standing for the university; Institutionalization of the

expectation for internships; Institutionalization of VITAL’s most impactful practices

Contributions to research, policy, and practice: VITAL will contribute to the body of 

knowledge among practitioners who are invested in improving persistence and 

graduation rates among Hispanic and low-income students.

Population to be served: Hispanic students and low-income students of all 

backgrounds, and other undergraduate, post-traditional, and transfer students at Cal 

Lutheran will be served by the project.

Primary activities to be performed: Activities include asset-based mindset training for 

faculty/staff; training for faculty/staff in DEIJ; expand student internship opportunities; 

intensive mentoring of Hispanic and low-income students; expand online courses; and 

financial literacy workshops. No subrecipient activities will occur. We have submitted 

responses to Competitive Preference Priority #1 and #2.
10 

College of the Mainland Project Abstract

Texas City, TX Pasos Hacia el Futuro

PROJECT ABSTRACT: Pasos Hacia el Futuro

Located in an area with high poverty and low educational attainment, College of the Mainland 

(COM) is a public community college in the suburban and rural region between Houston and 

Galveston, Texas. COM serves 4,181 students pursuing certificates, associate degrees, transfer 

credits, and a new bachelor’s degree in nursing. COM is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution 

(HSI) with 35% Hispanic students. 

Pasos Hacia el Futuro: Improving Achievement through Culture, Community, and Care is a 

comprehensive, cost-effective plan. Goal 1: Institutional Cultural Changes. Make 

transformative changes to the institutional culture both on campus and in the community to 

improve enrollment and retention trends for underrepresented students and to foster a sense of 

inclusion for students, families, and community members. Goal 2: Strengthen Student Support 

Services. Strengthen student support services surrounding work-based learning and mental 

health to increase educational outcomes and post-graduation success. 

Research-Based Strategies: Pasos Hacia el Futuro is supported by strategies rated Tier 2 

Moderate Evidence, as well as additional strategies rated Promising, by the What Works 

Clearinghouse. The following proven and promising strategies will yield project goals: - Create 

Center for Hispanic Culture, - Create community outreach programs, - Provide real-world 

learning equipment, - Develop articulation agreements, - Increase proactive advising techniques, 

- Increase work-based learning supports, - Provide additional mental health services, - Develop 

virtual New Student Orientation. Funding for these strategies is needed to improve engagement, 

belonging, and outcomes for students. Four objectives will be tracked and measured annually. 

Objective 1.1 The number of degree-seeking Hispanic students enrolled at COM will increase 

2% annually, from 1057 to 1166. Objective 1.2 Fall-to-fall retention rates for Hispanic students 

will increase by one percentage point annually, from 64% to 68%. Objective 2.1 The percentage 

of first-time-in-college, Hispanic students enrolled at COM graduating within three years of 

enrollment will increase from 29% to 32%. Objective 2.2 The number of Hispanic students 

earning a workforce degree will increase each year by two percent, from 219 to 242. 

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Pasos will meet student social, emotional, and academic 

needs by substantially increasing access to on-campus mental health services as well as 

leveraging community support for basic needs assistance. CPP 2: Pasos will increase 

postsecondary education access, affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success by 

utilizing a grant-funded, full-time data analyst to conduct robust evaluation of the grant, related 

student services, and student post-college outcomes to inform changes and future plans. 

Contact: Deborah Fregia, Title V Director, College of the Mainland – 1200 N. Amburn Rd, 

Texas City, TX 77591. 409-933-8801. dfregia@com.edu
11

California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) is located in Camarillo, CA, a rural suburb 

60 miles northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County. It is the newest university in the 

California State University system, opened in 2002. It was founded on a student-centered 

mission emphasizing learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches and 

community service, with multicultural and international perspectives.

CSUCI is applying for U.S. Department of Education Title V grant funding to implement SOAR 

(Student Outreach, Academics, and Retention) at CI, which has three distinct activities that will 

work together: Channel Your Potential, Channel Your Passion, and Channel Inclusive 

Excellence. A total of $2,996,465 is being requested. Specific activities are:

Activity 1: The Channel Your Potential outreach activity will raise awareness about pathways 

to college through culturally-responsive community outreach and increase students’ and parents’

university readiness by building relationships with community and educational partners.

Additionally, students will be provided with resources about college readiness, financial aid and 

paying for college, understanding different majors, career readiness programming, and the 

overall benefits of a college education.

Activity 2: The Channel Your Passion retention activity will build students’ academic skillsets 

and sense of academic efficacy and motivation, while also increasing a sense of connection to the 

university. It will include a cohort model made up of students who have experienced a negative 

course outcome in the previous semester, as well as incoming transfer students who may need 

additional support as they transition from a community college to CSUCI. A thematic focus will 

also include preparation of first-generation college students to become successful “firstgeneration professionals” with culturally relevant career development and post-graduate 

outcomes support curriculum.

Activity 3: The Channel Inclusive Excellence professional development activity will provide 

faculty/staff with opportunities to learn about equity-based best practices and implement new 

practices into work with students. It will also include support for faculty/staff leadership in 

facilitating inclusive, equitable and just programs and policies building on existing efforts to 

advance anti-racist professional development to further our Hispanic-Serving Institution mission.

SOAR at CI has been established with 5 objectives designed to improve the success of the 

university’s Latinx students. These are:

1. Increase in Latinx student desire to attend college

2. Increase Latinx student retention

3. Increase number of students transferring from regional partner, Oxnard College

4. Increase Latinx and Low-income student graduation rate

5. Provide project services to target population

CSUCI is responding for this project to both Competitive Preference Priority 1 and Competitive 

Preference Priority 2. The project has incorporated student support for social, emotional, and 

academic needs (CPP 1) and will increase academic access, affordability, completion, and postenrollment success (CPP 2).

ABSTRACT
12

Wayland Baptist University 

Title V Project Abstract

Project Title: Pioneering Greater Access for Hispanic Students Through Enhanced Student 

Support

Institutional Profile/Demographics: Wayland Baptist University (WBU) is a private liberal arts 

institution with a tradition of over 100 years in higher education in a rural and diverse region of 

Texas. WBU is a highly diverse institution, with 65% identifying as an ethnic or racial minority. 

Of undergraduate students, 38% identify as Hispanic and 37% are eligible for a Pell grant. WBU 

also offers programs through external campuses in three locations in Texas, as well as in New 

Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawai′i, that cater to the specific needs of working adults and 

military students. The total enrollment at all WBU campus locations is 3,444, while the total 

undergraduate enrollment is 2,639 (Fall 2021). During the 2020–2021 academic year, WBU 

awarded 46 associate degrees, 678 bachelor’s degrees, 386 master’s degrees, and one doctoral 

degree, resulting in 1,111 total degrees awarded. The Title V project will focus on improving 

outcomes for undergraduate students, especially Hispanic students, pursuing bachelor’s degrees 

across all WBU campuses.

Significant Problems:

• Academic Performance Gaps: Hispanic students have lower academic success, persistence, 

and graduation rates compared to White/non-Hispanic students.

• Lack of Specific Academic Supports for Hispanic Students: Increased support for Hispanic 

students is needed to address students’ academic and financial needs and improve academic 

performance.

• Lack of Support for Integrated Information Technology Systems: WBU has insufficient 

student information technology systems to effectively track student progress and provide justin-time support to students experiencing academic issues.

Project Design: WBU’s Title V project includes implementing two overarching activities 

supporting its strategic goals to meet the critical needs of WBU’s Hispanic students:

Activity One – Improved Support for Hispanic Students. Strategies include (a) hiring bilingual 

outreach and financial aid staff to improve navigation of the college enrollment and financial aid 

process; (b) hiring student success and coaching staff and using a case management approach 

supported by early alert software; and (c) Institutional capacity to implement culturally 

responsive instruction and communication through faculty and staff professional development. 

Competitive Preference Priority #1 will be addressed in Activity One.

Activity Two – Expansion of Information Systems to Improve Student Success. Strategies include

(a) scaling up technology and staff training to improve enrollment management, communication, 

engagement, and retention throughout the student lifecycle, and (b) hiring a Retention Data 

Specialist to facilitate the design and implementation of a strategic retention and graduation 

program, along with a data warehouse and dashboard, that will improve the use of data to close 

identified achievement gaps and significantly improve the retention and graduation for Hispanic 

students. Competitive Preference Priority #2 will be addressed in Activity Two.

Expected Outcomes: The proposed activities create new opportunities for improving academic 

performance outcomes for Hispanic students, increasing fall-to-fall retention, and improving 

four-year graduation rates for students seeking bachelor’s degrees. WBU requests $2,992,545 for 

the five-year program.

Competitive Preference Priorities (CPPs): WBU will address both CPP #1: Meeting Student 

Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs and CPP #2: Increasing Postsecondary Education 

Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success.
13 

Angelina College – Lufkin, Texas

ABSTRACT

Applicant Institution: Angelina College (Lufkin, Texas)

Project Title: AC Cares – College Access, Retention, Engagement, Success

Target Population: Angelina College (AC) is a public community college located in a region of 

Texas referred to as Deep East Texas. AC serves a vast rural area (approx. 10,000 sq. mi.) that 

encompasses 13 counties and more than 40 school districts (total population over 470,000). AC’s 

widespread service area is a disadvantaged region characterized by low income, low educational 

attainment levels, and high poverty levels. AC students (Fall 2021 enrollment: 2,874) are 32% 

Hispanic, 56% Pell grant recipients, and 48% first generation in college. 

Project Services/Activities: Angelina College proposes the following services/activities to 

address problems identified through a rigorous analysis process: 

 Establish a Multi-Pronged Support System – AC will develop and pilot robust services 

[tutoring, peer mentoring, faculty mentoring, and personal/mental health counseling 

(provided by a community partner)], to promote student success and program completion 

through targeted academic and personal support strategies. 

 Integrate Professional Development – AC will develop and implement evidence-based 

professional development for faculty mentors and other faculty/staff. 

 Facilitate Early Intervention to Support Student Success – AC will develop a robust early 

alert system with strong predictive analytic tools to facilitate identifying at-risk students 

and providing timely interventions. 

 Create New Academic Programs – AC will develop two AAS programs (Network Administration and Software Development), creating new pathways in relevant, high-demand 

computer information technology fields. 

 Improve Instructional Facilities – Modern, industry-standard equipment will support the 

new programs, while providing dynamic learning opportunities for AC’s students. 

 Prepare Students for IT Certifications – Relevant CIT curricula (from the (Network 

Administration program) will be aligned with recognized IT credentials to further open 

doors of employment for graduates of that program. 

Anticipated Results: Five-year outcomes for the project include an increase in enrollment 

[+200], increased retention rate [to at least 40%], and an increased number of degrees awarded 

[at least 40 additional degrees per year]. 

Proposed Budget: The five-year budget for this Title V project is $2,999,868.

Competitive Preference Priority-1 (1) and (2) - Yes: AC will implement peer mentoring and 

faculty mentoring strategies to help meet student social, emotional, and academic needs through 

intentional and targeted approaches that will foster a sense of belonging and inclusion, as well as 

integrate evidence-based practices for advancing student success. The Student Support Coordinator will create a comprehensive structure for peer mentoring and faculty mentoring to maximize 

the support provided to students who are struggling to succeed in postsecondary education. 

Competitive Preference Priority-2 (c) and (d) - Yes: AC will also implement strategies that 

will allow the College to collect, analyze, and proactively utilize a vast amount of data to guide 

student success efforts. Additionally, the institution will integrate credit-bearing academic 

undergraduate courses focused on career by developing two new associate degree programs in 

computer information technology fields. 
14

DHSI Title V 2022: Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San German. Hub for

Advancing Learning Opportunities

Abstract

This project proposes to build the Hub for Advancing Learning Opportunities (HALO) at Inter 

American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán campus (IAUPR-SG), to strengthen our 

academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability. Efforts will be combined to 

improve wraparound services to Hispanic underserved students, advancing professional 

development of faculty and staff, and establishing dynamic reporting and decision-making through 

team-based analytics. Inter American University of Puerto Rico is one of the largest higher 

education institutions in Puerto Rico with approximately 38,000 students on 11 campuses. San 

Germán as the founding campus of the Institution, serves a 100% Hispanic population of 3,710 

students with low retention and graduation rates, while facing the mental health and related 

challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a number of national emergencies. The campus 

is in the southwestern region of Puerto Rico, with a surrounding service area that includes several 

rural municipalities with a population with a high percentage of families living below the poverty 

level, and high undereducated adult population rates.

A strategic review informed by a thorough SWOT analysis led to propose the creation of 

this project with highly qualified staff and a quality budget that utilizes and leverages resources to 

achieve the project goals and objectives. HALO has four branches/activities: HALO Enhanced 

Counseling, HALO Student Support, HALO Teaching, and HALO Analytics. These are designed 

to improve retention and graduation rates, student mental health and a sense of belonging, 

academic innovation and professional development opportunities alongside the use of teamanalytics tools for accelerated decision-making, fiscal stability, cost-control, efficiency and 

efficacy, which are expected to have a significant impact on student success in college and beyond.
15

NVC HSI Title V Project Abstract

Napa Valley College (NVC) is an open access two-year public community college located in the 

rolling hills of Napa Valley. Established in 1942, NVC serves Napa County and its surrounding 

regions by providing comprehensive Associate Degrees, Career Educational Opportunities and 

Certificates, and Four-Year University Transfer Pathways. NVC enrolls approximately 7,000 

students annually, with 46% identifying as Hispanic or Latinx.

In 2020, Napa Valley College found itself poorly equipped for the dramatic shift to online 

learning. Plagued by technological failure and a lack of Distance Education opportunities, NVC 

has suffered enrollment decline in the past two years – most notably among students identifying 

as Hispanic/Latinx, First Generation, and Economically Disadvantaged. Since returning to inperson services following COVID-19 protocols, the demand for more flexible scheduling and 

online offerings from students has continued to remain high. NVC seeks to develop a more 

robust online experience for students that is engaging while still being sensitive to the adverse 

impacts online learning places on certain groups while also continuing to provide flexibility in 

how its students can follow their educational pathways.

Through the proposed Title V Project Napa Valley College will develop multiple ambitious but 

reasonable objectives to support the academic success of students - particularly in this new 

online environment, while also assisting them develop and maintain a sense of social and 

emotional well-being. To accomplish these objectives, NVC proposes the following activities:

• Development on a training academy for Napa Valley College and the surrounding regions 

that provides training and learning for faculty and staff in opportunities to develop their 

classroom environments to engage modern learners in culturally relevant and inclusive 

ways.

• Begin the development of Napa Valley College as a Trauma Sensitive School through 

expanded trainings in Social and Emotional Learning that seek to heighten the 

understanding of faculty and staff around the role trauma, including culture trauma, can 

play in the success of students and develop strategies to create an environment where 

students feel safe and free to be themselves.

• Fully develop NVC’s Exploration Pathways into a Guided Student experience through 

the use of faculty-driven embedded support structures called ‘Círculos’ and student 

success focused technology that will monitor student progress and engage them in 

structured and educationally-relevant support activities – including a Círculo dedicated to 

monitoring the educational outcomes of Hispanic/Latinx students.

• Build a ‘Virtual Valley’ for students to experience the college online through a series of 

integrated online services including an adaptive student dashboard.

• Renovate classrooms to ensure NVC instructors have the necessary classroom technology 

to engage students, while offering flexible scheduling opportunities that will allow 

students to attend online and in-person.

• Increase data fluency and awareness across campus through a Data Coaching program, 

supplemented by the development of a new data platform for better access to meaningful 

data for all members of the institution.

Through these activities, Napa Valley College will improve the educational outcomes of its 

Hispanic/Latinx and economically disadvantaged students.

1
16 

UST Title V CHART (Coaching Hispanics for Academic Retention and Transformation)

ABSTRACT

Title: UST CHART Project: Coaching Hispanics for Academic Retention and Transformation

Project Director: Dr. Poldi Tschirch Evaluator: Dr. Amaury Nora

The UST CHART Project (Coaching Hispanics for Academic Retention and 

Transformation) will create a new culture of data-driven, high-touch student success services 

across the entire UST campus. The implementation of a data analytics system will allow faculty 

and staff to establish timely, high-quality qualitative and quantitative data for analysis, such as 

data on individual student academic performance, academic/social/emotional experiences, 

mentoring, persistence, retention and completion. Students struggling in courses identified as 

having high failure rates will be identified early, tracked and coached using the new, campuswide data analytics. Faculty and staff will also notify at-risk students about academic challenges 

any time during the semester, and provide immediate support interventions. 

The CHART project will feature a Project Director, Project Manager/Lead Coach, 

Student Success Coach and an ELL/Student Success Coach. The CHART staff will provide oneon-one student coaching and wrap-around, proactive (intrusive) counseling to meet student 

emotional and academic needs and increase retention and graduation rates among Hispanic and 

low-income students. The ELL/Student Success Coach will also provide writing support and 

services for Hispanic and low-income students struggling with writing-intensive courses. 

Students with disabilities and/or learning differences will be supported by new assistive 

technology and served by specially-trained Peer Mentors who themselves have disabilities.

The CHART project will provide focused, wrap-around support services for freshmen, 

sophomores and transfer students and feature proactive counseling focused on the best practices 

from Bettinger and Baker’s coaching theory (2011), a theory that meets the evidence of “strong 

evidence of effectiveness” by the U. S. Department of Education’s NCES What Works 

Clearinghouse. Faculty and program staff will be trained to deliver these wrap-around coaching 

techniques to students, providing culturally-appropriate advising focusing on cultural assets and 

impactful coaching support. 

Student peer mentors will provide another layer of support to students in the Title V 

program. Three students with disabilities will be trained each year as designated peer mentors for 

students with disabilities and/or learning differences, further encouraging and fostering a 

community of inclusion. Assistive technology will be obtained to support students with 

disabilities. The Office of Counseling/Wellness Services will provide services to any students 

desiring mental health services and support. Finally, an endowment component requiring a 1:1 

match will create a new endowed scholarship fund for Hispanic and low-income students.

This project will be directed by Dr. Poldi Tschirch, who has served as a Project Director 

on several successful DHSI and Title V grants. The program will be evaluated by Dr. Amaury 

Nora, a life-long researcher and expert evaluator in the field of Hispanics in higher education. 

Meets Competitive Preference Priority 1 and 2: The CHART Project meets CPP 1: 

Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs and CPP 2: Increasing Postsecondary 

Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success 

Strong Supporting Theory Used: Bettinger and Baker (March 2011). The effects of 

student coaching in college: An evaluation of a randomized experiment in student mentoring.

Total number of students served by this project: By September 2027, at least 3,660 

students will participate in this grant, at an average cost of $920 per student. 
17 

OMB No. 1894-0003

Exp. 05/31/2022

Project Abstract - Title V Project: Positioning for the Future with Equity-Focused Strategies

1. Applicant institution: San Jacinto Community College District, Pasadena, Texas

2. Project Title: Positioning for the Future with Equity-Focused Strategies

3. Abstract

a. Target Population: Located within the Houston metropolitan area, San Jacinto College serves over 

31,500 students, 64% of whom are Hispanic, with more than 68% of students seeking associate 

degrees and 26% attending full-time (Fall 2021). There are high numbers of both low-income and 

Hispanic students in the school districts the college serves; of their combined student population, 

76.5% are Hispanic and 77.8% are economically disadvantaged (2020-21). 

b. Project Goals and Proposed Activities & Services:

Academic Program Goal 1: Increase retention and completion through a campus culture that 

enhances equity and promotes student success. 

• Increase mental health support and programming and awareness resources

• Offer visible, financially supported, and impactful DEI programs for students

Academic Program Goal 2: Strengthen workforce-related efforts to assure successful transition from 

academic studies to a fruitful career.

• Scale up the Education and Workforce coordinator model to Business & Technology 

programs/students; provide internships 

• Apply new processes to streamline and promote transition toward degree-seeking pathways for 

Health Science students

Institutional Management Goal 3: Provide professional development for faculty and staff that 

advances a culture of resiliency and sustainability and promotes an equity focus and commitment.

• Offer the ACUE Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning credential

• Create and implement a DEI Certificate program for faculty and staff

Fiscal Stability Goal 4: Close equity gaps and access to higher education through enhanced financial 

resources.

• Strengthen the scholarship award oversight, processes, and systems

• Raise funds for the Promise @ San Jac endowment

4. Select Outcomes: Increase 3-year graduation rates for all FTIC students from 24% to 30%; increase the 

percentage of health sciences non-credit program Hispanic students that transition into a credit program 

from 48% to 53%; increase the number of internships available for Business & Technology students by 

60; 75% of full-time faculty members complete professional development training; increase the San 

Jacinto College Foundation Promise @ San Jac Endowment; increase the percentage of enrolled students 

awarded scholarships from 5.3% to 8.3%; over 200 students benefit each year from DEI programming. 

5. Competitive Preference Priorities addressed:

CPP 1: San Jacinto College will foster a sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved students with 

objectives using the SJC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council work to improve student DEI 

programming. Activities also include (a) student services of mental health support and awareness 

through peer support groups and additional counselor availability; and (b) faculty and staff professional 

development around inclusive teaching and learning and a DEI Certification initiative. 

CPP 2: Activities will support the development and implementation of student success programs that 

integrate multiple comprehensive and evidence-based services or initiatives, for advising on 

structured/guided pathways, career services, and student financial aid. Key components addressed are 

advising and other strategies to help students transition from noncredit to credit programs; improved 

career services with a focus on the final semester of technical programs and internships, and quality 

continuous improvement for streamlined scholarship processes. 
18 

FRESNO CITY COLLEGE

Title V: Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program FY 2022

SUMMARY: Fresno City College (FCC) is a fully accredited California two-year college 

located in the heart of the state’s Central Valley. As a Hispanic Serving Institution with an 

enrollment of more than 36,000 students, FCC requests a grant ($3,000,000 over five years) from 

the U.S. Department of Education to implement its Beyond Basic Needs program. This program 

is designed to ensure that students on the main campus have access to expanded academic and 

non-academic supports – in one physical location - that exceed the general definition of “basic 

needs” – as well as being able to scale out to provide the same access to students on the one 

current satellite campus and two future satellite campuses. The project will also leverage outside 

partnerships and our own internal research to create systems that help us ensure that our services 

and offerings are representative of the evidenced-based needs of students and steeped in best 

practices of colleges engaged in this work across our region, state and nation. 

PRIMARY GOAL & OUTCOMES: To increase the number of Hispanic and low-income 

students that enroll, persist, and succeed to meet the requirements for certificate/degree and/or 

transfer to a four-year university within two to three years. Project outcomes include a 25% 

increase in the number of Hispanic and low-income students who enroll, a 15% increase in 

persistence rates for full-time and part-time students, and a 30% increase in the number of 

students receiving a degree or certificate.

COMPONENT #2: STUDENT SUPPORT STRATEGIES: To increase the enrollment, 

success, and persistence of students through expanding and centralizing academic and nonacademic services into a singular Basic Needs Center on the main campus and a new Mobile 

Basic Needs Center to provide comparable services to all three satellite campuses and the 

communities that surround them. 

COMPONENT #2: OUTREACH STRATEGIES: To leverage community non-profit and 

private sector partners to increase student access to paid internships and volunteer opportunities 

to help them gain needed hands-on experience in their chosen field of study, thereby reducing 

barriers to post-educational career attainment and success.

COMPONENT #3: SUSTAINABILITY & ENGAGEMENT: To develop in collaboration 

with campus Institutional Research Department to establish a robust system of high-quality data 

collection and analysis, and provide term and annual data on persistence, retention, completion, 

and post-college outcomes, through Tableau, Qualtrics, and SIS for transparency, accountability, 

and institutional improvement.

ABSTRACT

Fresno City College 

Beyond Basic Needs

Improving Outreach and Enrollment.

Completion and Retention; and Sustainability and Engagement
19

Arizona Christian University (ACU) is a regionally accredited, private, non-profit Christian 

liberal arts university. With over 50 areas of study, a 17:1 student/faculty ratio and an average 

class size of 15, ACU is an ideal place for students seeking personalized education and spiritual 

formation. ACU is proud to be ranked among the nation’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World 

Report and is recognized as a top undergraduate teaching institution.

ACU’s Title V project, The Esperanca Project, will assist the university’s growing Hispanic and 

low-income student population with a variety of students services delivered through a centralized 

Student Success Center. In addition, the university will provide an extensive professional 

development program for faculty and staff aimed at building a more welcoming and inclusive 

campus. ACU will enhance institutional strength and fiscal stability by improving the

enrollment, retention, graduation and transfer rates of Hispanic and low-income students.

The Esperansa Project has a series of objectives aimed at increasing student success:

• Increase enrollment of Hispanic and low-income students by10% in five years.

• Increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students involved in orientation by 

100%

• Increase first to second year retention rates for Hispanic and low-income students from a 

baseline of 45% to 60% by September 2027.

• Increase the total number of Hispanic and low-income students receiving student services 

by 50% over the five-year period.

• Increase feelings of “belonging” through faculty and staff asset-based mindset 

professional development.

• Increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students who graduate within six years 

from a baseline of 24% to 32% by 2027.

ACU seeks a total of $3 million over five years for this project.

ACU addresses Competitive Preference Priority Number1: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, 

and Academic Needs and Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing Postsecondary Education 

Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success
20 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

COMUNIDADES DE CONEXIÓNES: Strengthening 

Bakersfield College’s Hispanic-Serving Early College Pathways Program

Bakersfield College (BC) will employ the following three interconnected strategies to implement 

and scale the equity-minded interventions identified by Excelencia in Education as holding the most 

promise to increase attainment of Hispanic students, filling essential gaps to connect students to a 

seamless, inclusive path to higher education via a Hispanic-Serving approach to Early College: 

STRATEGY 1: CONNECTION & BELONGING–Addressing Hispanic Early College student 

disconnection and disengagement following COVID-19; STRATEGY 2: MENTORSHIP & 

HOLISTIC SUPPORT–Addressing siloed supports that lead to siloed experiences and feelings of 

disconnection among Hispanic Early College students; STRATEGY 3: CAPACITY &

INFRUSTRUCTURE–Addressing a shaky infrastructure that impedes scalability and sustainability 

of Hispanic-Serving Dual Enrollment/Early College Efforts.

 Goals related to Comprehensive Development Plan: Goal #1: Academic Programs: Foster a 

sense of belonging among prospective and current Early College students through early, frequent, 

and sustained connection to Early College pathways beginning in the 7th grade; Goal #2: 

Institutional Management: Utilize culturally responsive, equity-minded cohort management 

strategies to actively case manage Hispanic and low-income Early College students to utilize 

academic supports, improving persistence and timely completion; Goal #3: Fiscal Stability: Increase 

student outcomes and close equity gaps to ensure alignment with state-mandated performance-based 

funding focused on student equity and student success. 

 5-Year Objectives to be accomplished by Sept. 30, 2027

• Increase Early College enrollment by 10%, from 7,200 (2020-21) to 7,920

• Increase EC Summer Academy participation from 31 students (2021) to 500 students (2027)

• Improve EC course success rates from 79% (2020-21) to 85% (2026-27)

• Increase EC cohort retention rates from 70% (2020-2021) to 82% (2026-2027)

• Increase the number of high school students earning associate degrees from 102 to 400 (2021-27)

• Increase EC associate degree completion rate from 54% (2021) to 60% (2027)

• Increase the number of EC students who meet with a Counselor to complete a graduation petition 

and discuss post-secondary plans from 7% (2020-21) to 100% (2026-27)

• At least 25 Aspiring Faculty and 15 BC dual enrollment faculty mentors participate in the Aspiring 

Faculty Mentorship Program

• Increase verification of post-secondary college enrollment or job placement for Early College 

graduates from 89% (Spring 2018) to 100% (2027)

• Reduce number of unsuccessful course registrations among Early College students in a semester 

by 50%, from 600 (fall 2021/spring 2022 baseline average) to 300 (2027)

• At least 10,000+ students entering their data into DualEnroll.com per year

• Collect survey input from at least 1,200 students and their parents per year

Project Addresses Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) #1 & #2: CPP #1: Foster a positive, 

inclusive, and identity-safe environment for Hispanic and other underserved Early College students 

through intentional, early, ongoing, and sustained efforts to connect students to their peers, college 

personnel, and their programs of study beginning in the 7th grade; CPP #2: Increase postsecondary 

education access, affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success by setting Hispanic and 

other underserved Early College students up for success. 
21

2022 Title V Proyecto Puentes Oxnard College, CA

Project Abstract

The goals of the Title V Proyecto Puentes project are to strengthen enrollment, persistence, 

graduation, and transfer for Hispanic and low-income students at Oxnard College (OC) in 

Ventura County, CA.

The Proyecto Puentes project design reflects evidence-based methods and strategies shown to 

have strong promise in increasing postsecondary enrollment, retention/persistence, transfer, 

certificate, and degree completion outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students, like those 

that comprise the majority of OC’s students. Proyecto Puentes (Project Bridges) will build the 

bridge between each milestone on the student’s academic journey.

High Need for the Project: Over 74% of our enrolled student population are Latino/a, 97% 

qualify for Pell, California Promise scholarships, or both. A 2021 OC Student survey revealed 

that over 42% of the parents of OC students were not high school graduates. 61% of Hispanic 

students surveyed in 2021 indicated that neither their mother nor father graduated from high 

school. So, this project is highly relevant to our community’s needs.

The project’s activity objectives focus on strengthening OC’s academic programs by expanding 

our capacity to offer pre-college counseling, summer bridge programs, enhanced dual-credit 

services and clarified transfer pathways. Proyecto Puentes (Project Bridges) will build the 

bridges our students need to confidently move from enrollment to completion to transfer. We

will also strengthen our institutional management through evidence-based professional

learning and equity-centered practices that generate a stronger sense of belonging for Hispanic 

and low-income students.

The project responds to Competitive Preference Priority 1 through evidence-based 

organizational learning for Oxnard’s faculty and staff that will enhance students’ sense of 

community and belonging, strengthen instructional effectiveness, and advance Oxnard College’s 

Educational Master Plan Goal 3: Advance social justice and equity-minded practices, and Goal 

2: Enhance student success, particularly the objective to close all student equity gaps.

The project responds to Competitive Preference 2 through expanded academic and transfer 

counseling activities of the project that will reduce the time and cost of earning postsecondary 

degrees. This will occur in the form of pre-college and embedded advising and counseling 

services, clarified transfer pathways and systems, and the creation of a Transfer Liaison position.

The Title V Proyecto Puentes investments and activities will enrich our students’ experiences as 

they explore, choose, plan, and pursue their programs of study within OC’s Guided Pathways 

framework (Lahr & Jenkins, 2022). We anticipate a successful implementation will yield 

increased enrollment (5%), retention (5%), persistence (5%), completion (5%) and transfer (5%) 

for Hispanic and other low-income degree seeking students. These students are the project’s 

primary focus and target population.

The project requests $3,000,000 to support the five-year project from October 1, 2022-

September 30, 2027.
22 

Butte College, Butte-Glenn Community College District 

Center for Access, Support & Achievement (CASA) Project

Title V-Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Program

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Center for Access, Support & Achievement (CASA): Building a comprehensive support 

network for student success and completion

Butte College of the Butte-Glenn Community College District (BC) is a regionally 

accredited, comprehensive community college located in the Northern Central California Valley, 

90 miles from Sacramento, California and equal distance from the towns of Chico, Paradise and 

Oroville. It cannot be overstated how the November 2018 Camp Fire, the August Complex and 

North Complex Fires of 2020, and the Dixie Fire of 2021 continue to negatively impact the 

region and the lives of our students, faculty and staff. The Camp Fire surrounded the campus, 

closing the college for 18 days. The region and the college are still struggling to recover. As of 

spring 2021, enrollment was down 19% from spring 2020. With a prior 15% decline in 

enrollment immediately after the fire, a growing Hispanic population of 31% and an alarming 

54% of the student body receiving financial aid, the college serves an increasing number of 

academically challenged students that severely test its ability to reach and maintain the levels of 

student progression and goal completion that it strives to achieve. 

CASA will implement the three primary components (see below) to increase the number of 

Hispanic and low-income (H/LI) students that enroll, persist through transfer-level math and 

English, and complete transfer requirements for a successful transition to a four-year university 

within no more than four years. CASA will provide clearly structured and intrusive student 

advising, financial literacy training and a robust professional development plan to help 

underrepresented students obtain the skills and knowledge necessary as they progress through to 

a certificate or an associate degree and transfer. Project outcomes for H/LI students include a 

10% increase in the number who enroll with a plan to complete a degree or certificate, 10 

percentage point increase in persistence, a 19% increase in completion of transfer-level math and 

English, a 20% increase in students who complete within 200% time and a 40% increase in 

transfer rates.

The three primary CASA components are as follows:

Component One: Increase the enrollment and financial literacy preparation for Hispanic 

and Low-income Students. 

Component Two: Completion and retention strategies to increase course success and 

progression in transfer-level math and English, and to improve the time to completion for 

degree/certificate and transfer.

Component Three: Professional development and sustainability to improve cultural 

pedagogy and course alignment to Guided Pathways and increase the college’s resource 

development capacity to strengthen fiscal stability.

CPPs—CASA will address both CPP#1 (Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic 

Needs) and CPP#2 (Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and 

Post-Enrollment Success). 

1 
23 

Abstract

Esperanza College was founded in 2000, when Eastern University, a comprehensive private 

Baptist university of more than 3,600 students located in the metropolitan Philadelphia area, 

responded to the call to partner with one of the nation’s largest Hispanic community 

development organizations, Nueva Esperanza, Inc. (Esperanza), to launch an Eastern University 

branch campus in the heart of Hispanic North Philadelphia. Based in Hunting Park, Nueva 

Esperanza, Inc has served this community for more than three decades, with an expressed 

commitment to strengthening Hispanic communities and an emphasis on building an 

“opportunity community” - a city marked by quality schools, safe streets, thriving cultural 

expressions and small businesses – in an area with the highest concentration of Hispanic 

residents, which had long experienced divestment and limited academic opportunities. 

Esperanza College, Philadelphia’s only Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and one of just two 

HSIs in the state, serves a highly underserved urban community where 49.1% of residents are 

Hispanic, more than half (50.2%) of whom live in poverty. Among Hispanic adults aged 25 and 

above, just 7.1% hold a bachelor’s degree. EC’s students reflect the community’s underserved 

socio-economic demographics, 67% are Hispanic, 53% are first generation in college, 90% are 

low-income, and 56% come from families with annual household incomes of less than $20,000. 

Mission-driven to serve as a gateway to postsecondary potential for Latino, underserved 

students, EC recognizes opportunities to increase access to and success in postsecondary 

education opportunities through online programming. EC proposes Interactive and Inclusive: 

Equitable Access to Online Learning Programs for Underserved Latinos, a Title V HSI project 

with the following Action Plan: 

Action Plan 1: Expanding Curricular Access and Improving Instructional Quality

 Revise and/or Convert 46 existing courses to online delivery and Develop 6 new courses 

for online delivery, resulting in: 

o 100% of General Education Core courses available for online delivery

o Three in-demand degree programs available for 100% online delivery

-Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education

-Associate of Science in Business

-Associate of Science in Esports Management

 Faculty training to ensure effective delivery of online instruction and to facilitate online 

course design that guarantees inclusiveness. Content will include 1) Quality Matters 

Principles of Online Course Design, 2) Peralta Online Equity Rubric to promote inclusive 

and equitable learning, 3) Inclusive Course Design Models, and 4) Theoretical 

Approaches for Fostering Inclusion & Representation

Action Plan 2: Promoting Success via Virtual Support and Outreach Services

 Develop/implement the following Online Support Services: 1) Online learning Readiness 

Assessment, 2) Online Success Coaching, and 3) Online New Student Orientation 

 Develop/implement the following Outreach Services: 1) Community 

Informational/Referral Sessions, 2) Outreach Advisory Group, and 3) Career Mentoring

This proposed project addresses both Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Meeting Student 

Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs) and CPP 2 (Increasing Postsecondary Education 

Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success) for the 2022 competition.

Esperanza College requests $2,997,072 to implement this comprehensive five-year HSI Project
24 

TV Individual Development Grant Application EDP University of Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT

“Empowering Hispanic students for academic success by enhancing programs and 

restructuring student support services”

EDP University of Puerto Rico, a Hispanic-Serving Institution proposes a Title V Project to 

improve student performance and thereby increase the institution's retention, completion rates 

and productivity. The Project addresses Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Meeting Student

Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs) and Competitive Preference Priority 2 (Increasing

Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success).

The Activity intends to: (a) strengthen academic support services through the provision of 

intensive tutoring services for at-risk students in a positive, inclusive, and identity-safe climate 

(CPP1); (b) establishment of One-Stop Student Support Center that will allow for integrating

multiple comprehensive and evidence-based services or initiatives, such as academic advising,

structured/guided pathways, and career services (CPP2); (c) establishment of a Learning 

Commons to promote collaboration; (d) strengthen the teaching-learning environment through the 

establishment of a Crime Scene Investigation Lab to expand experiential learning and allow 

students and faculty to conduct research, clinical practices, and simulations; (e) instructional 

laboratory upgrades to enhance the instruction of the Fashion Design and Interior Design 

programs; (f) provision of evidence-based professional development opportunities designed to

build asset-based mindsets for faculty and staff on campus and that are inclusive with regard to

race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status (CPP1); (g) improved early alert system;

(h) reduce time-to-degree completion by minimizing course withdrawals and course failures; and

(j) introduce effective teaching techniques in the core and second-level curriculum to improve 

student outcomes. The proposed strategies will bolster students’ academic outcomes, improve 

retention, and graduation rates, foster improved grades, and increase student satisfaction.

Contact Person: Dr. Doris V. Rodriguez, Chancellor, San Sebastian Campus

E-mail: dvrodriguez@edpuniversity.edu Telephone: (787) 892-2252 Ext. 3247

Performance measures will include, but will not be limited to, increasing the number of 1) 

students receiving multiple comprehensive student support services; 2) students receiving tutoring 

services to enhance their academic achievement, 3) students in good academic standing, 4) faculty 

participating in professional development opportunities, 5) faculty incorporating asset-based 

approaches into their teaching strategies, and 6) fashion design instructional classrooms equipped 

with state-of-the-art, industry-standard equipment. Sample of other key measures by the end of

the grant period: a) at least 75% of students receiving tutoring will approve basic Math, Spanish 

and English courses with a GPA of “C” or better; b) at least 90% students will receive tutorial 

services in the targeted disciplines as recorded by attendance data; c) 85% of faculty participating 

in professional development will incorporate asset-based approaches in teaching and learning;

d) two crime scene labs supporting the instruction of the Criminal Justice in Forensic program; e) 

fashion design instructional classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art, industry-standard 

equipment; and f) increase the number of Hispanic students completing postsecondary education. 

The Activity budget dedicates 30 % to personnel; 5% to fringe benefits); 11 % t o consultants 

who will be key resources in delivering the activities and services to participating students 

and faculty; 13 % for equipment and supplies; 1% for travel; 30% for construction; and 2% for 

other costs. Of the $3,000,000 request, approximately 8% will be dedicated to project 

management and evaluation. 
25

Ranger College

Ranger, Texas

Ranger College is a two-year public college located in Ranger, Texas. Ranger College serves 

over 3,000 part-time and full-time students and awards the Associate of Arts, Associate of 

Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees. Ranger College offers dual-credit college 

classes to students in over 40 different high schools in its service region in rural north central 

Texas. In addition to Ranger’s main campus, the college provides comprehensive course 

offerings in satellite campuses in Brown County and in Erath County. Ranger serves portions 

of five rural counties in north-central Texas. This region has some of the lowest average 

income and educational attainment levels in the state. All five of the counties have poverty 

rates above the state average.

Ranger College is requesting a total of $3,000,000 over five years for this project, Ranger 

REACH, to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students. 

Specifically, Ranger will increase enrollment of underserved students, increase retention and 

graduation rates and provide more opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students to 

transfer to four-year institutions.

The activities of Ranger REACH include the construction of Pathway Centers at all three 

campuses, the addition of success/career coaches and expansion of tutoring programs to 

assist underserved students. Ranger will enhance its new student “6 x 6” initiative by 

revamping orientation and the bridge program to include more families and Spanish language 

sessions. Underserved students will be presented with a full array of academic, wraparound 

and career services through the programs of this Title V project. Further, Ranger will institute 

a series of faculty and staff development aimed at improving the campus culture of belonging 

through asset-based mindset training.

Ranger REACH program has four overarching goals:

 Goal #1 Increase enrollment and early success of Hispanic and low-income 

students.

 Goal #2 Increase Retention Rates for Hispanic and low-income students.

 Goal #3 Increase Hispanic and low-income students’ sense of “belonging” on campus

 Goal #4: Increase graduation and transfer rates for Hispanic and low-income students.

Ranger is addressing Competitive Preference Priorities #1 and #2 in this application.
26 

Project Abstract

Project Title: Reversing the Covid Tide: A Responsive, Flexible Student Support Program

for Increased Enrollment and Graduation Rates in Puerto Rico

Target Area: Increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students who have access to 

and complete articulated high need degrees in Puerto Rico’s Metro Region area that is one of 

the most economically disadvantaged in the nation, where educational attainment is low.

Project Goals

G1: Develop institutional capacity to respond to current and future pandemics and disasters, through 

innovative and relevant degree pathways (Psychology) with embedded and flexible student service 

programs (such as B-WELL-Building Wellness and E-Learning Leaders) (GRPA e).

G2: Expand focus on retention, persistence and graduation by adopting research proven student 

support programs that coordinate academic and student support strategies that facilitate Hispanic 

student transition through upper division studies in high demand fields (GPRA b). 

G3: Strengthen college capacity for offering opportunity equity for all students through stronger 

outreach to high school students, and career-center learning and internships.

Project Objectives

O1: Increase overall institutional enrollment by 10% over 2021 baseline (6730 students) and restore 

enrolment in the Psychology degree pathway to pre-covid levels (2018 enrollment=378 students).

O2: Increase by 10% points the percentage of Hispanic first-time, full-time degree-seeking 

undergraduate students who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year 

and are enrolled in the current year who remain in a degree/ credential program (GPRA b - retention). 

(2021 baseline: 74%).

O3: Increase by 15 points the percentage of Hispanic, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students 

graduating within six years of enrollment with a degree (GPRA a – native baccalaureate graduation). 

(2021 baseline: 33%)

O4: Serve at least 400 Hispanic students annually, who participate in B-WELL services and participate 

in e-learning course offerings and who persist to complete a degree or credential (GPRA a - 

completion). 

O5: At least 200 students will participate in internships and Undergraduate Research Experiences. 

O6. 100% of Metro faculty will receive professional development in mental and emotional health first 

aid interventions.

All project strategies and activities have been designed to meet both Competitive Preference

Priorities (#1 & #2) as described in the NIA.

Strategies and Activities that meet the CPPs include:

Holistic Student Support System and Academic Advising Intrusive advising across educational sectors 

with tailored guidance and accelerated pathways to completion (CPP 1; CPP 2.a.2). 

Career Readiness Incorporate career-building and giving Hispanic students tools to become competent 

professionals (CPP 2.b, d).

Peer Coaching Peer coaching, and other mentorship helps students’ problem solve and feel a sense of 

support and belonging (CPP 1.a.1, 2; 2.b, d). 

Culturally Responsive welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment (CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3). 

Modernizing High-need degree pathways New high-need and high-earning degree pathways will 

increase postsecondary access for Hispanics (CPP 2.a, b, c, d).

Mental Health Interventions Addressing the mental issues affecting students mainly due the pandemic 

(CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3) 

Faculty Professional Development to help faculty identify students at risk experiencing social, 

behavioral and mental health problems (CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3)
27

Abstract: Transforming Hispanic STEM Undergraduate Education by Imparting SocioEmotional and Experiential Learning Skills.

Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas Campus (IAUPR-BC) is one of the eleven 

campuses of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico System (IAUPR), the largest non-profit 

hispanic private higher education system in Puerto Rico. Of the IAUPR-BC students, most come 

from economically challenged family backgrounds, and this grim situation has worsened in the 

face of natural disasters, and most recently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For these disadvantaged 

students, their investment in higher education in terms of time, effort and money deserves to be 

matched by an institution offering them highest quality education, particularly so that this 

education works as a tool to rebuild the economic strength of families and communities and 

strengthen the STEM workforce. In general, too, the modern studentseeksto engage in a university 

education that adequately prepares them for professional success. However, it is extremely 

challenging for smaller higher-education institutions such as IAUPR-BC to bring about any major 

changes and improvements because of institutional weaknesses and financial limitations. 

Particularly, the institution almost exclusively depends on tuition funds, and therefore, low 

retention rates coupled with very few recognizable sources of external revenue have led to 

significant problems.

This ambitious Developing Hispanic Serving Institution (DHSI)Title V project at IAUPR-BC aims 

to engage students of STEM programs in academic courses and co-curricular activities that are 

designed to help them achieve their educational and career goals. Also, crucial to enhancing this 

educational experience are mentoring and counseling facilities and support systems that meet 

specific student needs. Project Activity 1 aims to increase student retention and success by a strong 

peer mentoring and counseling approach and the transformation of student services. This goal will 

be achieved by updating STEM courses with English Learning Skills, providing tutorial services, 

engaging students in experiential research learning activities. An on-campus STEM Innovation 

Laboratory Center will be established to bolster hands-on experiences of students and provide 

them with an immersive scientific environment. Faculty mentors will be appointed in addition to 

dedicated tutorial services for students. With its improved facilities, the campus will also provide 

exciting internship opportunities for K-12 students from local school. Students will have improved 

access to mental health counseling and a daycare facility will be set up to support students and 

faculty. Project Activity 2 will increase student work preparedness by work-based training 

experiences and early alert mentoring systems. Partnering with industries on the island, the 

university will provide internship opportunities to 30 students. To further enhance professionally 

relevant experiences for students, 20 professional development workshops will be organized.

The implementation of these planned activities will help overcome institutional weaknesses and 

significant problems, while simultaneously enabling the successful attainment of the objectives of 

the proposed project. Finally, as these proven strategies help achieve the project goals, IAUPRBC will ensure that they are institutionalized and sustained after the grant period ends.

IAUPR-BC requests a five-year total of $3,000,000.00 for this DHSI Title V Project.
28 

Institution: National University

Project: Accelerating Curricular Change and Enhancing Student Support (ACCESS)

National University (NU) is a non-profit, predominantly online institution of higher education with 

its headquarters located in San Diego, California. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit 

university, NU enrolled 29,964 (14,330 undergraduates) students in the 2020-21 academic year. 

The university supports a diverse student body with flexible academic programs intended to meet 

the needs of both traditional and non-traditional students. NU’s undergraduate students currently 

have a median age of 29 and are 30% Hispanic/ Latinx, qualifying it as a Hispanic-Serving 

Institution (HSI). Approximately 21% of undergraduate students are Pell recipients. 

NU proposes a Title V DHSI grant Project entitled ACCESS, which will address systemic barriers 

to student success and educational affordability through three project components and seven 

activities.

Component 1: Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment

Activity 1A: Intentional curriculum review supporting students who are historically denied 

access, underrepresented, or otherwise marginalized in higher education, focusing on assetbased and culturally responsive learning and assessment strategies and opportunities which 

may increase the sense of belonging among Hispanic/Latinx students. 

Activity 1B: College-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion training for full- and part-time 

faculty, including assessment of attitudinal and teaching method changes. 

Activity 1C: Ensure diverse applicant pools and limit bias in faculty hiring through intentional 

job listings and updating interview panel standards within the college. 

Component 2: Ensuring Equitable Outcomes

Activity 2A: Systematically assess readiness and engagement in General Education courses to 

provide immediate triage and support for students. 

Activity 2B: Developing a faculty mentoring program for those academic programs showing 

the greatest equity gaps between Hispanic/Latinx students and the highest performing peer 

group.

Component 3: Reducing Educational Costs

Activity 3A: Prioritize the development of articulation agreements between National 

University and other Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) to reduce credit waste for NU’s large 

population of transfer students. 

Activity 3B: Prioritize the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) during curriculum 

review to reduce student expenses, especially those which are less predictable.

Undertaking these activities will result in increased retention, more units earned, decreased time 

to degree completion, more students transferring into NU, improved general education course pass 

rates, and the provision of grant-funded services to 60,000 students. 

NU is responding to both Competitive Preference Priority (CPP) 1: Meeting student social, 

emotional, and academic needs; and CPP 2: Increasing postsecondary education access, 

affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success. 

To properly develop and implement the proposed activities, NU requests a total of $3,000,000 in 

Title V DHSI funds over five years. 
29 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) serves over 9,000 undergraduate students, with 63% 

identifying as Hispanic, 65% receive Pell grants, and 42% are First Generation. Moreover, 39% of CSUB 

students transferred from a California Community College. CSUB is the only four-year institution of 

higher education within a 100-mile radius, serving a vast region encompassing Kern, Tulare, and Inyo 

counties, and parts of Los Angeles and Kings counties. Through this project, Puedes! Caminos, Cariño, y 

Carreras in a Post-Pandemic Era, CSUB will deploy the following three interconnected strategies to 

implement and scale the equity-minded interventions identified by Excelencia in Education as holding the 

most promise to increase attainment of Hispanic students, filling essential gaps to realize a seamless 

pathway to regionally high-demand, high-wage careers:

Strategy #1: Access & Pathways - CSUB will expand access for Hispanic students through multiple 

points of connection to educational and career pathways. Prospective Hispanic students, current high 

school dual enrollees, and transfers from key community college partners will benefit from a coordinated, 

community-wide commitment to improving higher education access and onboarding. 

Strategy #2: Support & Care - CSUB will deploy a multidimensional approach to serving Hispanic 

students’ cognitive, emotional, social, and basic needs in a post-pandemic era. This includes improved 

advising, early career and research experiences, and co-curricular supports which honor cultural wealth 

and foster a sense of belonging in and out of the classroom.

Strategy #3: Culture & Capacity - CSUB will drive a college culture shift to embrace the identity of an 

Hispanic-Serving Institution through intentional analysis of existing structures, policies, and practices that 

inadequately meet our standard of servingness while investing in faculty and staff cultural-competence. 

5-Year Objectives to be accomplished by September 30, 2027

• 1.a: Increase overall Hispanic student enrollment from 5,772 (63%) to 6,500

• 1.b: Increase Dual Enrollment annual enrollment from 1084 to 1300

• 1.c: Increase dual enrollment course offerings per term from 45 sections to 60 sections

• 2.a. Reduce Hispanic student DFW rates from 75.3% to 65%

• 2.b. Increase dual enrollment success from 89.1% to 93%

• 3.a: Increase first-time Hispanic student fall-to-fall retention from 74.5% to 80%

• 4.a: Increase Hispanic native freshmen 4-year graduation rate from 27% to 35%

• 4.b: Increase Hispanic native freshmen 6-year graduation rate from 47.7% to 53%

• 5.a: Increase Hispanic transfer student 2-year graduation rate from 44% to 50%

• 5.b: Increase Hispanic transfer student 4-year graduation rate from 78.6% to 83%

• 6.a: Restore utilization of the Food Pantry from 2,511 to 11,595

• 6.b: Restore utilization of mental health services from 540 to 959

• 7.a: At least 100 students annually attend the Summer Bridge

• 7.b: At least 20 students annually complete an internship

• 7.c: At least 400 college employees, including at least 200 faculty members complete a projectsponsored professional development certificate

Competitive Preference Priorities (CPPs # 1 & #2)

The project is also intentionally designed to address both Title V Competitive Preference Priorities 

(CPPs). The CPP strategies are not auxiliary elements of the project design but are integrated in the 

overall design to fundamentally advance CSUB’s ability to meet the stated objectives to address the 

persistent problems disproportionately affecting Hispanic and low-income students in the region.

CPP #1: Address social, emotional, and academic needs by fostering a positive, inclusive, and identitysafe environment for Hispanic and other underserved students through intentional, early, ongoing, and 

sustained efforts to connect students to their peers, college personnel, and their programs of study. 

CPP #2: Increase postsecondary education access, affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success 

by setting Hispanic and other underserved students up for success in high-demand, high-wage careers.
30

Sacramento City College has developed Caminos de la Ciudad, a project designed to create a 

seamless transition from Freshman Seminar to the second semester of college, while providing a 

continued pathway and support to students as they enroll in a major course and complete both 

English and math in their first year of college. This grant will help the college build capacity for 

and implement the third and fourth pillars of Guided Pathways: Help students stay on their path; 

and Ensure that learning is happening with intentional outcomes.

SCC’s overarching goal with this grant is to resume where its Guided Pathways project ended 

and to provide an additional clear pathway for students, particularly those who are Latinx and/or 

low-income, to succeed in their community college classes and on to transfer or meaningful 

work. The college’s focus on the next steps of Guided Pathways is grounded in the institutional 

goal to provide SCC students with a place to learn, grow, belong, and find and pursue their 

academic, career, and life paths. Caminos de la Ciudad will allow SCC to expand that 

commitment to ensure that students can find their path and remain on it successfully as they 

move toward graduation, transfer, and/or career achievement. The project has five measurable 

objectives:

Objective 1: By Sept. 30, 2027, increase the persistence (Fall to Spring) rate of first-time-in 

college (FTIC) Hispanic/ Latino and/ or low-income students by 8 percentage points.

Objective 2: By Sept. 30, 2027, increase the retention (Fall to Fall) rate of first-time-in-college 

(FTIC) Hispanic/ Latino and/ or low-income students by 5 percentage points.

Objective 3: By Sept. 30, 2027, improve the transfer-ready number of first-time-in-college 

(FTIC) Hispanic/ Latino and/ or low-income students by 56 percent.

Objective 4: By Sept. 30, 2027, increase the number of awards (degrees) earned by first-time-incollege (FTIC) Hispanic/ Latino and/ or low-income students by 72 percent.

Objective 5: By Sept. 30, 2027, increase second-year course success rates of first-time-incollege (FTIC) Hispanic/Latino and/ or low-income students by 3 percentage points.

SCC is seeking $2,998,227 over five years to implement this project. This represents 33% for 

project management and evaluation (Project Director, Administrative Assistant, Research 

Analyst, and External Evaluator); 50% for other salaries and fringe benefits; 3% for travel; 6% 

for supplies; 4% for construction; 3% for contractual (professional development trainers); and 

1% for other.

SCC is responding to both competitive preference priorities as outlined in the Request for 

Proposals. The project clearly includes elements that will both meet student academic, social, 

and emotional needs; and increase postsecondary education access, affordability, completion, 

and post-enrollment success.

ABSTRACT
31 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a four-year accredited faith-based university committed to 

excellence in higher education. The main campus, located in the diverse Southern California 

area, is approximately 26 miles from Los Angeles. The undergraduate student body of APU 

numbers nearly 4000 with 28% being low-income who are also first-generation and 57% coming 

from student communities (Hispanic/Latinx, Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American 

Indian/Alaska Native, or bi/multi-racial) who have historically had inadequate access to higher 

education. The relatively large number of Hispanic/Latinx students on campus, including a 5% 

increase in their already high enrollment numbers over the past 5 years, provides a unique 

opportunity for the APU “Advancing Student Achievement and Success” project to improve our 

student success and retention rates.

The targeted population for APU’s Title V Grant is Hispanic/Latinx students, low-income 

students, and adult/returning/transfer students. The Grant outlines several areas of APU’s 

strengths and also describes various weaknesses in meeting the needs of Hispanic/Latinx 

students, low-income students, and adult/returning/transfer students. These descriptions include 

challenges with high rates of D/F/W grades, providing adequate mentoring/role models via upper 

class students, and providing robust academic advising, particularly to the adult student 

population. Additional challenge areas include data collection and management, faculty 

engagement with culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy, and retention tracking. This 

grant proposal clearly documents challenges that must be addressed on campus and how APU 

plans to address these issues with Title V funding. 

The Key Overall Goals and Measurable Objectives include: a) increasing student retention and 

graduation rates through the use of improved academic advising models, upper class Learning 

Assistants, and a Summer Bridge Program; b) improving organizational infrastructure and 

student tracking data systems through the development of a Student Success Network and 

implementation of student retention software (Stellic); and c) enhancing the student experience 

in the classroom via faculty development programs focused on justice, equity, diversity, and 

inclusion (JEDI), curricular/GE revisions inclusive of culturally responsive pedagogies, and 

mentorship skill development. A unique remodel of engaging learning spaces will also be 

implemented, as well as making important advances to APU’s endowment profile. 

Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2: The APU Advancing Student Achievement and Success 

project will also address competitive preference priorities (CPP) 1 and 2. CPP 1, Meeting Student Social,

Emotional, and Academic Needs, is addressed through the implementation of a Learning Assistants 

Model, whereby peers will work with first and second year students to coach and advise them about 

college success behaviors, reach out to marginalized students, and offer encouragement and referrals to 

counseling when appropriate. Academic Success Coaches and the Summer Bridge program will be 

utilized, and faculty will be trained on recognizing students in need, utilizing engaging pedagogy, and 

identifying appropriate referral behaviors. CPP 2, Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, 

Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success, is addressed through the establishment of a 

Student Success Network on campus, a group of faculty and student services professionals who will 

work under the leadership of the Title V Grant Program Director. CPP 2 will also be addressed through 

the use of a retention software tool (Stellic) which will allow all campus personnel to have more robust 

data on each student, to connect and communicate with students, and will allow the APU campus 

leadership to utilize aggregate and disaggregated data to improve student retention. 
32 

College of Southern Idaho Title V Program

Abstract 

The overarching goal of the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) Title V (Strengthening Hispanic 

Serving Institutions) Program is to increase the immediate “go-on” to college rate for Hispanic 

students in the Magic Valley while improving student attainment, institutional “servingness”, 

and student sense of belongingness. 

To accomplish this goal, the program has three primary objectives and nine key activities.

Objective 1: Improve the immediate “go on” to college rate from Jerome High School 

from 41% to 50% by the end of the grant. This will be accomplished by (1) Reestablishing 

the CSI Latinos in Action (LIA) Committee; (2) Integrating with and providing additional 

support services to the established high school based LIA organizations, including through a 

multi-year bridge program; (3) Implementing a “parent education” program designed to assist 

families of prospective students; (4) Providing wrap around services for participant families. 

Objective 2: Enhance institutional learning and professional development – This will be 

accomplished by (5) Hosting multiple community and student listening sessions (6) 

Implementing student testimonios and showcases; (7) Providing a series of professional 

development events for faculty and staff throughout the year. 

Objective 3: Create Culturally Responsive Curriculum and Pedagogy – This will be 

accomplished by (8) Creating a new program major (60 credits) focused on developing the skills 

of Heritage Spanish Speakers; (9) Strengthening 10 General Education courses with culturally 

responsive pedagogy. 

Competitive Priority #1: – This priority is specifically addressed in Activities 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7 

Competitive Priority #2: - This priority is specifically addressed in Key Activities 2, 3, and 4.
33 

COLUMBIA BASIN COLLEGE PROJECT ABSTRACT

Title: Closing Equity Gaps through Faculty Professional Development, Completion Coaching, 

and an Equity Center 

Contact Person for the Title V Proposal: Dr. Rebekah Woods, President, Columbia Basin 

College, 2600 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301; 509.547.0511, rwoods@columbiabasin.edu.

Institutional Background: Columbia Basin College (CBC), founded in 1955, is an open-door, 

public community college in Washington State serving both Franklin and Benton Counties. 

CBC’s main campus is in Franklin County, which is one of only three counties in Washington 

with a majority-Hispanic population. Hispanic residents represent 53% of the Franklin County 

population (and 31.4% of the total two-county CBC service population). CBC is one of the few 

designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the State of Washington, and Hispanic 

students now represent nearly 44% of CBC’s student population through its academic/transfer, 

workforce, and adult basic education (transition) programs. CBC enrolls more Hispanic students 

than any other community or technical college in Washington. 

Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP): CBC will address CPP #1 (a.1) by fostering a sense 

of belonging and inclusion for underserved students through development of an Equity Center 

and CPP#1 (a.2) by expansion and improvement of an evidence-based completion coaching 

model. CBC will address CPP #2 (b and d) through its completion coaching activity and Equity 

Center activity and CPP #2 (c) by increasing institutional research capacity through improvement 

of predictive analytics and effectiveness.

Goal: The goal of this project is to increase diverse students’ retention and sense of belonging 

and improve their academic, social, and emotional success, from enrollment through completion. 

Activities: The project has four activities: (1) faculty professional development and course and 

curriculum redesign; (2) predictive analytics and effectiveness; (3) improving student retention 

through completion coaching; and (4) implementation of an Equity Center. No subrecipient 

activities are included.

Key Outcomes: Ten measurable objectives focus on reducing gaps between First-Time-Entering 

College (FTEC) Hispanic and not-Hispanic students in fall-to-fall retention and completion/ 

transfer. In addition, the project will address CBC’s 10-year institutional objectives by reducing 

gaps between Hispanic and not-Hispanic students’ attainment of 30 credits within the first year, 

completion of a college-level English course within one year, and completion of a college-level 

mathematics course within one year. The project also includes measures to increase attainment of 

these outcomes for all FTEC students to raise institution-wide student success of key indicators.

Contributions to Research, Policy and Practice: This project contributes to the body of research 

focusing on the efficacy of an Equity Center in improvement of Hispanic, low-income and 

underrepresented student success outcomes including academic, social, and emotional success.

Population to be Served: The entire CBC student body will be served. Fall 2021-22 enrollment 

statistics: 6,632 headcount, 44% Hispanic, 44% White, 12% Not-White/Not-Hispanic.

Five-Year Project Budget: $3,000,000
34

Project Abstract

Dominican University of California (“Dominican”) is a private university in San Rafael, 

California. In fall 2020, Dominican had 1,374 undergraduate students, including 354 transfer 

students. Ninety-one percent of students were from California, 6% were from other states, and 

3% from other nations. 100% of incoming first-year students received financial aid, 68% 

identified as ethnically diverse and 23% were the first in their family to attend college.

Dominican is a Minority Serving Institution and many of its students are from low-income 

families.

Dominican’s deep commitment to historically underserved students is embedded in all work 

across the institution and continues to strengthen year after year in order to to meet the needs of 

our increasingly diverse student population. This dedication can be seen at each point throughout 

a student’s trajectory, from access and enrollment, through their time as a student at the 

university, and during the transition from life at Dominican to post-graduation. Created as an 

access and equity program to promote success and central to the university, the Dominican

Experience enables all students to engage in high-impact practices that deliver a network of full 

support to nurture deep learning and achievement. This innovative program facilitates social 

mobility through equitable access to connections and experiences for all students regardless of 

background or socio-economic status and is rooted in well-established research demonstrating 

the benefits of engagement in high-impact practices for underserved students in particular. In 

addition to the components of the Dominican Experience, the university offers a range of 

programs, services, and community partnerships designed to increase higher education 

opportunities for low-income, minority, and historically underrepresented students, with a 

growing group of institution-wide initiatives in place to support this work.

Dominican has requested a total of $2,998,354 over five years for this project, Vida Dominican, 

to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students. Specifically, Dominican 

will increase enrollment of underserved students, increase retention and graduation rates and 

provide more opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students to transfer to the university.

Dominican will provide student services and other programs at four key points in the student’s 

trajectory: Access, Connection, Success, and Completion. The strategies proposed by Dominican 

to improve outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students include construction of the Center 

for the Dominican Experience, the addition of Integrative Coaches, new peer mentors, a program 

to introduce local underserved students to the university, and a summer bridge program. In 

addition, Dominican will build an increasingly welcoming and inclusive campus and heighten 

underserved students’ sense of belonging by offering expansive professional development 

opportunities for faculty and staff that include teaching and relational development strategies 

from an asset-based mindset.

Dominican addresses Competitive Preference Priority Number1: Meeting Student Social, 

Emotional, and Academic Needs and Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing 

Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success.
35 

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program - Title V 

Long Beach City College CASA Program Abstract

Long Beach City College (LBCC) is the ninth largest college in the California Community College 

System, serving 34,463 students in 2020-21. The College is a minority-majority serving institution with 

Latinx-identifying students representing 53% of the student population. In 2020-2021 68% were 

economically disadvantaged and received some form of need-based financial aid. The College holds two 

federal minority-serving institution designations and is both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an 

Asian American/Native American/Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

The Community Advancing Student Achievement (CASA) Program will expand the scale of 

services designed to address the critical basic need insecurity faced by many of LBCC’s Hispanic and 

low- income students and the barriers it poses to their academic, professional, and personal success. The 

CASA Program will provide low-income Hispanic participants with direct aid, service referrals, and 

critical job placements to address their housing and food insecurities. To ensure long-term success for 

participants, CASA will connect them with integral support that include mental health, career, 

completion, and transfer services. Additionally, the Program will create an inclusive, compassionate, 

and welcoming environment for participants by providing several ways for faculty, staff, and 

administrators to participate in professional development that will foster approaches to services that are 

trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, and asset-based.

Through the creation of network of support that addresses students’ basic needs and connects them 

with key academic, social, and professional services, the CASA Program will achieve the following 

long- term goals: 1) Increase LBCC’s capacity to address the basic needs and mental health of Latinx

and low- income students so that they are able to achieve their educational goals; 2) Create a continuum 

of care that supports Latinx and low-income students experiencing basic need insecurity so that they feel 

valued throughout the process of completing their educational goals; 3) Ensure Latinx and low-income 

students are prepared to transfer to a 4-year university; and 4) Provide short- and long-term career 

supports that ensure Latinx and low-income students have stable income and are prepared for the 

workplace.

This proposal addresses both of the solicitation’s two Competitive Preference Priorities

(CPPs). CASA will address CPP#1: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs through 

fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved students who are experiencing the stress 

and trauma of basic need insecurity. As reflected in the name of the program, the Community 

Advancing Student Achievement is intentionally designed to welcome participants into a community of 

support that empowers their success by removing barriers, reducing stress, and supporting connections 

with key College services. The Program will be staffed with service providers who have the professional 

experience to support participants and are able to provide individualized services and referrals that are 

responsive to their unique needs and challenges. To ensure participants access the CASA’s holistic 

support system, program staff will provide warm referrals to ensure that students have identified 

contacts throughout the College to support their progress and growth. The CASA Program addresses 

CPP#2: Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment 

Success, through the development and implementation of a student success program that integrates 

academic advising, career services, and services that meet students’ basic needs. Participants will be 

supported by CASA staff specializing in basic needs insecurity, mental health, career development 

(including immediate job placement and long-term career support), and academic advising focusing on 

completion and transfer.
36

Project Abstract: Project Mount

The College of Mount Saint Vincent (CMSV, or the Mount) is a nonprofit, independent, 

four-year college that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s designations as both a minorityserving institution (MSI) and a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). CMSV is located in the

Bronx, New York, and because the majority of CMSV students live in the New York City

(NYC) metropolitan area or in lower Westchester County, the college is an important resource 

for undergraduate students from high-need and underserved backgrounds. More than 1,130 of the 

college’s undergraduates (49.5%) are Pell Grant recipients. Hispanic students account for 33% of 

all undergraduates, while Black students account for 17%, and Asian students comprise 6%.

The academic, institutional, and fiscal weaknesses detailed in CMSV’s Comprehensive 

Development Plan suggest two significant problems that CMSV proposes to address through 

Project Mount: 1) Low-income students and students in STEM majors achieve lower levels of 

academic success (as measured by graduation rates) than their peers; and 2) A lack of 

infrastructure including technology, automated processes, and environments and culture to 

promote evidence-based practices poses barriers to student and institutional growth.

In response to the first significant problem, CMSV proposes to develop a suite of new 

resources and supports to ensure that Hispanic and low-income students overcome struggles in 

STEM areas and develop exceptional analytical and quantitative skills while at CMSV. 

Specifically, CMSV will create support modules for 15 gateway and advanced STEM courses, 

and it will establish two new positions to provide real-time assistance to students: a quantitative 

and analytical skills specialist, housed in the existing academic resource center, to provide 

personalized and group tutoring to students in any major; and an academic success coach-advisor 

providing holistic student support including career guidance and preparation to low-income 

students in any major.

In response to the second significant problem, CMSV proposes to expand opportunities 

for high-impact undergraduate research by creating a vibrant new faculty research fellowship 

program involving students and peer mentors. This faculty research program will be accelerated 

with new laboratory equipment and supplies, and it will be sustained with a new 

research/internship endowment targeting Hispanic and low-income participation. As required, 

CMSV will match the federal contribution to this endowment with institutional funds. CMSV 

also proposes to secure new degree auditing and document management systems, which will 

save staff time, streamline the transfer of students from the many HSI community colleges in the 

area, and reduce administrative costs, thereby increasing financial sustainability.

Project Mount is clearly aligned with CMSV’s strategic plan, which was recently revised 

and remains in effect until 2025. The project will be guided by a steering committee including 

college leadership, project personnel, and various faculty. CMSV’s proposed activities also 

address both Competitive Preference Priorities. The project meets student social, emotional, and 

academic needs by providing “wraparound” services and by broadening opportunities for highimpact academic practices. The project will increase postsecondary education access, 

affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success by strengthening relationships with a 

large network of community colleges in the area, many of which are designated as HSIs, and by 

establishing a suite of new academic supports and services to promote post-enrollment success 

leading to graduation.
37 

ABSTRACT

Project Title: Promoting Academic Success through Student Support

Introduction/Service Area: Inter American University of PR, Bayamón Campus (IAUBC) is a 

private, nonprofit, four-year HSI located in Bayamón (part of the greater San Juan metro area). 

IAUBC serves an economically distressed area with high levels of poverty and low educational 

attainment. A large proportion of Bayamón’s population lives in poverty (34%) and residents 

earn 41% of what U.S. residents earn ($26,853 vs. $64,994). IAUBC’s Fall 2021 undergraduate 

enrollment was 3,675, 99% Hispanic and 81% Pell grant recipients. 

Institutional Problems: At this juncture, IAUBC is unable to respond to demand for programs 

sorely needed in Puerto Rico and to strengthen and expand academic support services for 

students with severe academic needs. The primary problems center around several key areas: 

gaps in career and technical education programming, institutional academic support systems that 

are limited in scope, the absence of critical resources to support students in challenging courses, 

and inadequate academic support targeted at entering students with at-risk characteristics.

Proposed Solutions: IAUBC’s significant problems will be strategically addressed through this 

Title V Activity. We intend to create targeted programs of study and student support services: 

• Two new Associate of Science degree programs (Electrical Engineering Technology and 

Surveying Engineering Technology) with a lab for each new program; 

• A comprehensive, multi-dimensional tutoring program, to encompass individual, group, 

and lab-embedded tutoring as well as Supplemental Instruction (SI); 

• A faculty professional development regimen to support SI, resulting in a more effective 

and comprehensive SI approach; 

• A mentoring program, to complement academic support with personal student support, 

especially for students who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic;

• Digital learning modules to provide additional academic support in highly-challenging 

courses through engaging supplementary resources accessible through any device; 

• A summer bridge program to pave the way for a successful university experience for new 

entering students with identified at-risk characteristics.

Anticipated Results: Expected outcomes at the completion of the five-year project include 

increased enrollment (+215); increased retention rate (+5 percentage points); increased number 

of degrees awarded (+56); and a minimum of 80 students in the pipeline to receive an associate 

degree in one of two fields that are experiencing severe labor shortages in Puerto Rico (Electrical 

Engineering Technology and Surveying Engineering Technology). 

Proposed Budget: The five-year budget for this Title V project is $2,999,803.

This Title V application addresses Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Meeting Student Social, 

Emotional, and Academic Needs), part (a-1) and part (a-2). The application also addresses 

Competitive Preference Priority 2 (Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, 

Completion, And Post-Enrollment Success), part (c) and part (d). 

Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus
38 

Project Abstract

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo: Parque Batey Central, Calle Unión, 

Fajardo, 00738

Project Director: Prof. Irma Morales, irma.morales@fajardo.inter.edu,(787) 863-

2390 ext. 2381

Project Title: Adelante! Attracting, Retaining, and Graduating Hispanics Through a 

Holistic Student Support Program

Target Area: Increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students who have access to 

and complete articulated high need degrees in Puerto Rico’s Eastern Region area that is one of 

the most economically disadvantaged in the nation, where educational attainment is low.

Project Goals

G1: Redesign the Speech and Language (SLP) and Criminal Justice (CJP) programs

G2: Expand focus on retention, persistence and graduation by developing a Holistic Student 

Support Program (HSSP 

G3: Strengthen college capacity for offering opportunity equity for all students through 

stronger outreach to high school students, and career-center learning and internships. 

Project Objectives

O1: Increase by at least 50% the number of Hispanic full-time degree-seeking undergraduate 

students enrolled in the redesigned SLP, CJP, and SWP.

O2: Increase by 10% points the percentage of Hispanic first-time, full-time degree-seeking 

undergraduate students who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the 

previous year and are enrolled in the current year who remain in a degree/ credential program 

O3: Increase by 15 points the percentage of Hispanic, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate 

students graduating within six years of enrollment with a degree 

O4: Serve at least 500 Hispanic students annually, who participate in grant-supported services 

or programs and who persist to complete a degree or credential.

All project strategies and activities have been designed to meet both Competitive Preference

Priorities (#1 & #2) as described in the NIA.

Strategies and Activities that meet the CPPs include:

Academic Advising Intrusive advising across educational sectors with tailored guidance and 

accelerated pathways to completion (CPP 1; CPP 2.a.2). 

Career Readiness Incorporate career-building and giving Hispanic students tools to become 

competent professionals (CPP 2.b, d). 

Mentoring Peer, faculty, and other mentorship helps students’ problem solve and feel a sense 

of support and belonging (CPP 1.a.1, 2; 2.b, d). 

Culturally Responsive welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment (CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3). 

Developing new degree pathways New high-need and high-earning degree pathways will 

increase postsecondary access for Hispanics (CPP 2.a, b, c, d). 

Mental Health Interventions Addressing the mental issues affecting students mainly due the 

pandemic (CPP 1.a.1, 2, 3)
39

Applicant: Santa Barbara City College

Project Title: La Experiencia en SBCC (The SBCC Experience)

About SBCC: Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a comprehensive community college 

serving the south coast of Santa Barbara County in California. In Fall 2021, the student 

population was 14,045 (5,290 full-time equivalent). That population includes 54% minority 

students (39% Hispanic) and 35% low-income.

Project Summary: SBCC is developing a project for this Title V grant competition that will 

assist more students – especially those who are Hispanic and low-income – in earning a degree 

through the development of an innovative first-year experience program and supporting 

activities, including professional development and mental health/social-emotional programming. 

These activities will help SBCC to improve metrics related to the success of its Hispanic student 

population. The FYE program will group students into cohorts (or houses) based on SBCC’s six 

Guided Pathways meta-majors. Key elements of La Experiencia en SBCC include support for 

student academic achievement and emotional well-being. All elements of the program design 

support first year students holistically. Key elements include culturally responsive and traumainformed seminars and curriculum, multimodal assignments and assessment supported by a 

learning lab, and wrap-around student services, specifically designed to support LatinX and lowincome students to succeed through their first year at SBCC, and beyond. This project is 

designed to provide ongoing support for students while also providing faculty with valuable 

training through on-campus workshops and travel to off-campus conferences related to FYE, 

equity, and student belonging.

Project Objectives: SBCC has established four project objectives. Each will be supported by 

performance indicators that will illustrate how the college expects to meet its five-year targets.

Objective 1: By Sept. 30, 2027, SBCC will improve the fall-to-fall retention rate for 

Hispanic students by six percentage points.

Baseline: 66% Goal: 72%

Objective 2: By Sept. 30, 2027, SBCC will increase the percentage of Hispanic freshman 

students who pass all of their courses with a C or better by seven percentage points.

Baseline: 66% Goal: 73%

Objective 3: By Sept. 30, 2027, SBCC will decrease the average time to degree completion 

for Hispanic degree-seeking students from 7.1 to 6.0 semesters. Baseline: 7.1 semesters

Goal: 6.0 semesters

Objective 4: By Sept. 30, 2027, serve 10,000 students with grant-funded services.

Baseline: 0 Goal: 10,000

Project Cost: The total funding requested for Experiencia en SBCC is $2,998,651. This 

represents funding for project management, oversight, and evaluation (33%); salaries and fringe 

benefits for faculty and staff who will work directly with students (34%); travel and professional 

development expenses (13%); equipment and supplies (14%); and construction (6%).

Competitive Preference Priorities: SBCC is responding for this application to both CPP 1 and 

CPP 2.
40

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY DEVELOPING HSI, TITLE V, PART A. ABSTRACT

Texas Tech University (TTU) requests $3,000,000 to fund its Developing HSI, Title V, part A 

Sirviendo Estudiantes: Moving Texas Tech from Hispanic Enrolling to a Hispanic Serving 

Institution (Sirviendo Estudiantes) for a five-year period (September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2027) 

to meet the proposed objectives and activities at a cost of $600,000 per year.

The proposed goals of TTU’s Sirviendo Estudiantes will consist of (1) Developing a Holistic 

Advising, Retention, and Student Success Interventions and Cultural Responsiveness Model (2) 

Enhance Student Success Course Outcomes to focus on the needs of Hispanic, low-incomes, and 

minoritized students (3) Increase Hispanic Undergraduate Student Retention (4) Increase Hispanic 

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Graduation. The Project Outcomes are: (1) 25% increase 

in interventions and cultural responsiveness (2) 15% increase enrollment into Student Success 

courses with 95% retention of enrolled students from first-year to second-year, and 50% of 

Academic Colleges Participating in the Student Success Course Model with Credit Toward Major

(3) 90% of undergraduate Hispanic students will persist from the first-year to the second-year (4) 

80% of undergraduate Hispanic students will persist from the second-year to the third-year and 

from the third-year to the fourth-year (5) 55% of Undergraduate Hispanic Students Will Graduate 

Within Four-Years (6) 67% of Undergraduate Hispanic Students Will Graduate Within Six-Years

(7) 5% increase of Master’s and Doctoral Degrees by Hispanic students.

The Sirviendo Estudiantes Project will provide the TTU community with enhanced academic 

advising, retention support, and student success model with an assets-based, integrated approach. 

The plan includes advising, peer mentorship; information on financial aid; assistance in completing 

financial aid applications; financial literacy; and support for applying for graduate school 

enrollment, faculty mentorship, graduate school bridge program, professional development for 

faculty and staff, curriculum enhancements. Moreover, the focus will provide support for students' 

diverse academic and non-cognitive needs to ensure that they persist, succeed and graduate from 

TTU and are prepared for their next phase.

The Comprehensive Development Plan for Sirviendo Estudiantes Project at TTU addresses the 

weaknesses and problems of the institution and how this Project will help to institutionalize efforts. 

The Project will achieve objectives through a comprehensive delivery of services plan outlined in 

the Project Design and Activity Objectives. The plan will be implemented by qualified and 

experienced staff detailed in the Key Personnel and funded by a Budget that is reasonable, costeffective, and adequate in relation to the objectives. Finally, the outcomes of all Sirviendo 

Estudiantes Project objectives will be monitored throughout each year and evaluated through the 

implementation of an appropriate formative and summative Evaluation Plan.

This application will address the following two (2) Competitive Preference Priorities:

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, 

Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success
41 

REEDLEY COLLEGE FY 2022 Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions 

United in Diversifying Our Students (UNIDOS) 

Reedley College (RC) is a fully accredited California two-year college located in the small rural 

community of Reedley in the heart of the California Central Valley. As a Hispanic Serving 

Institution with an enrollment of more than 18,000 students, 71% of students are Hispanic, and 

61% are low-income. RC requests a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to implement 

it’s Unifying the Diversity of Our Students (UNIDOS) STEM program. 

ACTIVITY: Unifying the Diversity of Our Students (UNIDOS) ($3,000,000 over five years) 

Strategies will increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students that enroll in STEM 

pathways, persist, complete a STEM pathway, and succeed in meeting the requirements for 

certificate/degree and/or transfer to a four-year university within two to three years. Reedley 

College will partner with Fresno State University for the purpose of meeting the articulation and 

transfer model Absolute Priority.

Project outcomes include: a 25% increase in the number of low-income Hispanic students who 

enroll in a STEM pathway, a 10% increase in the persistence of low-income and FTIC Hispanic 

students enrolled in STEM pathways, a 25% increase in the number of certificates and Associate 

Degree for Transfer (ADT) degrees conferred, and a 20% increase in the number of Hispanic 

and low-income students who transfer in a STEM field of study. 

To meet the performance outcomes, four (4) supporting strategies will guide the implementation 

of the proposed strategies: 

• Component One: Outreach for Increased Enrollment to increase STEM enrollment in 

Guided Pathways, improve success and preparation for Hispanic and low-income 

students through enhanced first-year experience strategies, Student Educational Planning, 

and innovative mobile STEM lab outreach strategies to rural communities. 

• Component Two: Academic and Student Support Strategies to increase course 

persistence in STEM introductory and transfer-level math courses, and to improve 

completion for ADT Degree/Certificate and Transfer through embedded and intrusive 

tutoring, STEM advising and mentoring, early alert, and counseling. 

• Component Three: Expanded Educational and Laboratory Capacity to strengthen STEM 

capacity and transfer preparation for low-income STEM students, improve lab facilities 

and upgrade equipment, develop new STEM course offerings, degree and certificate 

options, and create alternative course delivery options. 

• Component Four: Increased Articulation and Transfer Efforts to improve STEM course 

alignment to Guided Pathways and Vision for Success goals, expand articulated STEM 

pathways, dual admission, Professional Development and Instructional Design support. 

The project application addresses both competitive preference priorities. 

ABSTRACT

REEDLEY COLLEGE

UNIFYING THE DIVERSITY OF OUR STUDENTS (UNIDOS)

(Increasing STEM Enrollment, Persistence, Completion and Transfer)
42 

ABSTRACT

Merritt College is a public, two-year Hispanic Serving Institution in Oakland, CA, located in 

Northern California on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay. The college is one of 116 

California Community Colleges. Merritt Community College is a densely populated and diverse 

community with an increasingly complex and demanding economy. 

Merritt College proposes the Aspira Project, which will outreach, prepare, and guide more 

Hispanic and low-income students to improve representation in higher education, advance their 

educational attainment, and increase career placement in high-demand industries in the region. 

Merritt College’s Title V grant project, will overcome weaknesses and gaps in service identified 

through ongoing assessment and analysis and will put into place innovative structures that are 

“high impact practices” designed to create enriching academic opportunities that foster student 

success. These high impact practices will be informed by the Guided Pathways research and will 

include: 1) the development of a bilingual outreach and dual enrollment program, 2) peermentoring program that connects Hispanic students to matched peers, 4) a robust tutoring 

program for high need courses, 5) centralized retention programs including bilingual academic 

advising and transfer/career advising, and 6) professional development for faculty and staff in 

culturally responsive curriculum, pedagogy, and practice. The Project meets the Competitive 

Preference Priorities 1 and 2.

The purpose of the Aspira Project is to build institutional capacity to increase the number of 

Hispanic students earning certificates and attaining postsecondary degrees. The project will 

facilitate improvement in access, persistence, retention, and completion outcomes. Project Goals 

include: 1) Increase access and enrollment; 2) Increase academic success and retention; 3) 

increase graduation and transfer rates; 4) increase career placement rates; 5) implement a 

professional development program to increase culturally responsive curriculum, pedagogy, and 

practices.

Merritt College is requesting $2,980,033 over five years to support the Aspira Project initiatives 

and activities.

Contact: Dr. Lilia Chavez, Vice President of Student Services 

Merritt College 12500 Campus Drive Oakland, Ca. 94619 

(510) 436-2478, lchavez@peralta.edu
43

Lone Star College-Kingwood

Title V, Part A, Developing HSI Program- Mi Familia, Mi Futuro

Project Abstract

Lone Star College-Kingwood (LSC-KW) requests $2,174,425 to implement the DHSI ProgramMi Familia, Mi Futuro. Following a comprehensive SWOT analysis, a cost-effective five-year plan 

addresses a single activity objective to “improve postsecondary degree attainment of Hispanic, 

low-income and other underserved students by reducing student and institutional barriers.” The 

program design provides a theory of change illustrating the progression of addressing critical 

needs, leveraging identified strengths, supported by three evidence-based activity components:

− Activity Component #1: Strengthen and Align Outreach, Enrollment, Student 

Support, and Academic Pathways to the changing community and workforce.

o Method: Research, intentional and strategic planning, and evidence-based 

practices.

o Outcome: Increase the LSC-KW full-time student enrollment by eleven points 

over baseline (11,692- 0%) by 2027.

− Activity Component #2: Establish A College Access Center to advance student 

persistence, completion, and transfer for Hispanic, low-income, and underserved 

students.

o Method: Strengthen access and equitable and accessible academic and student 

programs.

o Outcome: Increase the Fall to Fall persistence of LSC-KW FTIC students by 

fifteen percentage points over the baseline (47%) by 2027.

− Activity Component #3: Build and Foster a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive 

Campus Culture, advancing success, completion/transfer for Hispanic and other 

underserved students.

o Method: Enhanced professional development, evidence-informed practice, 

equity-focused learning outcomes, and modernized technology and infrastructure.

o Outcomes: Increase the first-time, full-time LSC-KW students who complete

(certificate) or graduate (with a degree) within 3 yrs. by fifteen percentage points 

over the baseline (37%) by 2027; and increase the first-time, full-time LSC-KW 

students who transfer within 6 yrs. to a 4-yr IHE by twenty percentage points over 

the baseline (17%) by 2027.

An integrated mixed-methods approach to the program evaluation will monitor the progress in 

meeting or exceeding the program objectives. As a first-time awardee, LSC-KW requests funding 

to procure an external project evaluator for project year three to provide an independent analysis 

of the project strengths and recommendations for improving service quality and meeting project 

goals and sustainable ‘best practices’ strategies.

LSC-Kingwood has elected to address all DHSI Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP): 

Competitive Preference Priority #1: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs 

Competitive Preference Priority #2: Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, 

Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success.
44 

Abstract

The Cultivamos Excelencia HSI Title V part A Project will build a transfer receptive culture1 for 

Hispanic/Latinx and low-income community college students to thrive in their transfer pathways to the 

University of California, Santa Cruz and beyond, opening opportunities to graduate studies. 

Community college is the most common starting institution for Latinx students beginning their higher 

education journey. Transfer pathways also offer students a chance to re-engage with higher education if 

they left due to personal, family, or career needs, which were amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

UCSC, a national leader as a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution, seeks to create systemic change that 

will improve and streamline these pathways and the lives of our local community college Latinx, first 

generation and low-income students and address issues of inequities of transfer, graduation and 

advancing to graduate studies rates. 

During the last year a team of UCSC faculty and staff researchers analyzed data related to transfer 

students of color outcomes, transfer literature, UCSC transfer student survey data, and transfer student 

best practices and convened a Transfer Champion workgroup consisting of faculty and staff to process 

the data results. The Transfer Champion workgroup made 11 recommendations, six of which are 

addressed via these three primary components with also respond to both competitive preference points: 

1. Create a Community College Partnership Program that will focuses on building relationships 

early-on with students via mentorship2 and programing focusing prior to transfer, upon admissions, 

and through their transition to UCSC that cultivate a sense of belonging and personal relationships 

with staff and faculty at UCSC. Programs will focus on students in our local community colleges 

such as Cabrillo, Hartnell, San Jose City College, in programs such as Puente. 

2. Deepen our understanding as faculty and staff of our transfer pathways and Latinx transfer 

students' lived experiences. Departments will take action to streamline transfer pathways to 

improve Transfer Coherence welcoming our transfer students and connecting them to the 

opportunities available at a research university.

3. Expanding the graduate pathway with research and graduate school pathway mentoring, support 

during the graduate and research internship application process, and connecting transfer students to 

paid research opportunities. 

When taken together Cultivamos Excelencia will increase the number of newly enrolled Latinx transfer 

students by 10%; Increase the number of degrees awarded to Latinx transfer students by 5%; Increase 

Latinx transfer student’s sense of belonging by 5%; Increase Latinx transfer student’s intention to attend 

graduate school by 3%; Increase our capacity as practitioners to serve our transfer students of color. 

Funds requested: UC Santa Cruz is requesting $3 million over five years (10/1/2022-9/30/2027) to 

support the three Cultivamos Excelencia project components. 

Contact Person: Principle Investigator (PI) Charis Herzon HSI, Initiatives Director 

(charish@ucsc.edu), (831)-459-2986 

1 Herrera, A., & Jain, D. (2013). Building a transfer‐receptive culture at four‐year institutions. New Directions for Higher 

Education, 2013(162), 51-59. 2 Bettinger, Eric, and Rachel Baker. "The Effects of Student Coaching in College: An Evaluation of a Randomized 

Experiment in Student Mentoring. NBER Working Paper No. 16881." National Bureau of Economic Research (2011)
45 

CSU Monterey Bay - Building an Effective Ecosystem for Equity in STEM Careers

PROJECT ABSTRACT

California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). This project catalyzes efforts to increase 

institutional capacity to connect with students early, often, and sustainably through a servingminded approach for a high-demand, high-wage career in Mechatronics Engineering. This 

comprehensive approach addresses identified problems and opportunities by deploying three 

interrelated strategies designed to attend to Hispanic students' holistic needs along an academic 

and career pathway. STRATEGIES: #1: High-Demand, High-Wage Pathways: I .a.

Engineering Pathway: Create a Mechatronics degree at CSUMB and ensure equitable enrollment 

and completion. All STEM degrees will be mapped, with courses that foster students' sense of 

belonging and self-concept. 1.b. Holistic Support Ecosystem: Promote persistence through 

STEM pathways through wrap-around support services designed to holistically support students 

in the cognitive and affective domains oflearning. #2: Career-Focused, Experiential 

Learning: 2.a. Internships & Co-Operative Education: Develop internships and co-operative 

education positions at local businesses and on campus and embed opportunities for participation 

into STEM programs. Embed undergraduate research opportunities throughout the Mechatronics 

pathway; 2.b. Career-Focused Supports: Offer industry and career focused workshops, lectures, 

presentations, and events to expose STEM students to the array of opportunities related to their 

majors, within the context of their education. #3: Institutional & Industry Partnerships: 3.a.

Community College Engagement: Provide consistent engagement and presence on community 

colleges (CC) to increase equitable transfer and strengthen pipelines into CSUMB's 

Mechatronics degree; 3.b. Regional STEM Support Network: Establish a network of STEM 

support across education and industry to support intersegmental articulation and strengthen 

alignment. GOALS: #1 (Academic Programs): Develop and scale regionally a high-demand, 

high-wage Mechatronics pathway supported by curricular maps, support services, and physical 

facilities. #2 (Institutional Management): Create a whole-college, whole-community 

commitment to Hispanic-servingness to holistically support students in accessing and utilizing 

academic and co-curricular supports. #3 (Fiscal Stability): Increase student outcomes and close 

equity gaps to ensure viability, reduce financial impact on students, and ensure strong external 

stakeholder relations. 5-YEAR OBJECTIVES to be accomplished by September 30, 2027: 

Enroll at least 24 freshmen students annually (Hispanics proportionately represented) in 

Mechatronics; Halve the representation gap between (1) the percent of Hispanic engineering 

majors and (2) percent of all Hispanic undergraduates within 5 years; Enroll at least 24 upperdivision transfer students (Hispanics proportionately represented) in Mechatronics; Increase the 

number of transfer students from CC to CSUMB STEM pathways by 20%; Increase the number 

of Hispanic students transferring into STEM pathways to full parity with their representation 

among all CSUMB undergraduates; Increase first-year retention rates of Hispanic first-time, fulltime degree-seeking students (FT-FTF) enrolled in the STEM pathway by 10 points; Increase 6- 

year graduation rates of Hispanic FT-FTF in STEM degrees; Achieve a statistically significant 

increase in Hispanic students' sense of belonging in STEM as measured by the CSUMB 

Experience Survey. COMPETITIVE PREFERENCE PRIORITIES (CPP #1 & #2): The

project is intentionally designed to address both Title V CPPs. CPP #1: Holistically serve 

Hispanic and other underserved students' social, emotional, academic, and career development 

along a high-demand, high-wage engineering pathway. CPP #2: Improve on-ramps from K-12 

and regional CC to CSUMB by partnering with educational entities, promoting the 

socioeconomic benefits of the engineering/STEM programs as relevant to the strengths and 

needs of Hispanic students, their families, and their communities.
46

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), a comprehensive public state university in Chicago, 

proposes IMPACTOS: Improving Multiple Pathways for Academic and Career Thriving of 

Students. The project has three goals: (1) Improve student success by advancing strategies that 

target students’ social and academic needs, (2) Strengthen pathways from enrollment to 

graduation and post-graduation success, and (3) Improve academic program delivery for flexible 

learning. The IMPACTOS project will serve Hispanic and other low-income students in all 

majors (with the exception of STEM majors) from their first year to graduation. Hispanic and 

low-income STEM majors are currently being served through NEIU’s HSI grant ARCOS, which 

incorporates similar strategies. Through IMPACTOS, NEIU will establish a peer-to-peer

support program, professional development for faculty and staff, an industry advisory committee, 

an internship program, student centered career development with two pathways (credit bearing 

and non-credit bearing), coordinated career support, a career readiness framework, a formalized 

system of high-quality data collection, and the technology infrastructure to deliver flexible 

(hybrid) learning.

As a result of the proposed Title V program, NEIU anticipates the following outcomes: 

Students will demonstrate an improved sense of belonging, as demonstrated by pre- and postprogram surveys; NEIU will increase the percentage of students retained from their first to 

second year from 60.8% to 64.2%; NEIU will increase the percentage of students retained from 

their second to third year from 45.8% to 49%; 35% of NEIU faculty and staff will have 

participated in professional development opportunities and, by Year 2, 30% of faculty will 

implement cultural mentoring and career competencies within and outside of their classroom; 

NEIU will increase the percentage of students that graduate in six years from 19.9% to 22%; 

75% of students who completed an internship will be employed in their field within six months 

of graduation; 100 students will have earned a career readiness certificate, and 5% of all students 

will participate in credit-bearing courses each year; NEIU will have a formalized system for 

high-quality data collection to track post-graduate outcomes of 10 cohorts and use data to inform

programmatic decisions; NEIU will adapt 20 classrooms to provide flexible learning and train 25 

faculty members in flexible learning pedagogy and technology.

Finally, IMPACTOS will address Competitive Preference Priority 1 (CPP1) by creating 

a positive, inclusive, and identity safe climate; CPP2 (c) by enhancing data collection; and CPP2

(d) by implementing a multi-year experiential learning program, with the flexibility to work with 

students at any level of preparation, potentially taking students from their first through their 

senior year, or supporting students that have already begun their academic path.
47

Project Abstract

Sul Ross State University (SRSU), established in 1917, serves two-third of the 1,200-

mile Texas-Mexico border via four campuses. Its campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde

collectively comprise the SRSU Rio Grande College (RGC), which offers junior-level, senior 

level, and graduate-level coursework in Teacher Education, Business Administration, 

Humanities, and Natural and Behavioral Sciences. Through a unique partnership, SRSU-RGC 

is co-located with Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC), and all students who enroll at 

SRSURGC must have earned a minimum of forty-two (42) transferable semester credit hours.

Through this project, entitled Creating a Culture of Care at Sul Ross State University –

Rio Grande College, SRSU is committed to implementing a project that will significantly

expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic

students. This project will achieve three overarching goals: 1) Ensure that SRSU-RGC provides

an environment in which students can thrive; 2) Increase enrollment and the number of degrees

and credentials awarded; and 3) Provide academic programs and services that meet the current

and future needs of the regional workforce. To achieve these goals, the Creating a Culture of

Care project will attain the following measurable outcomes: Improve National Survey of 

Student Engagement (NSSE) student response scores across several critical categories to 75%; 

Increase the number of degrees and certificates awarded annually from a baseline of 238 to 300; 

Increase Fall headcount enrollment from a baseline of 840 to 1,000; Increase the annual oneyear persistence rate from a baseline of 68.2% to 75%; Improve degree completion among 

transfer students from a baseline of 47.9% to 65%; Increase the percentage of graduates 

working or enrolled one year after graduation from a baseline of 71.2% to 75%; Increase the 

percentage of teacher education majors who pass their teaching certification exams at 

graduation from a baseline of 21.6% to 50%; Increase the number of internship opportunities 

available to SRSURGC students to 25; Develop new programs in Cybersecurity, Hospital 

Administration, Finance, and Accounting, and enroll at least 20 students annually in each; At 

least 85% of faculty will indicate that they feel confident and competent using technology and 

working in online environments, and report an increased awareness of asset-based mindset.

Additionally, the project will address both CPP-1 and CPP-2, fostering a sense of 

belonging and inclusion for underserved students and increasing postsecondary education 

access and reducing the cost of college by creating clearer pathways for students between 

institutions and making transfer of course credits more seamless and transparent.

The budget requested ($2,990,971) reflects reasonable and justified expenses to achieve

these objectives. The personnel category is the largest (43%) and includes a project director,

Directors for Online Education and Distance Learning and Career Services, a Counselor, and

three (3) Retention Specialist Advisors who will be embedded on-site at SWTJC.
48

Project Ánimo - Hartnell College

Project Ánimo is an evidence-based, multipronged approach to improving the academic 

success and college experience for Hispanic and low-income students at Hartnell College. By 

expanding access to dual enrollment opportunities, implementing student support teams using 

a case management approach, integrating academic supports and equity-based

systemic reforms that are customized to meet the needs of disadvantaged students, the 

activities in this proposal expand Hartnell’s capacity to increase student access to early

college programs and deliver high-impact services to assist HSI students in being successful in 

college. A $2,999,767 5-year program of integrated academic supports and capacity-building 

activities that will impact 8,000 to 12,000 Hispanic and low-income students annually by 

2027, Project Ánimo will:

Strategy 1: Increase access, enrollment, and early college success of Hispanic and low-income 

students through expansion of the dual enrollment program.

Strategy 2: Increase student persistence and completion through an integrated academic 

support system designed for Hispanic and low-income student success, including the 

implementation of student success teams, case management advising, and other student 

support.

Strategy 3: Strengthen the academic infrastructure that supports Hispanic and low-income 

students and reduce institutional barriers to student success through equity-based systemic 

reforms, including culturally competent faculty professional development and new research 

tools to support data-driven decision-making.

Project Ánimo’s objectives include:

● 1. Increase Access/Enrollment: By 2027, there will be a 50% increase in the number of 

Hispanic and low-income degree-seeking students enrolled at Hartnell.

● 2. Decrease Time to Completion: By 2027, there will be a 23% decrease in the average 

number of years for Hispanic and low-income students to complete a degree or certificate 

or transfer.

● 3. Decrease Credits to Degree: By 2027, there will be a decrease in the average number 

of units earned per degree completed by Hispanic and low-income students.

● 4. Expand Dual Enrollment: By 2027, there will be a 455% increase in the number of 

Hispanic and low-income degree-seeking students enrolled in dual enrollment courses.

Project Ánimo satisfies both Competitive Preference Priority #1 by implementing several 

evidence-based practices for advancing student success for underserved students, and 

Competitive Preference Priority #2 through the development and implementation of student 

success programs that integrate multiple comprehensive and evidence-based services or 

initiatives.
49

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has exceeded all expectations, becoming 

one of the largest, most diverse public universities in Texas and the second-largest university in 

The University of Texas System. As a premiere Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), UTSA has 

excelled at providing research and education opportunities to all students, addressing the unique 

needs and building upon the strengths of our Hispanic student body. Despite these accolades, 

UTSA is facing a serious challenge retaining and graduating Pell-Eligible, First-Generation and 

Hispanic students due to “stop-outs” caused in large part, by the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) 

pandemic. This proposal has identified key barriers for UTSA students as ones that affect 

retention and graduation, which mirror the goals that this grant would support: Financial 

Fluency, Mental Health Well-being, and Persistence and Retention.

Goal 1 (Financial Fluency) of the proposal will move students from financial literacy to 

financial fluency post COVID-19. Goal 2 (Mental Health Well-being) will facilitate the mental 

health well-being of students to address the persistence and retention of UTSA students (Goal 3 

Persistence and Retention). La Reforma: FRoM COVID-19 to Graduation will further UTSA’s 

Strategic Plan of having 75% of all undergraduate students participate in some form of 

experiential learning by the time they graduate.

Key Words: Hispanic, First-Generation, COVID-19, Financial Fluency, Mental Health
50 

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC), one of the ten colleges in the Maricopa 

County Community College District (MCCCD), is a public 2-year institution of higher education.

Contact Person: Jenna Kahl, Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement 

Email: jenna.kahl@cgc.edu, phone: 480-732-7093

Project Title: ¡Éxito! Podemos Imaginar Contigo (EPIC)

Target Population: CGCC Students—Hispanic and Low-Income students in particular

Abstract: CGCC is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), accredited by the Higher Learning 

Commission, that serves over 17,000 students annually. With over 70 academic programs and 

two campuses throughout the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, the College’s mission 

is to create learning experiences and growth opportunities designed for its diverse communities. 

Its purpose is to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of 

students, Hispanic students in particular; and, to expand and enhance the academic offerings, 

program quality, and institutional stability of the College. The program’s purpose will be 

accomplished through the following realistic, thoughtfully planned Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1 Academic Programs: INCREASE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION ACCESS, AFFORDABILITY, 

COMPLETION, AND POST-ENROLLMENT SUCCESS (CPP 2)

Activity Objective 1.1: Increase the number of underserved dual enrollment students by 11%. 

[Baseline: 19%; Target: 30%]

Activity Objective 1.2: Increase the number of underserved students who enroll in and complete 

postsecondary education program by 5%. [Baseline: 30%; Target: 35%]

Activity Objective 1.3: Increase student engagement by 150%. [Baseline:98; Target: 245]

Goal 2 Institutional Management: MEET STUDENTS SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND ACADEMIC NEEDS (CPP 1)

Activity Objective 2.1: Increase sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved students by 0.3 

points. [Baseline: 5.22; Target: 5.52]

Activity Objective 2.2: Expand Capacity of Institutional Planning and Research Office by increasing 

the number of Researchers by 33%. [Baseline: 3; Target: 4]

Goal 3 Fiscal Stability: EXPAND FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS EMERGING NEEDS AND 

OPPORTUNITIES.

Activity Objective 3.1: Increase Financial Resources through creation of an Endowment with a 1:1 

College match. [Title V: $100,000; College: $100,000]

Activity Objective 3.2: Increase the number of Hispanic and Low-Income students participating in 

Financial Literacy-related workshops by 30%. [Baseline:0; Target:30%]

CGCC request less than $600,000 per year to efficiently and effectively implement the project, 

for a total of $2,996,263 over the 5-year grant period. Afterwards, the College has clear plans to 

institutionalize successful practices and specific personnel to ensure lasing institutional change.

Project Abstract
51

El Centro Northern New Mexico College

ABSTRACT

Northern New Mexico College in Espanola, New Mexico, proposes the El Centro Title

V project. The project’s goals are to 1) Expand institutional capacity to support and guide dual

enrollment/dual credit (DE/DC) and transfer students successfully into post-secondary 

academic and career pathways; 2) Strengthen academic quality and institutional management 

through the creation of a new Center for Teaching and Learning that advances evidencebased organizational learning, and 3) strengthen our fiscal stability through increased 

enrollment, retention, persistence, transfer, graduation and career placement success for 

Hispanic and low-income students as a result of the integrated activities of the project.

This proposal responds to Competitive Preference Priority 1 through the creation of a

Center for Teaching and Learning “El Centro” that will be a new conduit for campus-wide,

evidence-based professional learning and development. From their analysis of a nationally

representative sample of U.S. colleges, Brady and Gopalan (2019) report that low levels of a

sense of belonging early on are extremely predictive of later persistence.

As envisioned, “El Centro” will generate opportunities for learning principles and

practices of effective academic, social and emotional learning that also support and inspire 

postsecondary engagement and success for Hispanic and low-income students. The intended 

outcome of this activity theme is to create the foundation for a community of practice at 

Northern that supports a stronger sense of belonging for Hispanic students, who are 74% of our 

enrolled population, and low-income (Pell-eligible) students who are more than 54% of 

students.

The proposal responds to Competitive Preference Priority 2 through strategies and

activities that increase post-secondary success for dual credit/dual enrollment and transfer

populations. The Title V project will deliver expanded outreach, advising, counseling, and

academic support services to DE/DC students, representing a growing percentage (19%) of

Northern’s enrollment. The project will also strengthen and expand Northern’s pre-college

Summer Bridge systems and support strategies, as informed by Berger et al. (2014), Castleman

et al. (2014), and Murphy et al. (2010), such as expanded summer counseling and advising, and

highly engaging college orientation experiences so that DE/DC students can affordably and

successfully pursue post-secondary programs of study. These activities will also contribute to

students’ sense of belonging at Northern, especially for low-income and first-generation college

and minoritized students who have experienced incredibly disruptive impacts on learning these

past several years.

We expect the project’s outcomes to yield an overall increase of 10% in enrollment,

retention, persistence, transfer, and completion success over the five-year project for Hispanic

and low-income students who comprise the majority of Northern’s enrolled population. These 

students are the project’s primary focus and target population.
52 

ABSTRACT

Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) is a state-funded, four-year, public university 

located in Southern Colorado, Pueblo County. CSU-Pueblo is a regional comprehensive, 

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), providing educational access to a region high in poverty and 

unemployment. CSU-Pueblo sits among in 9 opportunity zones, which indicates the severity of 

the region’s economic development needs. 

CSU-Pueblo’s Title V grant project, La Distancia, which the Spanish word for “the distance” 

proposes to support students who need to pursue higher education online or from a distance. La 

Distancia will provide support structures that will enable students to go “the distance” and 

achieve a college degree. La Distancia will overcome weaknesses identified through ongoing 

assessment and analysis and will put into place innovative online outreach systems that will 

increase access to higher education and online advising and support structures that are “high 

impact practices” designed to create enriching academic opportunities the foster success for our 

highly diverse student population. These high impact practices will be informed by the Guided 

Pathways research and include the following services for online students: 1) the expansion of 

outreach to students to increase access, 2) proactive and intrusive academic advising to support 

retention, and 3) expanded online course offerings which will reduce time to degree completion. 

La Distancia will also fund the development of a robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 

program on campus designed to foster an identity safe environment and increase students’ sense 

of belonging. A major component of the DEI program is professional development for faculty 

and staff in culturally responsive pedagogy and practices. 

The purpose of the La Distancia Project is to build institutional capacity to increase the number 

of Hispanic and low-income students attaining postsecondary degrees and facilitate access, 

persistence, retention, and completion. Project Goals include (1) Increase retention rates, 

graduation rates, and degree attainment by removing obstacles and supporting students in online 

courses, (2) Provide advising and intervention strategies that support success, (3) Expand online 

course and program offerings, and (4) Implement DEI programming and professional 

development. The project proposes the following measurable and significant outcomes: (1) 

increase the number Hispanic and low-income students accessing higher education; (2) increase 

number of Hispanic and low-income students retaining through the first year; (3) increase the 

graduation rates of Hispanic and low-income students, and (4) increase the number of faculty 

and staff who are trained in culturally responsive pedagogy and practices. 

CSU-Pueblo is requesting $2,966,151 over five years to support the La Distancia initiatives and 

activities.

Competitive Preference Priorities: La Distancia addresses Competitive Preferences 1 and 2.

Contact: Dr. Donna Souder-Hodge, Vice President for Operations and Advancement, Colorado 

State University – Pueblo, 2200 Bonforte Blvd. Pueblo, CO 81001. 719-549-2282. 

Donna.souder@csupueblo.edu
53 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

“Camino al Bienestar: A Model Health Career Pathway

as a Route to Success for Hispanic Students in the Calumet Region”

Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) is a Catholic institution dedicated to the academic, spiritual and 

ethical development of undergraduate and graduate students. For 70 years since our founding, we have 

been dedicated to enhancing the social and economic mobility of first-generation college students. CCSJ 

is among the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and is one of only two Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions (and the first HSI recognized) in the state of Indiana. Nearly half of CCSJ’s freshman cohorts, 

over the past five years, are first generation college students; half of our student body each year qualifies 

for federal Pell grants; over 34% of our students are Hispanic. CCSJ is eager to strengthen our institution 

to better serve our resilient, ambitious Hispanic students as they strive to move forward – and upward – in 

life. GOAL 1: Connections to High-Demand, High-Wage Careers in Health Services: CCSJ will put 

career-first in all outreach and onboarding efforts to help Hispanic students and their families connect to 

the value of a Calumet education in healthcare-relevant programs. GOAL 2: Healing: Holistic Support,

Wellness & Belonging: CCSJ will improve servingness to Hispanic students through a holistic approach 

to supporting our students in a post-pandemic era. This includes improving wrap-around resources that 

address several dimensions of wellness and foster a sense of belonging in and out of the classroom. 

GOAL 3: Capacity & Infrastructure: CCSJ will address institutional need for a focused and intentional 

college-wide effort to foster a serving-minded culture focused on Hispanic student belonging and 

success.

5-Year Objectives to be accomplished by September 30, 2027: 

• First-time & transfer students will receive an individualized pathway at registration

• Entering students will be able to identify key elements of their pathway from entry to career on a 

standardized assessment delivered in the GENL 100 class.

• Retention from first semester freshman year (F1) to sophomore year will improve.

• Retention of Hispanic students in Health Services programs will improve.

• The percentage of first-time CCSJ students completing at least 60 degree-applicable units in Health 

Sciences programs by the beginning of their third year at CCSJ will increase.

• Students in Health Services programs will participate in an internship or practicum in their field of 

study in their junior and senior years.

• Students who utilize Counseling will express satisfaction.

• Students will express satisfaction on expanded online learning options.

• Students will express increased satisfaction with culturally competent communications on campus

• 5 classrooms and 3 labs will be redesigned to provide a learner-centered environment.

• An institutional IT audit will identify requirements for a learner-centered environment.

• Conversion to a cloud-based ERP will provide updated business office functionality that facilitates 

communications with students regarding financial requirements and assistance.

• A web app to coordinate student communications across key institutional departments (Academics, 

Advising, and Financial Aid) will be implemented.

COMPETITIVE PREFERENCE PRIORITIES (CPPs): The project is intentionally designed to 

address both CPPs – CPP #1: Focusing on providing health and holistic wellness services to students to 

increase resiliency and promote success in college and the workplace, we will expand a college culture 

shift that advances Calumet’s Hispanic-Serving identity by enhancing student support and 

increasing cultural-competency among faculty and staff. CPP #2: Focusing on preparing students 

for jobs in health services, we will develop and implement a coordinated campus-wide initiative that 

reflects an institutional priority and commitment to equitable degree completion and upward 

socioeconomic mobility in the high-growth, high-demand jobs in Health Services identified for the state 

and the region. We will achieve this goal through a learner-centered and integrated model of instruction 

and support. 
54

ABSTRACT

Miramar College is a public, two-year, Hispanic-Serving Institution located in San Diego, 

California. Miramar enrolls 15,000 students with 66% of color, including 30% Hispanic. Among 

the obstacles for our targeted population are high level of poverty and low educational 

attainment. Hispanic families have the highest poverty rates and lowest median family income, 

and 70% of Hispanic residents do not have a bachelor’s degree.

The STEM Éxito Project represents a comprehensive, systemic approach to improve STEM 

access and success for Hispanic and low-income residents in our region. The project goals 

include: 1. Create a STEM Guided Pathway to degree completion; 2. Improve persistence, 

graduation, and transfer rates in STEM; 3. Increase the efficacy of faculty to improve teaching & 

learning. The goals will be accomplished through two components:

Component 1: STEM Guided Pathway to reduce student time and cost to graduation and 

transfer to four-year institutions.

Component 2: Strengthen institutional infrastructure to improve STEM access and 

academic success.

Activities within each of the components include: Bridge-to-College Pathways, Peer-Led Team 

Learning, Academic Progress Monitoring with Early Alert, Integrated Support System with 

Proactive Counseling, Transfer Planning Services, 15 to Finish Campaign, Faculty-to-Student 

Mentoring, Equity-Minded Professional Development, Research/Internship Opportunities.

The Project will have measurable and significant outcomes in three areas: (1) increases in the 

numbers of Hispanics and low-income students attaining STEM degrees, (2) increases retention, 

graduation, and transfer rates through proactive counseling and high-impact educational 

practices, (3) increase the capacity of faculty to teach effectively to Hispanic and low-income 

students though equity-based practices.

Amount Requested: Miramar College is requesting $2,779,955 over five years to support the 

two programmatic components and the project management and evaluation activities.

Competitive Preference Priorities: The STEM Éxito Project addresses Competitive 

Preference Priorities #1 and #2.

Contact: Michael Odu, Vice President of Instruction. 619-388-7350, modu@sdccd.edu
55 

Abstract

Big Bend Community College (BBCC) is a comprehensive public community college 

serving a large (4,601 sq. mile), rural district in central Washington State with a population noted 

for high poverty (12%, Hispanic is 46%) and low postsecondary education levels (17%, Hispanic 

is 7%). The percentage of high school graduates from school districts served by BBCC that 

enroll in postsecondary education immediately after graduating is 54% in comparison to a 

statewide average of 60%. The Chronicle of Higher Education identified the region served by 

BBCC as an “educational desert” due to low levels of educational attainment and limited or no 

access to Bachelor’s degree education within 70 miles. Many area residents, including Hispanic, 

are place bound, especially those who are adults, work full-time, and care for dependents 

Title: The HEART Project (Healthcare, Enrollment, Academic Retention, and Technology) 

with three activities:

Goal and Population to be Served: The project seeks to increase enrollment, retention, 

persistence, and completion for Hispanic and underserved students. 

Activity 1: Increase postsecondary access for underserved students will implement a 

comprehensive outreach effort designed to enroll recent high school graduates and adult students 

by taking college admissions services to residents of remote communities and hosting 

educational events for potential students and their families in communities across the college’s 

service district. Additionally, BBCC will work with partner school districts and employers to 

bring complete college programs and support services to outlying communities. All three 

strategies support Competitive Preference Priority 2 (CPP 2). 

Activity 2: Address academic needs of underserved students will include four 

implementation strategies. The first is expanding the offering of health care programs to

communities across the college’s service district. The second is developing pathways from high 

schools to college through expanded dual enrollment articulations and advising tools and 

resources (CPP 2). Third is created pathways from the BBCC adult education program to 

college programs through contextualized courses, co-enrollment in college classes, and an 

expanded advising model. Fourth is integrating instruction and academic supports through 

learning communities, common course frameworks in Canvas, and bilingual learning support, 

which supports Competitive Preference Priority 1 (CPP 1). 

Activity #3: Meet social needs and support success of underserved students will also 

include four strategies and all support CPP 1. The first strategy is to upgrade instructional spaces 

with instructional technology and network cabling. The second is to provide new students with 

supports including laptops, technology literacy training and college success skills. Third, the 

project will provide space for student support services and peer supports designed to strengthen 

the sense of community among students. Fourth, it will include the development and 

implementation of a second year advising and support model designed to enhance student 

progression and completion. 

Outcomes: The expected project outcomes are an increase in the number of recent high school 

graduates, adults, and residents of rural communities enrolling at BBCC, an increased number of 

completers in BBCC healthcare programs, an increases percentage of high school graduates with 

dual credit and adult basic education students who enrolling in BBCC after earning a high school 

diploma, and increases in student course success, retention, persistence, and completion. 

Year 1 Budget Request: $600,000
56

Abstract

Elmhurst University of Elmhurst, Illinois will establish La Promesa Azul (The Blue Promise): 

Creating Opportunities and Enhancing Resources to Assure and Sustain Success for Hispanic and 

Underrepresented Students at Elmhurst University, a Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions (DHSI) Program, to enroll and support Hispanic and underserved students to graduate 

at a rate equal to the rate for all Elmhurst undergraduate students. Project goals respond to a 

comprehensive review of institutional strengths, weaknesses, and problems as formulated with 

input from 79 stakeholders, including students, faculty and staff members, and administrators. La 

Promesa Azul goals are to: (1) establish the Elmhurst Center for Excellence and Achievement/ 

Centro para la Excelencia y el Logro; (2) ensure that every Elmhurst student receives robust 

transition to college support by strengthening the first-year seminar (FYS) program and pedagogy 

through faculty development initiatives and curricular revisions; and (3) increase underserved 

students’ participation in high-impact practices (HIPs) by increasing access and removing 

obstacles.

To achieve these goals, Elmhurst will (1) renovate Cureton Hall to establish the Center/ 

Centro, which will serve as a central multi-service hub for academic, social, and emotional 

engagement and support; (2) hire a coordinator to facilitate community engagement and linkages 

with external stakeholders, including Hispanic community-based organizations; (3) hire a 

Wellness Case Manager to provide bilingual, wraparound support for the academic, financial, and 

practical needs Hispanic and low-income students and their families encounter; (4) develop a series 

of bilingual videos, posters, and resources for Spanish-speaking students and families; (5) establish 

a faculty development training program on culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), HIPs, and 

supporting the college transition for underserved students; (6) develop a FYS instructor 

certification training program and train 15 to 20 faculty members; (7) review and revise the FYS 

program to incorporate CRP, and enhance support for the transition to college; (8) develop and 

pilot a FYS bootcamp to support the transition to college for 30 incoming “high-support” students;

(9) establish a $1 million endowed HIP Fund (including Title V and institutional matching funds), 

to underwrite costs associated with participating in internships, study away programs, 

undergraduate research, and service learning for underserved students; (10) provide HIP 

participant support funds for at least 50 Hispanic and low-income students to complete internships, 

research, service learning, or study away programs; and (11) provide bilingual informational 

sessions to increase awareness among students and families about the value and transformational 

nature of HIPs.

These activities will be carried out by a Title V DHSI project team that includes a Title V 

director, Center director, Wellness Case Manager, and Coordinator of High Impact and 

Community Partnerships, working in close coordination with three implementation teams (HIPs, 

Faculty Development/FYS, and the Center) composed of Elmhurst faculty and staff members. The 

Center will further be guided and supported by an Advisory Council of internal and external 

stakeholders, students, and alumni.

As a result of the La Promesa Azul (The Blue Promise) Title V DHSI program, Elmhurst 

will increase the percentage of Elmhurst Hispanic and low-income students who participate in 

HIPs; support Hispanic students to persist from the 1st year to the 2nd at the same rate as all 

undergraduates; and support Hispanic students to attain a 6-year graduation rate that is equal to 

the rate for all Elmhurst undergraduates. La Promesa Azul (The Blue Promise) will address 

Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2.
57

Abstract

Western Texas College (WTC), a comprehensive two-year public institution, located in the West Texas 

town of Snyder. WTC serves a 10-county state-designated district comprised of a highly 

socioeconomically disadvantaged and underserved community. Within the WTC service area, 34.1% of 

residents are Hispanic, 14.6% of all individuals live in poverty and 19.9% Hispanic residents are below

the poverty line. Educational attainment rates are low with just 15% of adults and a mere 4.9% of 

Hispanic adults have attained a bachelor’s degree.

With a Hispanic student population of 41.9%, WTC students are reflective of these socio- economic 

characteristics of the service area. Almost half (48.6%) of all students and 56.7% of Hispanic students are 

low-income; 81.3% of all (88.5% of Hispanics) are first-generation in college. Devoted to the improving

the lives and livelihood of its community, WTC has embraced its role as a Hispanic-Serving Institution 

and has actively sought to implement programs and services to assist this underserved population.

As part of the Texas Pathways initiative, a state-wide plan spearheaded by the Texas Association of 

Community Colleges (TACC) based on the Guided Pathways framework developed by Community 

College Research Center (CCRC) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and 

focused improving student’s ability to 1) Connect, 2) Enter, 3) Progress, and 4) Succeed, WTC engaged 

in a comprehensive process of self-analysis. Results illuminated WTC’s poor performance in relation to a

set of Key Performance Indicators established by Texas Pathways providing evidence for the fact that 

WTC students are not adequately progressing through the college experience.

In response to this, WTC developed a plan to address major institutional deficiencies which culminated in

the development of this Title V HSI Project: Guided Pathways to Success with the following initiatives.

 Onboarding to Degree Completion: Over the course of five years, WTC will develop a Guided 

Pathways Center and implement a Guided Pathways Coaching process to guide student from 

first enrollment, persistence to degree completion, and baccalaureate transfer or career field

entry. To accomplish this. WTC will develop a set of Onboarding activities for first time 

students (self-assessment tool, guided pathways resource toolkit, and individualized guided 

pathways plans). Industry professionals will collaborate with WTC to engage student in focused 

career exploration within the fields of STEM, Health/Social Sciences, and Business/Technical 

Programming.

 Customized Data Analytics for Improved Student Success: WTC will implement a new Student

Information System, correcting its current deficiencies in student data access and reliability. 

Capabilities for student planning, degree audit, customized data dashboards, and student 

ePortfolios will be developed, pilot tested, and implemented. Faculty, staff, and students will be 

provided training on use of the new SIS and its capabilities.

This proposed project addresses both Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Meeting Student Social,

Emotional, and Academic Needs) and CPP 2 (Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability,

Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success) for the 2022 competition.

Western Texas College requests $2,999,839 to implement this comprehensive five-year Hispanic Serving 

Institutions Project.
58

Abstract

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university invested in unleashing the 

potential within every individual; enriching the human experience through inclusion, discovery, 

and innovation; and propelling broad-based prosperity for the many communities we serve. 

Located in Orlando, Florida, UCF is the largest institution in the State University System (SUS) 

of Florida and currently serves more than 70,000 students seeking undergraduate, graduate, and 

professional degrees. Nationally known for our 2+2 articulation agreement with our six state 

college partners (DirectConnect to UCF), UCF is committed to student success through accessible 

learning pathways and inclusive excellence.

The purpose of Project POTENCIAL (Promoting Opportunities that Enhance Navigation, 

Completion, Inclusion, and Learning) is to expand and enhance institutional capacity to increase 

timely graduation rates for Hispanic and low-income students, thus driving their social mobility.

Through intentional practices and strategic partnerships, we will collectively align efforts with 

Priority 1 of our newly developed 2022-2027 strategic plan: “Student Success and Well-Being,” 

and two related key goals: (1) Accelerate undergraduate progression and graduation; reduce 

interferences that cause hardship or delay; and (2) Enrich the student learning experience for the 

development of career and cultural competencies.

Project Objectives

By 2027, UCF will...

1. Increase participation of Hispanic transfer and low-income students in internships and 

undergraduate research by 5%

2. Increase the number of Hispanic low-income FTIC and transfer students graduating in 4 

years and 2 years respectively by 5%

3. Increase the percentage of Hispanic students expressing a “great sense of belonging” at

UCF by 15%

4. Increase the number of faculty participating in professional development by 525%

Project Activities

1a. High-Impact Practice Scholars Program 

1b. High-Impact Practice Course Designations 

3a. Conexiones Student Success Coaching

3b. Conexiones PeerKnights Coaching

3c. Office of Hispanic/Latino Student Success 

4a. HSI Faculty Fellows Cohort Program

4b. HSI Track @ Summer Faculty Development Conference 

4c. Ginsburg Center for Inclusion and Community Engagement

Project POTENCIAL addresses both Competitive Preference Priority 1: Meeting Student 

Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs and Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing 

Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success.

The total budget investment for Project POTENCIAL is $2,997,633 over five years.
59

Indiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana

Title: INspiring, Valuing, and Empowering Success Together (INVEST)

Indiana University Northwest (IUN) is a public, comprehensive university with an enrollment of 

3,460 students. As a regional campus of Indiana University (IU), IUN’s campus is in Gary, just 

30 miles southeast of Chicago, and provides affordable, quality education to students primarily 

from the state’s second-largest urban area. IUN plays an essential role in educating the region’s 

residents, promoting economic prosperity, and enriching arts and culture. As IU’s most diverse 

campus, 27% of IUN’s students are Hispanic, and 45% are low-income. INVEST will strengthen 

IUN’s ability to improve outcomes for all students, especially Hispanic and low-income students.

Project Goals Based on the Comprehensive Development Plan

INVEST’s four goals are to 1) improve retention and 6-year graduation rates and students’ sense 

of belonging; 2) improve instruction to encourage active, asset-based learning and the delivery 

and integration of student support services; 3) build a culture of student success through strong 

leadership, systematic assessment, and effective communication; and 4) improve IUN’s fiscal 

health by stabilizing tuition revenue. INVEST incorporates evidence-based practices, including a 

commitment to building a culture of student success and servingness.

Project Strategies

Strategy 1: Building faculty and staff excellence through professional development to develop 

cultural competence and asset-based pedagogical knowledge and resources to improve teaching 

and learning that optimizes student outcomes.

Strategy 2: Implementing student success interventions including a health professions summer 

bridge program, a financial literacy module in the first year seminar, and a Career Exploration 

Week, to support students who traditionally experience lower levels of student success at IUN.

Strategy 3: Enhancing infrastructure to support pedagogical and student services improvements 

by developing active learning classrooms, creating a Student Success Center to integrate support 

services, and establishing an Office of Student Success to build a culture of student success.

Long-Term Outcomes

• Increased fall-to-fall retention and 6-year graduation rates for all students, and especially 

Hispanic and low-income students

• Improved teaching and learning grounded in active learning and cultural competence

• Enriched campus culture built on equity and inclusion to support a diverse student body

• Enhanced delivery and integration of student support and wrap-around services

Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) Addressed

CPP 1: Meeting student social, emotional, and academic needs

INVEST will foster a strong sense of community belongingness through asset- and equity-based 

professional development for faculty and staff and support for student affinity groups to facilitate 

meaningful connections and community service opportunities.

CPP 2: Increasing postsecondary education access, affordability, and completion

INVEST will establish a high-quality data collection and analysis system and develop a Student 

Success Center and Resource Hub to improve support services delivery and integration.

Total Five-Year Budget Request: $3,000,000
60

Los Angeles Pierce College 

Abstract Form

ED-GRANTS-040622-001

Project Title: Alcanzando Las Estrellas (Reaching for the Stars)

Population Served: Pierce is located in the Los Angeles San Fernando Valley (SFV) which is home to more 

than 1.8 million residents of which 49% are males and 50.7% are women. The SFV ethnic segmentation 

shows 42.2% of the population is Hispanic. Of the “speaking” population (residents who are at least 5 years of 

age), 59.1% speak a language other than English with 24.9% identifying that they speak English “lessthan 

very well,” representing 436,396 residents who are English Language Learners(ELL). Moreover, the poverty 

rate for SFV is higher at 14.3% when compared to LA County at 14.1%. As the data will show, in 2021, 

3,912 students graduated high school in our service area of which 2,457 were Hispanic. In the fall of 

2021, 5,345 (34.79%) of all Pierce students were Hispanic, and the retention rate for Hispanic students 

was 0.83. This rate is lower than that of White-.89; Asian-0.88; Native American-0.87; and students who 

identify as two or More Races-0.87.

Project Goals: Goal 1: Increase access and retention, for Hispanic and low-income students at Pierce 

by expanding dual enrollment agreements and course offerings; Goal 2: Increase the number of Hispanic 

students enrolling in and successfully completing structured program pathways in a) transfer-level 

composition courses, b) lower division college transfer and c) high-wage STEM-related majors; Goal 3: 

Improve the transition and success of Hispanic and low-income students in college by improving the 

delivery of inclusive and empathetic student support services and creating a greater sense of connection 

and belonging on campus; and Goal 4: Provide Hispanic and low-income students with a) hands-on 

training, job shadowing and internship opportunities, to ensure job readiness and b) enhance university 

transfer opportunities for the baccalaureate.

Major Activities: Using research-based approaches, Los Angeles Pierce College will: 1. Create a 

dynamic dual enrollment program with two structured academic pathways: a) ESL to transfer English 

and b) general education lower division to transfer requirements; 2. Cultivate an inclusive, equityminded learning environment and student support services through targeted professional development;

3. Enhance a sense of community and belonging through a) a career and academic pathway community 

(CAP) program and b) Hispanic-themed student activities and workshops; and 4. Collaborate with local 

universities and industry partners to ensure successful transition to a baccalaureate program and a career. 

Expected Outcomes: 1. Increase retention and degree or certificate completion by expanding dual 

enrollment and creating pathways to success. Increase agreements with high school partners, increase 

dual enrollment course offering, and guide students in Pierce’s feeder schools with higher education 

opportunities; 2. Pathways: Increase the number of Hispanic students who a) enroll in and successfully 

complete a transfer-level composition course following an Accelerated English as a Second Language to 

English Pathway (AEP) program alternative with web, workshop, counseling, tutorial, and online 

enhancements b) enroll in and successfully complete lower-level general education requirements for 

transfer and c) enroll in high-wage STEM-related majors; 3. Enhance Hispanic student engagement with 

Pierce by providing culturally responsive, consolidated, and integrated support services for Hispanic 

students by establishing an Hispanic-themed Cohort Support (HCS) for academic success and 

achievement, and by strengthening the Guided Pathways, Career and Academic Pathway (CAP) success 

teams; 4. Collaborate with local universities and industry partners to ensure successful transition to a 

baccalaureate program and a high wage career.
61

Mitigating the Burden of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Hispanic-Student Success

The goals of Mitigating the Burden of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Hispanic-Student 

Success at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) are to: 1) increase the number of 

academic departments that engage students in curricular and co-curricular practices grounded in 

evidence, inclusive teaching, and equitable learning; 2) adopt knowledge- and data-driven 

approaches to advance departmental student-success goals; and 3) improve student-support 

structures to include students’ academic, social-emotional, and basic needs. The project’s 

strategic actions are expected to lead to systemic change in teaching and learning, resulting in 

increased Hispanic-student success. It will further contribute to the knowledge base of how best 

to support Hispanic students in higher education, especially contributing to the literature on 

Hispanic servingness and transformational change in higher education.

Primary activities include cohort-driven faculty professional development in evidencebased practices using a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens; scale up of UTEP Edge, a researchand evidence-based programmatic approach promoting Hispanic student active involvement in 

curricular and co-curricular high impact practices, leading to an increase in students’ social 

belonging and lifelong success; departmental involvement in data-informed strategic actions to 

increase student achievement and success; and expansion of holistic student support services to 

mitigate housing and food insecurities and promote social and emotional health and well-being. 

Successful implementation of the comprehensive project will increase student success through 

cohort-driven professional development, data-driven decision making, and expansion of socioemotional services that will situate UTEP to extend the model to other Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions facing similar issues. In particular, the proposed activities define systemic structures 

to mitigate the effects on higher education of the COVID-19 pandemic.
62

Title: TAMIU Academic Recovery and Data Analysis (TAMIU ARDA) 

Texas A&M International University

The Advanced Recovery and Data Analysis (ARDA) Program at Texas A&M International 

University (TAMIU) will provide resources and program innovation to a Hispanic Serving 

Institution with an 89.3% Hispanic and 76% low-income student population. The proposed Title 

V initiative, The TAMIU ARDA Program, will increase the number and quality of well-prepared 

Hispanic students completing undergraduate degrees at TAMIU. As such, this program will serve 

a vital role in decreasing the educational disparities endemic in the South Texas region.

The TAMIU ARDA centers on access, inclusivity, and post-enrollment success to address both 

competitive priorities. The primary objective of the TAMIU ARDA is to provide a supportive 

learning environment and meet students’ holistic needs. The centerpiece of this research project 

will be enhanced data analysis at the institutional, programmatic, and classroom levels narrowing 

in on student success metrics like enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.

Within this framework, other specific activities and goals for the TAMIU ARDA Program, which 

all seek to improve student wellness, retention, and completion at TAMIU, include the following:

 Meetings students’ holistic needs by enhancing student counseling and wellness outreach.

 Using transformational professional development to develop a campus culture that builds 

the essential values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 Using technology to improve student learning outcomes and increase external grant 

submissions from faculty.

 Greatly expanding strategic outreach to promote STEM fields and improve learning 

outcomes in STEM bottleneck courses (General Chemistry, University Physics, Calculus). 

Improve D/F/W rate in these courses by 20% from baseline over a five-year period and 

increased second-year retention rates by 5%.

 Develop a model transfer program in computer-related fields between Laredo College and 

TAMIU.

 Over a five-year period, the TAMIU ARDA Program will act as a catalyst to increase the 

university’s first-year retention rate by 3%.

Competitive Preference Priority 1: The TAMIU ARDA Program will address this priority by 

meeting students’ social, emotional, and academic needs. Specifically, TAMIU ARDA will 

increase the availability of student counseling and wellness programs. TAMIU’s First-Year 

Success Program will be enhanced by the addition of the Ready Education app empowering 

greater social connections and support. Professional development focusing on diversity, equity, 

and inclusion will improve student learning outcomes and foster a more welcoming student 

environment.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Another centerpiece of the TAMIU ARDA Program is the 

development of a model transfer program in computer-related fields between Laredo College and 

TAMIU that involves curriculum realignment, bridge boot camps, and professional development. 

The TAMIU ARDA Initiatives focus on STEM outreach and course enhancement. More broadly, 

the emphasis on technology will improve student learning and engagement in lectures using 

courseware (Top Hat) that facilitates real-time pedagogical adjustments by instructors.

ABSTRACT
63

Title V: Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program 

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS: CREATING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

This proposal is put forward by California State University, San Bernardino in cooperation with 

Norco College and San Bernardino Valley College. This proposal was developed by the Title V 

Planning Committee which includes administrators, faculty, and students from each of the 

institutions. If awarded, the project would fund approximately $3,000,000 over five years.

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), a four-year and graduate university, 

Norco College, a public two-year college in the Riverside Community College District, and, San 

Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), a public two-year college in the San Bernardino Community 

College District are neighboring Hispanic-Serving Institutions in southern California’s Inland 

Empire region. The populations served by CSUSB, Norco College and SBVC are concentrated

in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties—an area that has seen tremendous growth with the 

outward expansion of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The two counties are now

home to more than four million people, including large proportions of Latino and low-income 

residents, more than 50% of whom are Latino, nearly 40% speak a language other than English

at home, and only approximately 10% of Latinos have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.

CSUSB, Norco College and SBVC have entered a joint effort to serve Hispanic and low-income 

residents by providing access to education; support for their academic success, and opportunity 

to obtain skills leading to careers in the arts and humanities, disciplines that are often overlooked 

with the current focus on STEM disciplines. Our “Pathways to Success” project has the 

following goals:

GOAL 1: Enhance and expand on career readiness efforts for Hispanic and low-income students 

studying in the arts and humanities. To address weaknesses associated with inadequate student 

access to programs offering current career opportunities and to address inadequate provisions for 

professional development in career and technical fields, we propose implementing career 

readiness activities including career readiness workshops and course units, job fairs, and 

establishing regional employer partnerships linking students to potential employment.

GOAL 2: Create additional resources and programs for Hispanic and low-income student to 

promote academic success in the arts and humanities. To address disproportionate rates of 

success and severely limited resources, we propose student success initiatives including assetbased teaching, peer mentoring, family outreach. With the aim of accelerating student academic 

success, this evidence-based approach is designed to instill a sense of belonging in students, 

ensure access to campus resources, and validate and grow student knowledge.

GOAL 3: Design and expand opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students in the arts and 

humanities to participate in high-impact practices on campus and in the community. To address 

inadequate funds for programs and inadequacy of specialized program resources, we propose for 

students and faculty to work collaboratively on interdisciplinary, cross-campus, and/or cocurricular projects initiated in their courses. Additionally, we propose enhanced, paid internships 

for students to provide them will specific, career-relevant skills. These targeted, high-impact 

practices are designed to enhance academic community involvement and improve student 

success.
64

Rio Hondo College Title V: Invention/Social Entrepreneurship “CUMBRES” Abstract

Rio Hondo College (RHC) is a state-funded, two-year, public college located in the city of 

Whittier, California. As a Hispanic Serving Institution with 81% of its student population 

identifying as Hispanic, RHC served 17,241 students in FY 2020-202. Student population is 

made up of 28% full-time students and 72%, part-time students. Over 56% of RHC students are 

considered high need, low-income, first-generation college students. RHC’s five-city service 

area has a population of 303,137 with an unemployment rate of 9% and 16% of residents live in 

poverty. The highest levels of economic insecurity and unemployment factors within the state 

due to the pandemic have been found in the Los Angeles region, where unemployment factors 

have greatly impacted students and their families and contributed to the likelihood of increased 

rates of food and housing insecurity. The target populations for the project are high school 

students and adult learners 24+ with only a high school degree or some college.

RHC’s Title V grant project, “CUMBRES” (Communities Uniting to Model and Build Regional 

Entrepreneurial Success), is an Innovation/Social Entrepreneurship (IvE/SE) Pathway designed 

to weave together five strategies to attain two interrelated goals: 1. Improve Associate of Science 

AA).Associate Degree for Transfer degree (ADT) and/or Certificate of Achievement attainment 

for Hispanic, low-income students by creating collaborative outreach and student support 

programs designed for first time students and adult learners; and 2. Design an social 

entrepreneurial ecosystem based on invention education curriculum by creating transfer 

pathways designed to monitor and achieve invention education and social entrepreneurship 

goals, and developing shared collaboration and accountability tools.

The development of an IvE/SE Pathway- CUMBRES- will maximize outreach and student 

support efficiencies and create an entrepreneurial mindset for Hispanic, low-income high school 

students and nontraditional adult learners. CUMBRES will employ five strategies to accomplish 

the stated goals: (1) Engage: deepen and expand community outreach services and engagement 

activities to high school students and adult learners (25+) (2) Enroll: increase faculty 

proficiencies through professional development in the area of IvE using the entrepreneurial 

mindset as the basis to produce a new degree for transfer curriculum and a certificate of 

achievement in Invention and SE strengthening articulation agreements with 4-year institutions’ 

SE degree programs; (3) Connect: provide mentoring, tutoring, affinity/Latinx student club, and 

basic needs wrap around services to increase retention and completion; (4) Produce: create a 

Makerspace Lab to support the IvE curriculum as part of the IvE/SE certificate and degree 

program, providing opportunity for students to expand and strengthen the technical skills needed 

in a 21st Century workforce; and (5) Knowledge Share: create focused Data Warehouse Tools 

and dissemination strategies leading to an annual “State of IvE/SE” Report and with an external 

researcher and ethnographer who studies innovative educational environments conduct a singlecase design study that will examine outcome variables for students and faculty during the course 

of the funding period. Together, these five strategies will improve efficiency while strengthening 

institutional effectiveness in engaging and educating Hispanic, low-income traditional and nontraditional students, assisting them to reach the summit of their education and career goals.

RHC is requesting $2,999,995 over five years to support CUMBRES strategy implementation, 

knowledge generation, and best practices dissemination.

Competitive Preference Priority: CUMBRES addresses CPP #1: Meeting student social, emotional, 

and academic needs; and CPP #2: Increasing postsecondary education access, affordability, 

completion, and post-enrollmentsuccess.
65 

Northeast Texas Community College, Texas.

Contact Person for the Title V Proposal: Dr. Ron Clinton, President, Northeast Texas 

Community College; 903-434-8100, ext. 8101; rclinton@ntcc.edu.

Institutional Background: Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) is one of 50 public, 

open-access community colleges in Texas. The small College is located on 375 acres in a rural 

setting of gently rolling hills, streams, rivers, and farms, in the picturesque and historic Chapel Hill 

area. The main NTCC campus is located approximately equidistant between the county seats of the 

three counties which make up the NTCC district: Daingerfield (Morris County), Mount Pleasant 

(Titus County); and Pittsburg (Camp County). Over 36% of the service area population is minority.

Competitive Preference Priorities. NTCC will address CPP #1 (a) creating a positive, inclusive, 

and identity safe climate through (1) fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved 

students, and (2) implementing evidence-based practices for advancing student success for 

underserved students. Strategies include a LatinXcellence Center with success coaches (evidencebased) and high school transition coaches (evidence-based). NTCC will address CPP #2 (b) through 

its high school transition coaches, summer boot camp, and success coaches. It will meet CPP #2 (c) 

by increasing institutional research capacity through hiring of a director of planning, institutional 

effectiveness, and research position. The College will meet CPP #2 (d) through all project activities.

Goal: The goal of this Title V project is to increase diverse students’ sense of belonging and 

identity development and their academic, social, and emotional success, from enrollment through 

completion.

Key Outcomes: The project has four activities: (1) Implementing a LatinXcellence Center with 

success coaches; cultural competency and equity training; and mental health services; (2) 

transitioning underserved students to college; (3) improving planning, institutional effectiveness, 

and research; and (4) improving student financial support. Ten measurable objectives focus on 

improving enrollment, fall-to-fall retention, degree completion, remediation of student outcomes 

through improved data leadership and analysis, and expanding financial supports for students 

through expansion of exemplary programming and resource development capacity-building. 

Contributions to Research, Policy and Practice: This project contributes to the body of research 

focusing on the efficacy of a LatinXcellence Center in the improvement of Hispanic, low-income 

and underrepresented student success outcomes including academic, social, and emotional 

success.

Student Body Characteristics

Fall 2021 Headcount Enrollment: 2,954. Ethnicity: White-49.2%; Hispanic/Latino-34.2%; Black 

or African American-10.3%; Asian-1%; American Indian or Alaska Native-0.7%; 2 or More Races2%; Non-Resident Alien: 2.3%. 

Five-Year Project Budget: $3,000,000.

NORTHEAST TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROJECT ABSTRACT
66

Our Lady of the Lake University

The Rethink to Retain: IDEA in Action project centers around embedding the 

concepts of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) to enact systemic 

change and improve retention of first- and second-year students at a private HSI in 

Texas. With campuses in San Antonio, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley, Our Lady 

of the Lake University serves an average of 2,550 students annually, including 1,300 

undergraduates – 78% of which are Latinx, 44% will be the first in their families to 

graduate from college, and 58% receive the Pell grant. As an institution dedicated to 

truly serving Latinx students, we recognize that enrollment numbers do not equate to 

inclusion, equity, or accessibility, and investment is needed to be able to build capacity 

to address these critical areas.

Specifically, using an IDEA lens, this project will improve student success through 

infusion of high-impact practices in the first- and second-year experience, 

focused faculty development and leadership opportunities, and development of 

collaborative learning spaces.

OLLU will create a positive, inclusive and identity-safe climate (CPP 1) by 

developing research-backed high-impact strategies for student success, such as: 

implementing a cohesive, holistic First and Second Year Experience program; 

integrating coaching into advising practices; supporting peer mentoring; and engaging 

families.

In partnership with experts in the field, OLLU will provide ongoing, evidence-based 

professional development opportunities designed to build asset-based mindsets for 

faculty, staff, and campus administration that are inclusive regarding race, ethnicity, 

culture, language, and ability. Data collection, analysis, and sharing (described in CPP 

2) will ensure transparency and accountability for implementing action plans informed 

by this training.

OLLU will increase postsecondary access, affordability, completion, and success for 

underserved students (CPP 2) by establishing a robust system of data collection, 

analysis, and dissemination; to include data on IDEA integration, OLLU Advise Early 

Alert system, and program assessment; in addition to data on persistence, retention, 

completion, post-college outcomes, and other measures. Creating a data-driven

campus culture will increase transparency and accountability, and lead to overall 

institutional improvement.

An external evaluator will determine whether the proposed activities have been 

completed on time, implemented appropriately, and utilized as intended (process 

evaluation); quantify developmental growth in students across the lifespan of the grant 

and provide real-time feedback about the overall performance of grant activities 

(formative evaluation); and capture the full impact of the grant on Latinx and low-income 

students (summative evaluation).
67

Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program 

Cañada College

Path to Completion (P2C) Project

Cañada College is a public, two-year college located in Redwood City, California, midway 

between San Francisco and San Jose in the Silicon Valley. The College is a member of the 

California Community College system and is one of three colleges in the San Mateo County 

Community College District (SMCCCD). Cañada College’s mission is to engage and empower 

students in transforming their lives and communities through quality education. The College 

offers general education courses for transfer to four-year institutions, associate degrees, as well 

as career technical education certificates and degrees. In 2021-22, Cañada College served 9,861 

unique students with over half attending part-time (61%) and the majority were female (60%). 

Hispanic students made up 33% of enrollment and more than 51% of students who received 

financial aid in 2021-22 were Hispanic. While many students initiate their higher education 

journey at Cañada, too few complete it. The proposed Title V Path to Completion (P2C) Project 

seeks to address several systemic barriers to higher education attainment for current and future 

students.

GOALS: AP Goal 1: Ensure student access to relevant and transformative student services and 

programs that are inclusive, diverse, equitable, and antiracist. AP Goal 2: Remove barriers to 

student access, success, and completion through continuous assessment. IM Goal 1: Create a 

sense of belonging among all community members through teaching, learning, and services. IM 

Goal 2: Ensure educational practices reflect fundamental importance of individualized learning 

experiences, shared building of knowledge, and promoting social justice at Cañada College. FS 

Goal: Support the College’s values and promote access, continuous innovation, and excellence 

in teaching and learning through well-managed resources.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives related to the goals and CDP problems are designed to measure 

changes in the following: percent of part-time students retained (Obj. 1); percent of part-time 

students who complete an education plan (Obj. 2); fall-to-fall retention for Hispanic students 

(Obj 3); degree completion for Hispanic students (Obj. 4); overall transfer rates (Obj. 5); sense of 

belonging (Obj. 6); the number of faculty who complete a Certificate in College Teaching & 

Learning (CTL-HSI) (Obj. 7); success rates of Hispanic students in courses taught by HSI 

fellows (Obj. 8); number of students reached through the proposed Financial Support Program 

(Obj. 9); and the number of students who take at least 7.5 units to increase eligibility for

financial aid and access to various support programs (Obj. 10).

STRATEGIES: Goals and objectives will be accomplished through implementation of three 

comprehensive strategies that will expand the College’s capacity to better serve Hispanic, lowincome, and other students—Strategy 1: Engage students in a Second-Year Experience (SYE); 

Strategy 2: Create a culture of HSI “Servingness”; and Strategy 3: Improve the financial 

stability of students.

Competitive Preference Priorities: The proposed project addresses both priorities.

Total Requested: $2,669,824
68

Palo Verde College

Blythe, California

Palo Verde College (PVC) proposes a Title V Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions 

grant entitled “The ALOE Project 1

”, aimed at improving educational outcomes for 

Hispanic and low-income students through enhanced student services. PVC is a public 2-

year college that supports an exemplary learning environment with high quality 

educational programs and services and is currently the college of choice for thousands of 

students of all ages and backgrounds. Students attend classes from early morning to late 

evening and weekends taking advantage of a wide variety of courses including career and 

technical, transfer, developmental, and continuing education.

PVC serves a student body of almost 7,000 students. Approximately 1200 of those are on 

the main campus in Blythe. The remaining student body are either remote in-service 

learners or are in prison. Palo Verde College is unique in that a substantial portion of its 

student body are individuals who are incarcerated in the California State Prison System. 

This program offers mostly correspondence instruction at the local Ironwood and 

Chuckwalla Valley State Prisons and to inmates at 24 other California correctional 

institutions.

The ALOE Project seeks to raise retention and graduation rates for Hispanic and lowincome students. In addition, enrollment of both on-campus and incarcerated students will 

be increased through the activities of this project. Finally, PVC will also increase the 

number of students who transfer to a four-year institution upon completion of their 

associates degrees.

PVC will accomplish these goals through a variety of strategies including the construction 

of a new Academic Achievement Center. New success coaches will be housed in the 

Center and will provide day, evening, and weekend services to meet the needs of both the 

full-time and part-time student body. Traditional students will benefit from an expanded 

summer bridge program and incarcerated students will experience an enhanced orientation 

program and greater access to textbooks and other educational materials that will assist 

them on the pathway to degree completion. The entire college community will benefit from 

faculty and staff development programs aimed at creating a more welcoming and inclusive 

campus.

PVC seeks a total of $3 million over five years for this project.

PVC addresses Competitive Preference Priority Number1: Meeting Student Social, 

Emotional, and Academic Needs and Competitive Preference Priority 2: Increasing

Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success.

1 Apoyo (support) Lograr (achieve) Orgullo (pride) Esperanza (hope). The Aloe Vera plant has the spiritual benefits 

of healing, uplifting energy and attracting good luck.
69

ABSTRACT

New Mexico State University (NMSU)–Doña Ana Community College (DACC) is atwo- year, 

public community college located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The county resides on the border 

of Mexico and has a Hispanic student population of 86%.

DACC’s Title V grant project, the Spanish word for “Excellence,” or Excelencia will overcome 

weaknesses identified through ongoing assessment and analysis and will put into place

innovative advising and support structures that are “high impact practices” designed to create 

enriching academic opportunities the foster success for our highly diverse student population. 

These high impact practices will be informed by the Guided Pathways research and include: 1) 

the development of a robust regional outreach program, 2) onboarding services such as summer 

bridge and new student orientation, 2) proactive and intrusive academic advising, 3) cocurricular and co-requisite supports for developmental, gateway, and high DFW courses, 4) 

alignment of student learning outcomes and curriculum with in-demand industry needs, 5) 

enhancement of articulation agreements with local educational partners, 6) developmental of 

student health and wellness services, 7) development of a robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

program, and 8) faculty development in culturally responsive practices and pedagogy.

The purpose of the Excelencia Project is to build institutional capacity to increase the number of 

Hispanic and low-income students attaining postsecondary degrees and facilitate access, 

persistence, retention, and completion. Project Goals include (1) Increase access, retention, 

transfer, and graduation rates by removing obstacles, supporting Hispanic and low-income 

students, (2) Improving access to higher education through outreach to local school districts, (3) 

Improving advising infrastructure and articulation agreements as well as providing advising and 

intervention strategies that support success, (3) Expand co-requisite and co-curricular support 

structures for developmental and gateway courses including summer bridge, multiple measures 

assessment and accelerated courses, (4) Expand career-aligned pathways through the alignment 

of curriculum with in-demand industry needs.

The Project meets the Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2. The Project will have 

measurable and significant outcomes: (1) increase the retention rate for Hispanic and low-income 

students; (2) increase the transfer rates of Hispanic and low-income students; (3) increase the 

graduation rates of Hispanic and low-income students; (4) increase the number of faculty who 

are trained in culturally responsive pedagogy; and (5) increase the job placement rate of 

graduates into high demand industries.

DACC is requesting $2,928,863 over five years to support the Excelencia initiatives and 

activities.

Contact: Ike Ledesma, Vice President for Student Services, Doña Ana Community College –

2800 Sonoma Ranch Blvd, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88011. (575) 527-7531. 

iledesma@dacc.nmsu.edu
70

Abstract:

The overall plan of SDSU’s Building Bridges between Community and Careers: A New 

Type of HSI (here on referred to Building Bridges) is a project whose aim is to position SDSU 

Imperial Valley (SDSU-IV) campus to be instrumental in addressing the community and regional 

workforce needs by facilitating pathways through San Diego State University (SDSU) to 

successful careers in Nursing, Public Health, and STEM education. The overall goal is to 

increase the number of students who enter careers that meet the region’s workforce needs by 

earning globally competitive degrees in Healthcare and STEM education. The proposed program 

aims to achieve this goal by leveraging the regional unique cultural wealth of a bordertown

(US-Mexico and CA-AZ) student population, to facilitate greater educational access with an 

approach that is culturally and linguistically affirming (Garcia, Nuñez, & Sansone, 2019).

This program will strengthen and build capacity in the institution’s ability to facilitate 

careers in Healthcare and STEM by adapting and implementing high-quality evidence-based 

practices and professional and workforce development activities that include outreach and 

recruitment, undergraduate applied experiences, enrichment activities (i.e., workshops, panels, 

information sessions, and skills development), culturally affirming wrap-around student support, 

and multi-dimensional mentoring approaches.

All of the project activities and services are grounded in research and best practices (refer 

to Table 4) for improving student engagement, persistence, retention, and graduation and meet 

the Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions program goals and the competitive priorities as 

detailed below. (Competitive Priority 2)

We are proposing a program that will be comprehensive in its attempt to improve 

students’social, emotional, academic, and career development by providing coordinated support 

led by the student success and Healthcare/STEM Retention Specialist deployed in Student 

Affairs and connected to the Cross Cultural Center and the Office of HSI and Regional Affairs. 

This structure facilitates our ability to focus on underserved students, and to ensure that the 

approach is one guided by the goal of creating a positive, inclusive, and identity-safe climate at 

SDSU-IV that fosters a culturally and linguistically affirming environment for underserved 

students that benefits all students. (Competitive Priority 1).

The focus on HS outreach will include academic advising and counseling, with a focus 

on making choices about college credit and their articulation more transparent, to create clearer 

pathways for students (Competitive Priority 2). In addition, our proximity to the US/Mexico 

border, the proportion of low income, first-generation, and Hispanic students in the available 

pipeline not only highlights the need for support but also our potential to scale up our efforts to 

increase enrollment and completion of college degree among underserved students.

The logic model below provides a more detailed summary of SDSU’s project proposed 

services and activities, which component addresses competitive and program priorities, the 

anticipated results and outcomes that will be measured, evaluated, and overall program goal 

objectives.
71 

ABSTRACT

Applicant: University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus 

Dr Josue Hernandez, josue.hernandez3@upr.edu

Director, Division of Continuing Education and Professional Services (DECEP)

Proposed Project: Strengthening the Social, Emotional, and Academic needs of STEM Hispanic 

Students in Puerto Rico

Institution / Target Area / Population Served: The University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras 

Campus (UPR-RP), founded in 1903, is the oldest and largest of the 11 campuses of the University of Puerto 

Rico (UPR), a state-supported, Hispanic-serving system. UPR-RP academic offerings include 68 

undergraduate programs, 41 master’s degrees, and 15 doctoral programs, as well as postgraduate certificates 

and a continuing-education program. UPR-RP is recognized in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of 

Higher Education® as a Doctoral University: High Research Activity (one of only 135 U.S. universities to 

receive such designation). UPR-RP serves approximately 14,932 students annually whose profile1 is 95% 

Hispanic. Recent figures show 11,657 undergraduates and 3,275 graduates. This population makes the UPRRP the largest degree-granting institution in the Caribbean. Of these, 55% are first generation, and 

predominantly low-income students. UPR-RP students are educated at an institution committed to academic 

quality and financial accessibility. They attend the most affordable university on the island, with students 

paying $124 per undergraduate credit; $190 per graduate credit; and, $200 per doctoral credit in 2020. After 

48 months since the hurricanes, student enrollment has leveled and showed a slight increase over the same 

period last year. It was expected that enrollment would reach pre-Maria level during the Fall of 2022. 

However, this was offset due to the Pandemic March 2020 to present which has shown a decline in 

enrollment. UPR Rio Piedras students and staff have shown a high degree of resiliency in the recuperation 

process after Irma and Maria, the Earthquakes, and the pandemic. 

Project Activities and Services: The proposed activity supports the implementation of a Robust STEM 

Academic Support System and, a Wellness and Social Emotional Student service for undergraduate students 

learning skills development (Social Emotional Students Services Center) and a summer bridge program 

responding to Competitive Preference Priority #2.

UPR-Proposes the following activities and services:

Establish Robust Academic Support System - These student-centered services will infuse support 

strategies associated with persistence and success (tutoring, coaching/advising, English-skills training, 

and a bridge program for junior/senior high school students). 

Academic Programs - Develop and On-line Teaching and Learning Center to deliver faculty professional 

development in course design, and social and emotional teaching responsive practices.

Institutional Management - Expand focus on enrollment, retention, persistence, and graduation by 

developing an Integrated STEM Academic Support System informed by the Artificial Intelligence Dynamic 

Early Warning System Model.

Enhance STEM Instructional Facilities - This infrastructure improvement will support the new programs, 

while providing dynamic learning opportunities with modern equipment.

Strengthen University Capacity - for offering higher education opportunities for all students through 

stronger outreach to high school students, career-centered learning, and internships.

Goals and Expected Outcomes:

O1: Increase overall freshman enrollment by at least 10% above baseline (2021 Baseline: 2145). (GRPA a) 

O2: Increase by 10% points the percentage of Hispanic first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate 

students who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the 

current year who remain in a degree/credential program (GPRA b - retention). (2021 baseline: 82%). 

O3: Increase by 15 points the percentage of Hispanic, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students 

graduating within six years of enrollment with a degree (GPRA a – native baccalaureate graduation). (2021 

baseline: 58.7%) 

O4: Serve at least 500 Hispanic students annually, who participate in grant-supported services or programs 

and who persist to complete a degree or credential (GPRA a - completion). 

Year 1 Budget Request: UPR-RP Request for first year is for $600,000. 
72 

ABSTRACT

The School of Nursing (SON) at The University of Texas Health San Antonio (UT Health), a 

Health Research Institution and a Hispanic-Serving Institution, educates highly qualified, culturally 

competent nurses. The School of Nursing is one of five schools at UT Health San Antonio, the only 

academic health science center in South Texas and chief catalyst for San Antonio’s thriving health 

care and biosciences sector. Since 1969, the SON has educated nurse leaders, clinicians, scientists, 

and teachers to serve the diverse and underserved population of South Texas. The SON enrolls over 

700 baccalaureate nursing students, of whom 56% are Hispanic, 38% are first-generation, 39% are 

Pell Eligible, and over 82% are women. By the end of this project, the SON will have graduated over 

1,960 Hispanic, BSN-prepared nurses entering our healthcare system to fulfill our vision of ‘making lives 

better by promoting health as an act of social justice.’

To successfully meet the demand for frontline nurses during a global pandemic, respond to a 

national nurse and nursing faculty shortage, support the wellbeing of future nurse leaders, and 

address the lack of nursing student success data, the SON proposes a project designed to provide a 

comprehensive strategy for nursing students where they will share in high-impact experiences that 

facilitate holistic support. APOYO: Supporting and Advancing Student Nurses in South Texas has a 

holistic focus on the development of nursing students through faculty-to-student mentorship in clinical 

and research pathways, peer mentorship, financial literacy, mental health wellness, academic support, and 

lastly an emphasis on building a data hub for Hispanic Nursing Student Success.

This project will yield meaningful, measurable outcomes through two primary activities:

• Activity I: Mentorship to Enhance Nursing Students by increasing Hispanic nursing student 

engagement through two distinct faculty-to-student mentorship pathways – an undergraduate 

research pathway through research experiences and scholarly activities and a clinical mentorship 

pathway through knowledge translation and clinical practice, and

• Activity 2: Wellness Support to Advance Student Nurses by supporting Hispanic student 

nurses through wellness and resilience programs including mental health services, financial 

health literacy, and campus employment and by increasing student persistence to graduation 

through the development of a nursing student success data warehouse.

The project objectives include:

• Increase Hispanic/ low-income student engagement in research mentorship and clinical 

mentorship pathways.

• Expand Hispanic student nurse’s wellbeing through mental health counseling and wellness 

programs.

• Increase financial health through financial aid advising and a financial literacy program.

• Advance Hispanic nursing student success through Peer Mentoring, Supplemental Instruction, 

and Tutoring.

• Build a nursing student success data hub by collecting and analyzing pertinent data to increase 

data-driven decisions.

The APOYO project addresses Competitive Preferences 1 a2 (evidence-based practices for 

advancing student success), 2c (system of high-quality data collection and analysis), and 2d 

(development and implementation of student success programs). The School of Nursing at UT

Health San Antonio is requesting $2,997,990 of funding to achieve these objectives over the five years 

of the project. 
73

San Antonio College’s (SAC) 2022-2027 Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

Individual Proposal Abstract: The “Apoyo” Project

SAC – one of the largest community colleges in Texas – educates approximately 17-

20,000 students each semester in San Antonio, Texas, the nation’s seventh-largest city located 

150 miles north of the U.S./Mexico border. In San Antonio, 64.7% of all 1.43 million residents 

are Hispanic and 73.6% of all residents 25 and older have less than a bachelor’s degree. In the 

neighborhoods that surround our campus, one-third to one-half of all families have incomes 

below poverty.

More than half of all SAC students in Fall 2021 were Hispanic, low-income, and/or firstgeneration-in-college, and approximately 26% graduate within three years because of the many 

barriers they face, perpetuating low educational attainment and poverty in San Antonio. The 

Apoyo project will help reverse this trend by significantly increasing our institution’s capacity to 

provide the guidance, engagement, and academic support Hispanic and low-income students 

need to succeed in higher education. Funding will allow SAC to:

• ...stand up a first-year experience that is comprehensive and provides academic and 

social support, and is inclusive and culturally responsive to our student population;

• ...provide a comprehensive peer advising model to include academic advising and 

financial literacy that increases support at every step (pre-college, entrance, retention, and 

completion) in a student’s community college experience; and,

• ...increase enrollment by seeking the large number of college “stop outs” in San Antonio, 

Texas, by providing specialized outreach and additional services and referrals.

Apoyo will serve as a catalyst for long-term improvements that will address the 

disproportionately low rates at which Hispanic and other low-income students achieve, persist, 

and succeed at SAC. The innovative strategies we employ in our Activity Components will 

directly address our institution’s weaknesses and will pave the way for systemic changes that 

will enable SAC to achieve its institutional goals and objectives. Every Apoyo intervention is 

designed to help our majority underrepresented students successfully navigate the first-year 

experience and receive the academic advising, social support, and mentorship needed for 

eventual graduation and/or transfer.

By the end of the project: 1) at least 50% of all students and 52% of all Hispanic students 

will remain enrolled in college; 2) at least 21,000 students, including at least 17,500 Hispanic 

and/or low-income students, or approximately two thirds of the entire student population, will 

receive direct student services annually via at least one hour of peer academic advising and 

financial literacy education; 3) at least 35% of all first-time-in-college (FTICs) and at least 35% 

of all Hispanic FTICs will earn a degree or certificate from the college within three years; 4) at 

least 32% of all students and at least 32% of all Hispanic students will transfer from SAC to a 

four-year institution within two years; and, 5) overall semester enrollment for SAC will have 

increased 10% to at least 19,330 students including at least 16,141 Hispanic students.
74 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Avanzamos: Advancing Dominican University from Hispanic-Enrolling to Hispanic-Serving

Dominican University (DU), located in River Forest, Illinois, ten miles west of Chicago, is a 

private, non-profit Catholic university that serves both resident and commuter students from the 

Chicago suburban area. We have served primarily first-generation college students since 1901. The 

Chicago area is home to over 2 million Hispanics and ranks 6th in the nation in the Hispanic 

population. In Fall 2021, over 63% of our undergraduate students were Hispanic.

Project Avanzamos Strategies

Strategy #1: Connection & Purpose. DU will equip students to make informed decisions about 

their educational and career pathways from entry through to completion and career launch. Careerrelevant learning, exploration and discovery through courses and work-based experiences will 

benefit Hispanic students. Strategy #2: Support & Belonging. DU will improve “servingness” to 

Hispanic and low-income students through improved wrap-around, asset-based supports that foster 

belonging. Proven-effective case management strategies attuned to Hispanic students’ strengths 

and needs will ensure that students persist and complete. Strategy #3: Community & Ecosystem. 

DU will catalyze an institutional culture shift to advance its identity as a Hispanic-Serving 

Institution. Professional development will increase faculty and staff cultural-competence, 

community relations, and data-driven decision-making capacity.

Comprehensive Development Plan Goals

Goal #1 (Academic Programs): Actualize a coordinated campus-wide initiative that integrates 

career considerations and experiential learning into the Dominican University academic experience 

by strengthening connections between learning goals, workplace skills, and social mobility. Goal 

#2 (Institutional Management): Drive an institutional culture shift to advance DU’s HispanicServing identity, as well as increase diversity and cultural-competency among faculty and staff by 

establishing an Office of Hispanic-Serving Initiatives, enhancing professional development to 

increase cultural competency; instilling campus-wide equity-mindedness. Goal #3 (Fiscal 

Stability): Adapt and sustain an evidence-based model of student advisement that adequately 

serves DU students’ needs, increases student outcomes, closes equity gaps, ensures equitable 

persistence and completion, leading to increased enrollment and tuition revenue.

Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) addressed in Avanzamos Project

We will address CPP #1 by 1) fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved 

students as we provide wrap-around, culturally relevant support services and establish an Office of 

Hispanic Serving Initiatives (OHSI) to strengthen and sustain our HSI identity; 2) implementing 

evidence-based practices for advancing student success as we re-envision our advising practices; 

and 3) providing evidence-based professional development to faculty and frontline staff. CPP #2 

will be addressed as we 1) increase the number and proportion of underserved students who enroll 

in and complete postsecondary education programs by means of the aggressive reshaping of our 

campus culture around the educational and career aspirations of Hispanic and other underserved 

students through curricular redesign, enhanced career guidance and experiential learning 

opportunities, and community outreach; by 2) establishing a system of high-quality data collection 

and analysis, covering both traditional academic outcomes (e.g., persistence, retention, 

completion, and post-college outcomes) and non-academic outcomes (e.g., sense of belonging, 

clarity in career plans, campus climate measures), fostering intentional research-to-practice 

feedback loops connecting the OHSI efforts of action research, community engagement, and 

policy advocacy; and 3) supporting the development and implementation of student success 

programs that integrate multiple comprehensive and evidence-based services or initiatives by 

implementing an intrusive, integrated advising system to meet students’ various needs: concerns 

about housing, mental health, childcare, transportation, financial aid, and access to technological 

devices will be addressed, ensuring that students are holistically supported to benefit from the 

ample academic and career development learning and growth available to them through a DU 

undergraduate education.
75

Title V HSI Abstract SQ3C NMSU Grants

New Mexico State University Grants (NMSU Grants) is a public, two-year branch campus 

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Grants, NM. NMSU Grants along historic Route 66 is the 

only community college serving a rural area in Cibola County, located 275 miles northeast of its 

parent campus, New Mexico State University – Las Cruces. NMSU Grants is a majorityminority institution with an HSI/NASNTI designation with 27% Hispanic students and 43% 

Native American students. New Mexico ranks last in the nation for K-12 education, and the test 

scores at Grants High School are below the state’s average.

NMSU Grants’ Title V grant project, SQ3C, or Student Quality in Culture, Comprehension 

and Completion is a comprehensive initiative to streamline and expand proactive advising for 

the Hispanic, Native American, and low-income students. Adopting a Guided Pathway Model 

will streamline, simplify and customize the onboarding process, increasing application 

conversion. Advising will assess risk factors and match students to campus resources. The 

project also has a reading comprehension component to support English Language Learners as 

they negotiate specialized terminology and academic discourse.

Program goals include 1) implementing an inclusive Guided Pathways model, with program 

maps designed to streamline course selection for degree completion along with co-curricular 

programs and post-graduate career opportunities; 2) re-designing the advisement process 

through the role of a case manager for proactive advisement and point-of-contact; 3) creating 

study space equipped with technology and text-to-speech software; 4) redesigning courses for 

accessibility, inclusion and diversity; 5) provide professional development; and 6) design 

institution-wide assessment to support the implementation of Guided Pathways model.

The program will have measurable and significant outcomes including: (1) increasing the fall-tofall first time full-time persistence rate of Hispanic and low-income students; (2) increasing the 

graduation rate of Hispanic and low-income students, (3) ensuring degree-seeking students are in 

guided pathways, (4) decreasing average credit hours accumulated before associate degree 

completion, (5) increasing the 3-year completion rate, (6) increasing reading efficiency and 

comprehension, (7) increasing the number of faculty trained for course accessibility and 

inclusion and the Guided Pathways model.

NMSU Grants is requesting $2,427,905 over five years to support SQ3C program initiatives and 

activities.

Competitive Preference Priority: SQ3C addresses Competitive Preferences1 and 2 (Meeting 

Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs and Increasing Postsecondary Education 

Access, Affordability, Completion and Post-Enrollment Success).
76 

Institution: Universidad del Sagrado Corazon

Unit: School of Arts, Design and Creative Industries (hereafter the School)

Project Title: Strengthening Teaching of the Arts through Student (STARS): Retention & 

Graduation to Foster Creative Disciplines as Economic Drivers of Success 

Competitive Preference Priorities 1 & 2: Yes Funding Requested: $2,999,802

Sagrado proposes to address the continuing institutional challenge of improving retention and 

graduation rates through the following three main components: (1) Direct and specialized support 

for students to develop skills that will help them in their professional career (CPP2), from the 

perspective of academics within the artistic and creative disciplines. (2) Faculty development and 

curricular enhancement that will help professors and instructors incorporate career development 

and international exposure in their courses as well as mentorship and coaching skills for students 

with artistic/creative mindsets (CPP1). (3) Improve Sagrado’s infrastructure by remodeling 

academic spaces and incorporating a multispace classroom to effectively provide for better 

experiences and resources to improve student progress and outcomes. Through the investment of 

Title V Program funding to address needed support for Sagrado’s newest academic offer through 

the School, by the end of the 5-year project implementation, the attainment of the following goals 

and sustainability beyond 2027 is proposed: 

Goal 1: Improve the retention and graduation rates of the School so that more students are better 

prepared to enter the creative economy labor market. (Academic Programs). Objective 1.1: 

Increase total graduation rate for the School by 5% by the end of the 5-year project period when 

compared to 2021 Baseline. Objective 1.2: Increase 1st year retention rate by 10% by the end of 

the 5-year project period when compared to 2021 Baseline. Objective 1.3: Achieve a total of 50% 

of students receiving career development coaching by 2027. Goal 2: Improve faculty performance 

through training, resources, and support structures for teaching, mentoring and coaching to develop 

creative projects with students. (Academic Programs). Objective 2.1: 85% of total faculty at the 

School will participate in the Faculty Development Program. Objective 2.2: 50% of total faculty 

will apply new teaching methodologies and strategies to School courses. Objective 2.3: At least 

15% of the School faculty will work in special creative projects developed with students. Goal 3: 

Improve the School’s student’s academic performance and the development of skills through the 

establishment of new spaces and renovation and/or refurbishment of existing ones so they have 

the adequate study/practice spaces. (Institutional Management). Objective 3.1: Improve the 

acoustics of three (3) practice rooms. Objective 3.2: Construct one (1) multispace room for the 

students of performing arts programs. Objective 3.3: Equip other creative disciplines academic 

programs with much needed equipment, specialized instrumentation, or needed materials and 

supplies.

The “Faculty Development”, “Development of Technical Skills” and “Career Advising” 

components of the proposed project will adapt the “coaching” protocols established by the Success 

Boston Coaching and InsideTrack models, specifically by providing coaching and mentorship to 

students at the School. The student profile of Sagrado student’s is like that of those of the prior 

studies, with the exception that Sagrado students are mainly Hispanics. Coupled with the career 

development activities, it is expected that the student desiring to lead a professional career in the 

arts or creative disciplines will achieve the foundations to lead to primary pathways of economic 

success.
77

PROJECT ABSTRACT

The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) is the largest Hispanic-Serving Institution in 

a 500-mile radius from El Paso to Dallas/Fort Worth. UTPB serves a diverse student body of 

more than 4,100 undergraduate students per year, 32% of whom are Hispanic, and 77% are firstgeneration in college or low-income. UTPB’s Title V Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions 

project, Students’ Thoughtful Response to Educational Attainment and Mentorship 

(STREAM), addresses the region’s K-12 teacher shortage by implementing evidenced-based and 

high-impact strategies, activities, and services that will increase enrollment, persistence, 

completion, and placement rates of Hispanic and low-income students in UTPB’s Education 

Preparation Program.

STREAM Goals:

Goal 1) Increase the enrollment of Hispanic, male, first-generation, and low-income students in 

teacher education programs by fostering deeper engagement with local school districts, 

community colleges, Hispanic families, and rural communities.

Goal 2) Improve the retention and graduation rates of Hispanic, first-generation, and low-income 

students through enhanced student services and expansion of paid teacher residency programs.

Goal 3) Prepare students to meet Texas Technology Teaching Standards by expanding access to 

cutting-edge instructional technology resources and equipment.

The STREAM project will have the following measurable and significant outcomes:

• Increase the number of Hispanic, first-generation, and low-income students in the Education 

Preparation Program (EPP) by engaging in targeted outreach activities with local high 

schools, Hispanic families, and rural communities.

• Increase the number of students transferring from two-year colleges into the Education 

Preparation Program by expanding articulation agreements and outreach activities.

• Increase the number of students retained and graduating from the Education Preparation 

Program through case management advising services.

• Increase the number of students passing teacher education credential tests by providing peer 

tutoring.

• Expand paid teacher residency program to rural school partners.

• Provide high-impact and assets-based professional development to meet Hispanic and lowincome students’ social, emotional, and academic needs.

• Design, equip, and support high-tech classrooms that prepare Education Preparation Program 

students to use cutting-edge technology in their teaching careers.

The project narrative includes both Competitive Preference Priorities (CCP1). CCP1: Meeting 

Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs describes how continuous, intensive

professional development and a community of practices will improve pedagogy and services to 

meet students’ needs. CCP2: Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, 

Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success includes targeted outreach, 2+2 agreements, case 

management advising, peer tutoring, and mentoring that will improve outcomes for Hispanic and 

low-income Teacher Preparation Program students.

The project’s overall five-year budget of $2,995,537 represents a cost-efficient approach that 

will support personnel, fringe benefits, supplies, technology, professional development, external 

evaluation, and the establishment of an endowment fund.
78

Cabrillo College’s Abriendo El Camino

Cabrillo College (Aptos, California) is a comprehensive, public two-year community college 

serving Santa Cruz County with the main campus at Aptos and a Center in Watsonville. With 

43% Hispanic enrollment in FY2020-21, the college serves high-need students from the 

Pajaro Valley where families struggle with persistent poverty and low educational levels.

Proposed Project: Cabrillo College proposes Abriendo El Camino: Connecting & Supporting 

High School Students into Structured College & Career Pathways, a five-year Developing 

Hispanic Serving Institutions project. Activities and services include the following:

1. Build infrastructure to expand dual enrollment (DE) by: 1) bringing in a subject matter 

expert to guide key stakeholders around the removal of institutional barriers; and 2) 

revising dual enrollment procedures to improve the student experience.

2. Increase CCAP dual enrollment course offerings as part of dual enrollment agreements;

3. Create clear program maps for career and academic programs, which guide students from 

Cabrillo’s feeder schools with higher education course offerings;

4. Provide professional development for dual enrollment faculty / teachers and staff that is 

culturally responsive, equity-minded, active learning based;

5. Help dual enrollment (DE) students acclimatize to the culture of higher education with 

students supports (embedded tutoring, intrusive advising/counseling support);

6. Connect DE students to Cabrillo’s career guidance course (CG 51) on career exploration;

7. Increase information sharing to parents of dual-enrolled students so they are informed of 

college expectations, support structures, & means to affordably finance college;

8. Serve dual enrollment completers in learning communities to bridge high school students to 

Cabrillo; starts in the last semester of high school, continues through summer bridge 

program, and into Fall semester to ensure seamless college transition;

9. Increase PD participation of faculty/ teachers, counselors, and staff who are designing 

student support for dual-enrolled students.

Project Addresses the Following Priorities

CPP1: Expanding advanced professional training through a Professional Development 

Academy for Dual Enrollment for our current and prospective faculty and high school teachers 

working on dual enrollment courses (Tomasello, Carpenter, Call, Behme, & Moll, 2005).

CPP2: Connecting high school students to structured career pathways which starts with dual 

enrollment and integrates students supports which are adopted from CUNY’s Accelerated 

Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model (a WWC Promising Practice).

Outcomes - Five-year outcomes (by September 2027) include: Obj 1.1) an increase in dualenrolled students by 100%; Obj 1.2) increase in the DE student’s use & knowledge of processes by 

10%; Obj 1.3) increase in course offerings by six (6) DE courses, resulting in 500 DE students; 

Obj 1.4) create three structured DE academic pathways; Obj 1.5) increase success rate of DE 

course by 10% ; Obj 2.1) increase by 10% points the PVUSD college-going rate from 68% to 

78%; Obj 2.2) increase students’ Fall to Fall persistence rate by 5% points; Obj. 2.3) increase 

students who complete AA/AS degree or cert. by 100 students; Obj 2.4) increase # of students 

who transfer by 65; Obj. 2.5) at least 50 faculty / teachers participate in PD Academy on dual 

enrollment, culturally inclusive pedagogy, and equity-mindedness.
79 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Confianza, Cultura, Cariño y Comunidad: Humanizing MiraCosta's Network of Care to 

Propel Students to Academic and Career Success

MiraCosta College (MCC), San Diego County, CA, was founded in 1934 as a department 

within the Oceanside High School District. Since then, MCC has grown enrollment to over 

20,000 students annually, over 40% of whom are Hispanic. San Diego County is home to 3.3 

million residents whose backgrounds and needs are diverse and whose contributions are essential 

to the region’s overall success. MCC will deploy the following three interconnected strategies to 

implement and scale the equity-minded interventions identified by research as holding the most 

promise to increase attainment of Hispanic students, filling essential gaps to realize a seamless 

pathway to careers in regionally high-demand, high-wage careers:

STRATEGY 1: CONEXIONES Y CARRERA

Beyond Academic Onboarding —Intentionally introduce and reinforce career concepts to 

move beyond basic exploration to career preparation and attainment for Hispanic students. 

Ensure students are equipped to make informed decisions about their educational and career 

pathways throughout and upon completion of their pathway, supported by experiential and workbased learning opportunities with support from faculty, staff, and students. 

STRATEGY 2: CARIÑO Y CONFIANZA

Beyond Academic Support—Improving the network of care to increase retention of Hispanic 

and other low-income students. Utilize culturally responsive, equity-minded cohort management 

strategies to actively case manage Hispanic and low-income students to utilize academic 

supports, improving persistence and timely completion. 

STRATEGY 3: CULTURA Y COMUNIDAD

Beyond Hispanic-Enrolling—Drive a college culture shift to embrace the identity of a 

Hispanic-Serving Institution, increasing diversity and cultural-competence among faculty and 

staff.

5-Year Objectives to be accomplished by September 30, 2027: Increase: Total number of onramp certificate students from 2,517 to 3,000; Hispanic on-ramp certificate student enrollment 

from 42% to 45%; Credit-bearing degree program enrollment from 19,059 to 21,000 by 2027; 

Hispanic degree program enrollment from 37% to 42%; Hispanic student transition from onramp certificate to credit degree pathway from 1.4% to 5%; Hispanic transfer-level English from 

51% to 60%; math from 52% to 60%; Hispanic overall course success from 62% to 70%; 

Hispanic fall-to-spring persistence rate from 75% to 80%; Hispanic student completion of 24+ 

units by end of yr. 1 from 27% to 32%; Decrease average number of units at degree completion 

from 73 to 70 units; Hispanic AA/AS/ADT completers units from 74 to 70; Hispanic certificate 

completion from 762 to 900 by 2027; Hispanic Associate Degree completion from 798 to 925 by 

2027; Hispanic student certificate/degree transfer by year 3 from 21.1% to 25%; Hispanic 

student housing insecurity from 14.7% to 11%; food insecurity from 10.2% to 7%; transportation 

barriers from 7.7% to 5%; At least 400 college employees, including at least 200 faculty 

members complete a project-sponsored professional development certificate. 

Competitive Preference Priorities (CPPs): CPP #1: Address social, emotional, and academic 

needs by fostering a positive, inclusive, and identity-safe environment for Hispanic and other 

underserved students through intentional, early, ongoing, and sustained efforts to connect 

students to their peers, college personnel, and their programs of study; CPP #2: Increase 

postsecondary education access, affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success by 

setting Hispanic and other underserved students up for success in high-demand, high-wage 

careers.
80 

ABSTRACT. Merced College (MCCD), a Hispanic Serving Institution located in Merced 

County, California, will create strong college pathways in high school, flood first year students 

with academic and personal supports (as modeled after the DOE approved Single Stop supports 

model), and infuse DEI best practices and cultural celebration throughout the campus. NEED. 

Retention rates at Merced College are 61% for full-time students and 35% for part-time students; 

The overall graduation rate is 30%, but rates are 20.0% and 13.3% lower for Black and 

Hispanic/Latino students, respectively; The annual rate for degree or certification completion is 

low, for all students is 8.04%, and for Hispanic students is 7.62%; The annual persistence rate is 

low, for all students at 46.99%, and for Hispanic students at 47.6%; and The overall percentage 

of students that started their studies in Fall 2018 that transfer out to a 4-year college is extremely 

low at 4%.INSTITUTIONAL GOALS:GOAL #1: Institutionalize DEI in all aspects of 

recruitment, education, and campus life. This goal is in full alignment with MCCD’s Strategic 

Plan Goal # 8: "Utilize MCCD's DEI Framework to Address Systemic Racism". MCCD will 

design streamlined and integrated DEI training and accountability systems. This will include 

“Train the trainer” activities for staff on DEI best practices, comprehensive curriculum audits, 

DEI Oversight Team strategies for meta team implementation, and student-led cultural initiatives 

to create a fuller, more rich campus culture that fully reflects the student population. GOAL #2: 

Expand Dual Enrollment Offerings at local high schools to increase enrollment and reduce 

tuition costs for local Hispanic, first generation college students. This goal is in full alignment 

with MCCD’s Strategic Plan Goal #1: Enrollment Management and Student Success and Goal 

#2: Increase Student Access. This will include CCAP expansion and integration to create a K-12 

pipeline of enrollment for first generation Hispanic college students (including financial 

counseling), utilizing a “2Gen” approach to increase enrollment rates and reduce tuition costs. 

Through this initiative, expanding supports on-site at high schools, such as with completing 

financial aid applications will also increase enrollment and student access. Additional activities 

to meet this goal include: Digital Learning Advisory Committee (DLAC) creation for CCAP 

families and; Active parent group engagement for dual enrollment students (particularly in the 

Merced Union High School District); GOAL #3: Infuse First Year Students with Academic and 

Personal Supports by Creating Success Teams Infused with DEI and Comprehensive Care 

Coordination. This goal aligns with MCCD’s Strategic Plan #1: Increase Student Enrollment and 

Success. MCCD has a long-standing Success Team model of support that will be significantly 

expanded in the 2022-23 school year. MCCD will significantly expand the Success Team model 

to include: 1) Real time updates among coordinated staff to flag students needing academic or 

personal supports; and 2) Continuous DEI monitoring and accountability among Success Teams 

to ensure that all students have full access to educational and personal supports. OBJECTIVES. 

Objective #1: The annual rate of degree or certificate completion for all students, and specifically 

for Hispanic students, at Merced will increase to 30% by the close of the grant term. (Baseline of 

17%).Objective #2: The annual persistence rate at DHSI grantee institutions for all students, and 

for Hispanic students, in particular, from one year to the next will increase to 55% and 57%, 

respectively. (Baseline is 46.99% for all students, and 47.6% for Hispanic students). Objective

#3: The annual persistence rate of all students, and of Hispanic students, that transfer from a 2 

year college to a 4 year college will increase by 15% by the close of the grant term. (Baseline of 

4%). Objective #4: The number of all students, and the number of Hispanic students in 

particular, served by any direct student service supported by the grant will increase by 40%. 

(Baseline of 45%). Objective #5: Federal cost per undergraduate and graduate degree at 

institutions in the DHSI program will decrease by an average of $552 per newly enrolled student. 
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Abstract

Western New Mexico University (WNMU) is an open-enrollment, comprehensive highereducation institution located in the borderlands, rural region of southwestern New Mexico 

serving a large, sparsely populated geographic region. Nearly half of WNMU’s students are 

Hispanic and most are first-generation college learners. Nearly half of WNMU’s students are low 

income, and more than half are online learners. WNMU offers undergraduate and graduate 

degrees including associate degrees and certificates across a wide breadth of disciplines and 

academic areas that encompasses education, nursing, math, natural sciences, applied technology, 

business, humanities, arts, social sciences, social work, and communication. WNMU is the State 

of New Mexico’s only designated Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences (ALAS) institution.

Con Ganas translates from Spanish into “with urgency” or “with eagerness” and is an asset 

model with a set of strategies to improve student success as measured by retention, attainment, 

career readiness, and sense of belonging. Con Ganas supports a student-led and student-informed 

curriculum redesign and High-Impact Practices (HIP) set of pedagogies across the WNMU 

curriculum including its signature ALAS program. The Con Ganas asset model enlists the 

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) student organization together with the 

Felipe de Ortego y Gazca Institute consisting of faculty leaders in the domain of curriculum 

redesign related to WNMU’s critical HSI role, identity, and programs. Con Ganas provides 

faculty and staff development and workshops toward designing a culturally responsive and 

relevant curriculum, and to strengthen student academic support through integration and the use 

of at-risk detection tools and processes. Con Ganas engages learners with authentic HIP 

pedagogies relating to place, community, and career tracks. Con Ganas strengthens WNMU’s 

outreach to area high schools including WNMU’s dual enrollment programs that support firstgeneration learners and their families to pursue higher-education pathways. Con Ganas supports 

a culture of evidence to verify and adjust strategies designed to support the goals and objectives 

of the five-year project.

The Project meets the Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2.

WNMU is requesting $2,980,687 over five years to support Con Ganas initiatives and activities.

Contact: S. Otto Khera, Project Director, Title V, External Affairs, Western New Mexico 

University – 1000 College Avenue, Silver City, NM, 88061-4112, tel. 575.538.6870. 

otto.khera@wnmu.edu.
82

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Founded in 1852 with a goal to expand educational opportunities in South Texas, St. Mary’s University has

focused on principles to serve Hispanic student populations before they were on the radar of higher 

education more broadly: service, justice, peace; adaptation and change to

meet today’s challenges; and cultivating family spirit among students, faculty, staff, and community. San 

Antonio is the seventh largest metropolitan area in the US, where 64.7% identify as Hispanic. Within St. 

Mary’s zip code that number jumps to 89%. While St. Mary’s graduation rates for Hispanic students has 

been above average, we strive to close the gap with predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Currently our

average four-year graduation rate is 46% (14% higher than the national average of 32%; NCES) and the 

average Hispanic fall-to-fall retention rate for Hispanic students is 73%, which is competitive against the 

national average of 67% (PNPI 2019). With these Title V grant funds, we aim to support those students who

are still slipping through the cracks to ensure that they achieve their dream of earning a college degree. Our 

goal is to fund a robust First Year Experience program and high-impact practices in St.

Mary’s largest academic unit and the center of the academic core, the College of Arts, Humanities, and 

Social Sciences, to push 6-year graduation rates to those of comparable Predominately White

Institutions (PWIs): a 6-year graduation rate of 65% compared to St. Mary’s 6-year graduation rate of 

59% (IPEDS data).

Beyond graduation statistics, we must consider the extent to which students feel their college experience 

enriched their cultural identities. As Gina Ann Garcia (2019) has noted, HSIs ought to be evaluated on their 

performance across two dimensions: (1) the academic outcomes accrued by students as they relate to 

subsequent academic and occupational opportunities; and (2) the extent to which Hispanic students 

experience a stronger connection to their cultures. Based on the developing literature on Hispanic higher 

education and an awareness of our current institutional areas for improvement, we are seeking to advance

educational outcomes through the following activities, which will be guided by educators and 

administrators of Latinx heritage to strengthen students’ database of role models:

1. Enhance the University’s newly created First Year Experience by instituting a system of digital 

badging that incorporates at least 50% activities tied to the myriad Hispanic cultural opportunities in 

San Antonio, Hispanic-owned businesses, and projects. St. Mary’s is well positioned to capitalize on

its role as an HSI leader, as the CAHSS dean is a Hispanist by training and currently both GSB and 

SET are led by Hispanic deans.

2. Integrate high-impact practices (HIPs) into selected academic programs in the academic core 

(CAHSS).

3. Create clear curricular pathways toward graduation for all students, with a special focus on transfer 

students and first-time freshmen enrolling with academic credits.

Through these initiatives, we will increase a sense of belongingness (deeper integration into the academic

and socially interactive aspects of the university experience) and servingness (serving the student 

holistically and through service to others, particularly while cultivating Hispanic heritage), which will 

encourage students to persevere through obstacles to graduation and provide a stronger foundation for post 

college success, defined as job placement and/or post- baccalaureate education.

COMPETITIVE PREFERENCE PRIORITIES ADDRESSED: 1.a.1 and 1.a.2, 1.a.3; 2a, 2b, 2d.