AANAPISI ABSTRACTS

OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIR (OIA) 

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTION PROGRAM (SIP) 

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 

OPPORTUNITY CENTER (OC) PALN# 84.031L 

ASCC Strengthening Institution Grant Program (SIP) Opportunity Center (OC) program 

will recruit low income; underserved island residents to enter the ASCC OC program. OC 

program activities will target: 1) ASDOE high school students, 2) ASG and private sector 

workforce, 3) military veterans their spouse and children and 4) ASCC non-degree student 

majors. 

SIP OC’s goal is to deliver major program components that will target student’s learning 

in academic subjects with the assistance of computer technology, social support, mental health 

counseling, physical fitness and scheduled tutor/mentor sessions as they enter into the 

postsecondary education programs. SIP will concentrate on high school students to complete the 

appropriate courses and providing tutors/mentors preparing them for postsecondary education. 

OC will recruit veterans to the certificate or degree programs. ASG and private business 

employs will be offered programs such as the Computer Science, Nursing and Business 

Department for certification and degree programs. The Computer Technology Education (CTE) 

or a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) workforce certification can allow them to enter 

the workforce in a timely manner. A key component will involve technology assistance in 

remedial programs and vocational technology career pathways for all SIP OC ASCC students. 

The SIP OC program will initiate vocational CTE and RAP certificate programs or to 

pursue an advance degree in the student’s field of study. SIP OC will promote and facilitate an 

interagency partnership that will help to prepare and enhance the workforce competency and 

raise the level of job skills for students through the SIP OC partnership. 

SIP OC will achieve five (5) outcomes that will be accomplished within the 5-year grant 

requesting $2,101,915.00. 

Outcome 1: OC will assemble an Advisory Council that will work with ASCC and ASG in 

support of a sustainable workforce training program; 

Outcome 2: OC will recruit, train and certify twenty (20) tutor/mentors for the duration of this 

grant; 

Outcome 3: ASCC OC will coordinate with ASG and the public business to establish a WrapAround Service (WAS) program. Wrap-around programs will engage student’s to their 

successful completion in: CTE, RAP, AWD, Internships, licensing and degree programs; 

Outcome 4: OC will work with a WAS program taught by life-long career experts scheduled to 

present bi-monthly presentations held at the ASCC campus; 

Outcome 5: OC will increase by 15%.the number of students completing the SIP OC program 

by successfully completing an OC technical vocational career training certification 

The ASCC Opportunity Center will establish partnership with the: AS Department of 

Education (ASDOE); LBJ Tropical Medical Center (LBJTMC); AS Dept. of Public Health; AS 
Power Authority (ASPA); AS Dept. of Agriculture (ASDA); AS Tele Communication Authority 

(ASTCA) and ASG Human Resource, Blue Sky Communication (BS).

The Brooklyn College AANAPISI Project (BCAP) addresses the social, emotional, and 

academic needs of AAPI – and other underrepresented – students at Brooklyn College. This 

proposal begins by contextualizing the current state of Asian American and Pacific Islander 

students at Brooklyn College, in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, and in New 

York City. BCAP and the associated goals are introduced, followed by actionable outcomes. The 

goals of the project are three-pronged: 1) Institutionalize AAPI Studies curriculum at Brooklyn 

College, 2) Establish pipeline mentoring among faculty and students, and 3) Provide AAPI 

culturally-sensitive mental health services. As a whole, this project allows AAPIs visibility on 

the Brooklyn College campus and addresses the particular needs of AAPI students. Additionally, 

this project fulfills a current intellectual lacuna deficiency in the overall curriculum. 

The BCAP co-PIs will manage and execute this project, overseeing logistics while collaborating 

with the project manager, director, students, and associated faculty and staff. Faculty will be 

paired with students for research and internship mentoring. A robust outcome is anticipated to 

not only center AAPIs at Brooklyn College but also to extend community networks in Brooklyn, 

New York City, and beyond.

Fullerton College, located in Fullerton, California, will institutionalize the proposed program 

titled, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Amplified. APIDA Amplified will 

improve and expand Fullerton College’s capacity to serve our Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi 

American students--Desi is a term for people who have ancestral ties to South Asia, including 

India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh--as well as low-income individuals. Fullerton College is one of 

the oldest community colleges in California since 1913 and is the number one community 

college to transfer students to the California State University (CSU) system. While there are 

high-touch services for many students at Fullerton College, there is no stand-alone student 

support program or learning community dedicated to APIDA students. There are at least fourteen 

different ethnic subgroups that make up the APIDA population at Fullerton College. The 

subgroups include Korean (26.4%) Filipino (19.8%); Chinese (15.0%); Vietnamese (13.8%); 

Asian Indian (9.8%); Other Asian (5.9%) Japanese (4.5%); Cambodian (1.4%); Other Pacific 

Islander (0.9%); Laotian (0.6%) Samoan (0.8%); Hawaiian (0.5%); Guamanian (0.3%); and 

Asian (0.1%). 

With the focus on community college student retention and persistence over the last decade, 

there is research that addresses the struggles of marginalized students of color, but research 

remains limited on the educational experiences of AAPIDA students (Alcantar et al., 2020; 

Orsuwan & Cole, 2007; Yeh, 2004). Historically, AAPIDA students have been lumped together 

as one group representing over 48 different ethnic subgroups (Maramba & Museus, 2012). 

To address the APIDA student needs, the APIDA Amplified program will implement a learning 

community overseen by a Project Director and in collaboration with a dedicated APIDA

Counselor and Ethnic Studies faculty. APIDA Amplified has three overarching goals. They are: 

1)increase the persistence of APIDA students on campus, 2) Increase the 3-year graduation 

rateof APIDA students on campus, and 3) Increase APIDA students’ sense of belonging. 

ThisAANAPISI grant will allow Fullerton College to examine each APIDA subgroup and 
confront the racial and ethnic disparities that are faced, thereby increasing the knowledge of their 

experiences to better serve our students.

Fullerton College will respond to the Competitive Preference Priority 1 by intentionally 

designing our project, APIDA Amplified, to improve students’ social, emotional, academic, and 

career development, with a focus on underserved students (Filipino/a/x student population) by 

creating a positive, inclusive, and identify-safe climate in the following ways: (a) fostering a 

sense of belonging and engagement, providing culturally relevant and responsive curriculum, 

providing experiential learning opportunities to support academic development, and (b) 

providing professional development opportunities through a community of practice and the 

development of a resource toolkit. Fullerton College will respond to the Competitive Preference 

Priority 2 to increase postsecondary access, post-enrollment success by providing exploration to 

graduation services and establishing a system of high-quality data collection and analysis, and 

developing and implementing evidence-based student success programs.

Green River College (GRC) is a public, non-profit two-year institution with an open-door 

admissions policy. GRC’s service area is located within southeast King County in western 

Washington State. GRC enrolled 12,957 students in the 2021-2022 academic year. It is a 

Federally recognized Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institution. 

Over 70,000 individuals who identify as Asian American and/or Pacific Islander (AAPI) live in 

GRC’s service area. Its region’s economy is dominated by “knowledge industry” employers such 

as Amazon, Boeing, and Microsoft. These companies demand postsecondary degrees as a 

qualification for high-demand jobs. Only 13% of the region’s working adults without 

postsecondary degrees are economically self-sufficient. Fewer than one in ten members of many 

AAPI communities within GRC’s service area have postsecondary degrees. 

Approximately one in three (31%) of GRC students are low-income. Over 1,500 GRC students 

identify as AAPI individuals. GRC’s capacity to serve these students is inadequate, demonstrated 

by the fact that over 50% of its AAPI students fail to graduate within three years. Retention and 

graduation rates are even worse among AAPI students who are also low-income, and/or had to 

take English language courses upon arriving at GRC to prepare for college-level coursework. 

The requested Individual Development Grant will serve 4,648 current and prospective students 

during the five-year grant period. Project activities will improve AAPI and low-income students’ 

enrollment, success in critical courses, retention, credential completion, and graduation. This will 

be achieved through culturally responsive professional development; targeted outreach and cocurricular events; enhancing courses with accelerated options, no-cost textbooks, tutors, and 

more engaging forms of learning; individual academic support; emergency aid for students in 

crisis; and partnerships with nonprofit agencies to provide students with wrap-around support. 

The project’s objectives are ambitious and attainable. The project’s plan of operation is clear, 

thorough, and comprehensive. The proposed project budget is reasonable and adequately 

supports the project’s plan of operation. A logic model and a robust body of evidence are 

provided to articulate and justify the relationships between project personnel and resources, 
activities, objectives, and outcomes. GRC will supplement requested grant funding by providing 

facilities, equipment, supplies, personnel compensation, and other necessary resources. 

The proposed AANAPISI project has written for both Competitive Preference Priorities 

(CPPs) 1 and 2. The proposal includes detailed plans of how it will address each CPP. These 

plans are incorporated into the project’s plan of operation and its evaluation plan. Evaluation will 

use quantitative and qualitative measures, as well as an internal Steering Committee and an 

expert External Evaluator, to monitor the project and make continuous improvements in order to 

achieve its objectives, as well as fulfill U.S. Department of Education reporting requirements.

Herzing University (HU), a private, four-year postsecondary institution with 11 campuses 

throughout the U.S., proposes the “HU AANAPISI” project to: (1) increase the retention and 

satisfaction of bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and bachelor of science in dental hygiene 

(BSDH) students; and 2) improve the academic performance and career readiness of students, 

particularly underserved students, through increased utilization of academic and co-curricular 

supportive services and professional licensure preparation. The project will result in lasting 

systemic changes for the institution, reflecting alignment with HU’s strategic plans and the ED 

AANAPISI FY 2023 competitive preference priorities to meet students’ social, emotional, and 

academic needs, and to increase postsecondary education access, affordability, completion, and 

post-enrollment success for underserved students.

The target population is 479 BSN and BSDH students on HU’s Minneapolis campus, which 

represents 73% of the campus population. Among the 479 BSN and BSDH students, 54% are 

low income, 58% are underrepresented minorities (URM), including 69 students who are 

AANAPISI (of whom 61% are low income), 26% are first-generation college students, and 12% 

are English learners. Retention and completion rates in these programs are affected by students’ 

financial barriers, connectedness barriers (i.e., satisfaction and sense of belonging), and academic 

barriers. 

To address students’ financial barriers, HU will: conduct financial literacy trainings for 

students; collaborate with cultural organizations to promote utilization of financial aid among the 

AANAPISI population; and allocate endowment funds for supportive resources for underserved 

students. To increase students’ sense of belonging, HU will: facilitate diversity, equity and 

inclusion (DEI) training for faculty and staff to improve cultural sensitivity and eliminate 

unconscious bias; and appoint a Faculty-Student Advocate to promote faculty-student 

relationships. To address students’ academic and career-readiness challenges, HU will: hire 

a Nursing Academic Learning Specialist and a Dental Academic Learning Specialist to provide 

support for coursework and professional exam preparation; hire a Peer Mentor/Tutor to connect 

students to university resources and provide tutoring services; and hire an ESL Tutor to help 

students with medical and other advanced English terminology. To improve students’ soft 

skills and wellness, HU will: contract with a Mental Health service to provide one-on-one 

mental health counseling and conduct wellness trainings for students and staff; and conduct 

workshops to develop students’ soft skills. To increase students’ access to educational 

resources, HU will create a centralized physical space on campus for students to collaborate 

with each other and with faculty, study, access modern workstations, and take proctored exams 
with accommodations. These activities will be overseen by the Academic Dean of the 

Minneapolis campus as the Project Director. 

Five-year project objectives for BSN and BSDH students are to: increase the first-to-second 

year retention rates by 10%, to 89%; increase the second-to-third year retention rates by 10%, to 

84%; decrease the number of students who withdraw for financial reasons by 5%, to 7.7%; 

decrease the number of AANAPISI students who withdraw for financial reasons by 5%, to 27%; 

increase the percentage of students with positive satisfaction ratings by 10%, to 58% (and to 55% 

for AANAPISI students); increase the utilization of tutoring services for all students by 10%, to 

17%; increase the utilization of tutoring services for URM students by 10%, to 88%; decrease the 

number of students who withdraw for academic reasons by 20%, to 32%; and increase the 

NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate from 66.7% (fall 2022) to 83% by September 30, 2028.

The Impact Academy: A High Impact Practices Academy for STEM and Health Careers

A High Impact Practices Academy for STEM and Health Careers (Impact Academy) will be a 

consolidated effort across Long Island University’s (LIU) two campuses to serve an estimated 

590 AANAPI undergraduates, over 52% of whom are low-income and first-generation-college 

students, migrants, or English language limited, pursuing STEM or Health majors, and have a 

need for academic, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and financial support in order to persist in 

higher education and complete a baccalaureate degree. With the full support of the LIU 

administration and institutional units across the LIU campuses, the project will provide these 

participants with an array of student services, including: 

Pillar 1 • Social Emotional Learning SEL that brings awareness among faculty, students, staff, 

mentors and advisors across both campuses to provide a resiliency, asset-based network of 

resources to promote internal locus of control to address salient social and emotional needs faced 

by LIU AANAPI students. Competitive Priority #1 

Pillar 2 • High Impact Practices “Impact Academy” including Undergraduate Research in 

STEM and Community-based Health Internships with a major non-profit health and human 

services organization located in downtown Brooklyn to allow AANAPI and other students to 

build confidence, skills, and belongingness on campus and in the community. 

Pillar 3 • Career and Life Mentoring Establish an identifiable presence on each campus within 

LIU Student Services (Promise Program) to enhance existing culturally appropriate strategies 

addressing Academic Tutoring; Advising; (i.e., career, academic and financial); coupled with a 

unique NIH-funded health disparities and entrepreneurship program, to provide proactive, 

frequent, ongoing support, events and monitoring via data-intensive tracking strategies to aid 

with retention and success; Competitive priority #2 

The three pillars comprise LIU’s effort toward a sequence of evidence-based, long-term, 

retention and graduation strategies, wellness and career-development interventions that include 

research experiences, community-mentored summer and semester internships, practicum, 

experiential learning focused on in-demand health, human services careers and STEM-based 
industries, for which NYC-Long Island is an economic hub for the region. Within LIU: 

Opportunities to conduct undergraduate research with active LIU scientific and health and 

human services focused laboratories under the supervision of LIU STEM, health, sciences, social 

work, psychology, and humanities research faculty. Outside LIU: Opportunities to conduct 

mentored, experiential, entrepreneurial activities in biomedical science to address health 

disparities, and social-behavioral health professional preparation. Students will be placed in high 

need areas of Brooklyn and Long Island via partnerships with well-established partner agencies. 

Objectives overall for AANAPI are to increase retention and graduation: 1) Increase FreshmanSophomore/Sophomore-Junior AANAPI retention/progression in health and STEM degree 

programs; 2) Increase overall 4-, 6-year graduation rates for AANAPI and other low-income 

students participating in the program with baccalaureate degrees in STEM and Health; 3) 

Increase overall social, emotional, health and well-being of AANAPI students as measured by 

Widener Emotional Learning Scale among participating students.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) proposes a project to Improve Asian American 

and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPI) Student Outcomes Through Opportunities and 

Engagement (ISOTOPE). At NJIT, 23% of Fall 2022 incoming first-year undergraduates 

identified as Asian American and/or Native American Pacific Islander, with 18% of these 

students being first-generation college students, and 35% being recipients of Federal Pell grants 

designated for students from low-income households. These students struggle to develop a sense 

of belonging at the university and feel more dissatisfied with academic and psychological 

support services than other NJIT students. They also struggle more with first-semester 

mathematics courses compared to their non-minority counterparts. 

Addressing both competitive preference priorities, the ISOTOPE project proposes the following 

primary goals and activities: (1) improve student outcomes in first-year mathematics through a 

(1a) summer mathematics pathways program and (1b) college skills programming to ultimately 

decrease time to degree, particularly for AANAPI students placed into pre-calculus courses; (2) 

increase AANAPI students’ sense of belonging through (2a) a Living-Learning Community that 

integrates (2b) a Faculty-in-Residence program as well as (2c) peer mentors and (2d) summer 

experiential learning group projects in the university’s Makerspace; (3) increase the accessibility 

of the ISOTOPE project through (3a) free instructional materials and supplies for the summer 

component of the project and (3b) subsidized or free summer housing and meal plans for 

AANAPI students placed into pre-calculus courses; and (4) improve AANAPI students’ 

experience with academics, advising, and psychological support services by (4a) providing 

dedicated advisors and (4b) psychological counselors for AANAPI students. 

The NJIT ISOTOPE project will directly support approximately 175 incoming AANAPI students 

each year, including approximately 10 first-generation students, 45 low-income AANAPI 

students, and 25 students who are both first-generation and low-income. Additionally, the 

programs and initiatives created through the program will impact all AANAPI students at NJIT. 

Over the course of five years, the ISOTOPE program will directly support approximately 875 

AANAPI students and positively impact over 2000 AANAPI students.
Portland State University is Oregon’s most diverse, innovative, and affordable public 

research university. Almost 11% of PSU undergraduates identify as Asian American 

and/or Pacific Islander (AAPI). The university’s new Tuition-Free Degree program covers 

tuition and most mandatory fees for Pell Grant-eligible Oregon first year, transfer, or returning 

Oregon students whether they are attending school part-time or full-time, putting a college 

degree in reach for all. PSU is ranked in the top 10% nationwide and number one in Oregon 

for social mobility based on the university’s effectiveness in enrolling students with low-income 

backgrounds and graduating them with jobs. 

GAPS in SERVICE: The AANAPISI Development Team identified four of the university’s 

most significant gaps in service to its AAPI student population: 

GAP #1. PSU does not offer a culturally relevant Ethnic Studies curriculum that reflects the 

experience of AAPI communities. AAPI students do not see themselves in the curriculum. 

GAP #2. Minimal social, emotional, and academic support for Pacific Islander students has 

fostered low retention rates and poor academic performance from entry to exit. 

GAP #3. Limited culturally responsive on-campus services and supports leave AAPI students 

feeling disconnected from PSU. 

GAP #4. Many AAPI high school students transitioning to PSU approach the university with no 

orientation and minimal assistance at entry to help them navigate university systems. 

Goals and Proposed Activities: The University is proposing and requesting funding to address 

these gaps and Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2 in the following ways: 

GOAL #1. Offer an interdisciplinary Ethnic Studies minor curriculum that focuses on the 

culture, history, and experiences of AAPIs. Activities: Develop and get institutional approval for 

an Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Minor curriculum 

GOAL #2. Improve retention, academic performance, and graduation for Pacific Islander 

students. Activities: Create a Pacific Islander Student Retention Program that provides social, 

emotional, and academic support for Pacific Islander students 

GOAL #3a. Enhance sense of belonging among AAPI students. GOAL #3b. Increase faculty 

knowledge about best practices to support AAPI students. Activities: Foster a sense of belonging 

through culturally affirmative and responsive programming for AAPI students and faculty 

workshops on best practices for supporting AAPI students 

GOAL #4. Increase college readiness among AAPI high school students. Activities: Establish 

college readiness services that provide information and establish positive connections for 

prospective or entering first year AAPI high school students and their families 

The expected outcomes of the proposed project are: students can take courses or earn a minor in 

Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies; reduction in student success inequities experienced 

by Pacific Islander students; increased sense of belonging among AAPI students; positive 

changes to faculty pedagogy, increase college readiness among AAPI high school students.

The Project Rutgers AANASPISI Completion grant program will provide our AA&NAPI

students, students defined as “at risk” (those within the 54-66 credit range), and incoming

transfer students with evidenced based interventions that foster retention, credit accumulation,

and completion to graduation through student-centered high-impact practices. RUC’s percentage

of stop-out students by semester for academic years 2017-2021 was 8.6% in fall 2017, 13.6% in
spring 2018, 9.0% in fall 2018, 12.6% in spring 2019, 8.5% in fall 2019, 9.5% in spring 2020,

9.3% in fall 2020, 14.2% in Spring 2021 and 8.8% in fall 2021. The overall stop-rate over this

time period was 10.4%.

The proposed five-year Project Rutgers AANASPISI Completion is designed around

evidence-based practices consistent with What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards and will

be housed within a Student Retention Success Center that will offer the following proposed

project activities: 1) Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Research Center

(AANAPIRC); 2) Academic Year Programming including peer coaching; 3) Student Success

Coaching); 4) Financial Aid Literacy; 5) Stop-out Prevention Campaign ; and 6) Career and

Graduate School Readiness. These project activities are supported by promising evidence based

on the findings contained in the practice guide “Effective Advising for Postsecondary Students”

prepared by What Works Clearinghouse which indicates ‘‘moderate or strong level of evidence’’

for the corresponding practice guide recommendations. Specifically, activities 1- 4 integrate

successful intervention models proven to support objectives described in Specifically, activities

1- 4 integrate successful intervention models that address Competitive Preference Priority 1 and

Competitive Preference Priority 2 by implementing a comprehensive set of activities that will

improve overall student success outcomes while addressing student social, emotional, and

academic needs. The program is designed to improve and expand services to AA&NAPI students

through the following two goals: Goal 1: To increase the retention rate, credit accumulation, and

graduation rate for AA&NAPI students, students defined as “at risk” (those within the 54-66

credit range), and incoming transfer students. Goal 2: To reduce Stop Out rate for AA&NAPI

students, students defined as “at risk” (those within the 54-66 credit range), and incoming

transfer students for program participants.

This application seeks $1,925,305 that we be utilized over the five-year grant cycle. With this

funding we will hire 2 full-time professional staff, 10 peer coaches, 8 faculty research mentors,

provide undergraduate research support incentives to 50 students annually who participate in

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Research Center (AANAPIRC) and

provide direct program support services through the six project activities.

Applicant Institution: Santa Ana College, a two-year public community college located in the

City of Santa Ana, in Orange County, California.

Project Title: Launching an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Center at Santa Ana

College.

Target Population: Asian American and Pacific Islander students; counselors, faculty, and

student services directors and staff.

Project Purpose and Anticipated Results: Ethnic sub-groups that comprise the AAPI student

population will feel recognized and supported resulting in an improved sense of belonging,

campus engagement, involvement in peer communities, and use of services and resources.

Through this deeper level of visibility, engagement and support AAPI ethnic sub-groups will

demonstrate improved retention, persistence, success and completion; and, will express an
improved sense of well-being (physical and mental), confidence, and optimism about their ability

to attain their college and career goals.

Services and Proposed Activities: The project will launch an Asian American and Pacific

Islander (AAPI) Resources Center on campus to provide visibility, support, a communal space

and academic resources for AAPI students. To ensure that high-quality, culturally competent and

research-based services are provided to AAPI students the college’s counselors, student services

directors and staff, and faculty will engage in continual training on best practices for recognizing

and supporting AAPI students and approaching services through a strengths-based mindset. The

Center’s staff—a dedicated Counselor, Peer Mentors, and Student Services Specialist—will

implement an intrusive counseling/monitoring model that research has demonstrated to be most

effective for under-represented and at-risk students. Further, the AAPI Center will serve as the

hub for workshops and presentations tailored to the specific interests and relevance to AAPI

students: e.g., orientation and college preparation; professional panels featuring presenters from

AAPI backgrounds; destigmatizing mental health needs and cultivating a Growth Mindset;

financial aid application assistance; career exploration and readiness; etc. The project features a

research component that will integrate disaggregated AAPI student data into the college’s

Institutional Effectiveness and Student Equity strategic planning efforts, and that will provide

rich qualitative information based on surveys, interviews and focus groups to build accurate

profiles of ethnic sub-group experiences, challenges and needs to inform student services

operations, and guide development of a referral network to connect students to resources they

need to be successful and maintain good health and well-being. We estimate that over 900 people

will be impacted by the project each year: at least 550 students, 200+ staff, 200+ attendees at

AAPI Center activities/events, and 3-5 community-based organizations.

Improving Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian Student Experiences

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students make up over 40% of the

undergraduate student body at the University of California at Berkeley but there are

significant disparities in enrollment, retention, and campus experience under the AAPI

umbrella. Pacific Islanders (PI) have lower rates of persistence and report lower

satisfaction with their overall academic and social experiences compared to the campus

average. Southeast Asian (SEA) students, specifically Hmong, Laotian, and Cambodian

students, have the highest rates of being first-generation students and Federal Pell

Grant recipients compared to all other racial and ethnic groups on campus. SEA

students are also much more likely to be put on academic probation after their first year

at Berkeley compared to White or other Asian students. Current staffing and resources

in AAPI student services are inadequate to address the diverse needs of AAPI

communities at Berkeley. Faculty representation and inclusion of PI and SEA

communities in research and curriculum at Berkeley is poor to non-existent which

impacts academic integration.

This proposal aims to improve persistence and campus experience and to foster a

greater sense of belonging for PI and SEA students. Proposed activities focus on

creating and strengthening campus infrastructure that will improve Pacific Islander (PI)

and Southeast Asian (SEA) students’ social, emotional, and academic development

through targeted leadership development programs and expansion of current student
services for PI and SEA students at Berkeley. These activities include the expansion

and development of 1) the OMAOCh Youth Conference; 2) a PI Transfer Mentorship

Program; 3) the Southeast Asian Summer Institute program; 4) First-year Living and

Learning Community for Southeast Asian students, 5) a Southeast Asian Student

Organizing Retreat; and 6) PILOT Summer Institute. This project also includes the

development of two seed funds, housed in the Asian American Research Center, for

Critical Pacific Islander Studies and Southeast Asian American Studies to cultivate

scholarship and research in these fields and to improve the academic integration of PI

and SEA students at Berkeley.

Progress and project efficacy will be measured through the University of California

Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) survey, focus groups with PI and SEA

undergraduate students, and tracking data around yield, graduation rates, rates of

academic probation, and academic performance.

University of Colorado Denver Inclusive Student Success Project

Goals

A 5% increase among AAPI students in the three GRPA-defined progress criteria: Annual 

enrollment count; year-to-year retention; and six-year graduation rates.

Expected outcomes:

Widespread adoption among students, staff and faculty of an asset (versus deficit) orientation, 

evidence-based learning and teaching practices, and a continuous improvement mindset, 

resulting in frequent gathering and analysis of data related to relevant performance indicators.

Contributions related to research, policy, and practice:

Training curricula, coaching protocols, and self-help content rooted in evidence-based learning, 

mentoring and mental health research.

Population(s) to be served:

An average of 1,500 AAPI students per year, with more intensive support provided to an average 

of 400 first-year students and students on academic probation or at risk of being place on 

probation.

Primary activities to be performed by the recipient:

Establish four student-staffed teams mentored by faculty: a Student Success Coach Team; a

Mental Health Coach Team; a Content Creation & Knowledge Dissemination Team, and a

Student Action Research Team.

Title: UConn Hartford Transformation, Equity, Access, and Sense of Belonging (TEAS)

Overview: The University of Connecticut Hartford, a designated an Asian American, Native 

American, Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) proposes, Transformation, Equity, 
Access, and Sense of Belonging (TEAS) project aims to make a distinctive investment in 

changing the experience of higher education to raise retention and graduation rates, increase 

academic skills, sense of belonging, social and emotional wellbeing and strengthen community 

connections. Fostering partnerships between Asian American Cultural Center (AsACC), Asian 

and Asian American Studies Institute (AAASI), First Year Experience (FYE), Academic

Achievement Center (AAC), Academic Advising, Research on Resilient Cities, Racism and 

Equity (RRCRE), Student Activities, Student Health and Wellness (SHaW)/Mental Health. 

TEAS aims to extend, strengthen, and integrate academic, social and student services.

UConn Hartford proposes to take intentional action and strategically and purposely serve AAPI, 

low-income, and other underserved students in their endeavors to complete postsecondary 

degrees. Wrap around support, life transformative curriculum, and multi-directional mentorship 

met through the extension of existing successful programs which align with these 11 Core 

Project Objectives: increase persistence, access to wellness, sense of belonging, connection to 

academic programs, academic performance, advising and financial literacy, economic 

opportunity, social networks, student leadership, public school outreach (K-12) and community 

connections.

TEAS is inspired by Competitive Priority 1 to meet student social, emotional, and academic 

needs as well as Competitive Priority 2 increasing postsecondary access, completion, and postenrollment success. UConn’s flagship campus in Storrs is home to the student-centered Asian 

American Cultural Center and the academic research unit, the Asian and Asian American Studies 

Institute. They are celebrating a 30-year legacy with this grant proposal to finally grow their 

institutional footprint into the UConn Hartford campus to meet this historic need.

Institution’s Distinguishing Features: A public, four-year institution, UConn Hartford, an 

urban campus, in the heart of the state’s capital, offers ten baccalaureate degree granting 

programs. Students from UConn Hartford can campus change to the main campus in University 

of Connecticut Storrs to complete one of over 115 majors spanning between 14 schools and 

colleges. The undergraduate student body at UConn Hartford is 45% White, 19% 

Hispanic/Latino, 17% Asian American, 14% Black, and .04% Two or More Races. At

Hartford, almost half of the student body is the first-generation in their family to pursue 

undergraduate education. More than half, 54%, are students of color. In economic terms, 44% of 

UConn Hartford students are eligible for Pell Grants, signaling a deep and persistent context of 

vulnerability and precarity. Asian Americans account for 57% of UConn Hartford’s Pell grant 

eligible population.

UConn Hartford programs incorporate experiential learning that engages students with many 

cultural, political, social, and economic institutions of the surrounding metropolitan area. With 

an emphasis on equity, justice, anti-racism, and community collaboration, they are home to the 

School of Social Work, School of Public Policy, Urban and Community Studies Program, and 

the Connecticut State Historian. UConn Hartford shares our neighborhood campus with the 

Hartford Public Library and the Wadsworth Atheneum: cultural, intellectual, and community 

spaces that bring UConn and the city together in exciting and productive ways.
University of Massachusetts Lowell 2023 AANAPISI Cooperative Grant University of 

Massachusetts Asian American Leadership, Education, Access, and Data 

From 2010 to 2020, the Asian American population in Massachusetts has grown by over 45%. 

University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) 

serve as two of the public research universities in Massachusetts enrolling the highest percentage 

of Asian Americans students (14.8% and 17.7%, respectively). Located on opposite ends of the 

I-93 “Tech Corridor,” both institutions serve as critical access points for higher education for the 

Asian American community. Through the UMass Asian American LEAD Project, we are 

seeking to build upon the success of both AANAPISI programs and expand the capacity of both 

institutions through the following activities: 

• Increase awareness of Asian American student experiences through empirical research support, 

data disaggregation, and course development under the guidance of UMass Lowell’s Center for 

Asian American Studies (CAAS) and UMass Boston’s Institute of Asian American Studies 

(IAAS) 

o Funding modest applied research grants to support studies on Asian American higher 

educational experiences 

o Developing and institutionalizing data disaggregation processes and share stories of Asian 

American student higher educational experiences in greater detail 

o Increasing faculty members’ awareness of Asian American’s educational experiences and 

outcomes through faculty development trainings 

o Developing and teaching Asian American Studies courses 

• Increase UML and UMB Asian American involvement in leadership development activities to 

support advocacy, awareness, and career readiness skills o Establishing a cross institutional 

Asian American Leadership Cohort program to provide students with leadership development 

and support advocacy, awareness, and career readiness skills 

o Establishing an Undergraduate Research Ambassador program to provide students with 

leadership development and support career readiness 

• Increase the number of high-need, low-income Asian American students who enroll at UML o 

Creating college access pathways for Asian American students and increase exposure to and 

knowledge of the college admissions process through local community partnerships 

This project meets 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 through crossinstitutional collaboration. The proposed project brings together the expertise and strengths of 

these two longstanding entities to leverage each program’s unique strengths with the long-term 

goal of creating sustainable change for both campuses and ultimately, the University of 

Massachusetts system and the state of Massachusetts.

The University of San Francisco (USF) AANAPISI Initiative: “Building Institutional

Capacity through an Integrated Center for AAPI Educational Success” proposes to create an
integrated AAPI Center for Educational Success (ACES), which will oversee three Learning

Communities to expand the institution’s capacity to better serve the educational, social, and

emotional needs of AAPI students. The proposal will address four specific needs of AAPI

students: (1) the need for a centralized, integrated educational success center for AAPI students;

(2) the need for faculty who are trained to advise and teach AAPI students to foster academic

success (3) the need to strengthen student support services to support AAPI students’ academic

success through holistic and culturally relevant approaches; and (4) the need for AAPI students

to be supported as leaders for educational achievement and institutional change. To address

these needs, we propose the following corresponding goals and services.

Goal 1: Develop an integrated AAPI Center for Educational Success (ACES) to

serve the educational, social, cultural, and psychological needs of AAPI students at USF. 

We propose the development of a new AAPI Center for Educational Success (ACES) to serve all

undergraduate AAPI students at USF. Housed in the Office of Student Life, the ACES center

will partner with key USF offices to offer programming and serve as a “go to” resource for AAPI

students. The Center will also provide resources and training for USF faculty, staff, and leaders

to better serve the educational needs of AAPI students. ACES will also serve as a centralized

unit for organizing and implementing three new USF Learning Communities.

Goal 2: Create Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) that improve faculty

advisement, pedagogies, and curriculum and to improve AAPI student success. We also

propose 5 year-long Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) that will support and train faculty to

provide AAPI students with culturally responsive advisement, pedagogy, and curriculum.

Faculty will be trained in culturally relevant advisement and in developing culturally relevant

curriculum and instructional pedagogies for AAPI students. The proposed FLCs will serve a total

of 50 faculty; 1000 students will receive advisement and an additional 1000 students will enroll

in classes with revised syllabi.

Goal 3: Create Staff and Leadership Learning Communities (SLLCs) that

strengthen student support services to improve AAPI student academic success. We propose

10 semester-long SLLCs that will partner with ACES to develop the cultural competencies of

staff and leaders. The SLLCs will focus on developing the cultural competencies of SLLC

participants so they can influence policy and practice in their respective units to better serve

AAPI students’ educational, social, and emotional needs. The SLLCs will serve a total of 90

staff/leaders and whose respective units will serve 3600 AAPI students.

Goal 4: Create student Leadership Development Communities (LDCs) to increase

leadership development opportunities for AAPI students. ACES will create and implement

LDCs to focus on AAPI student leadership development. LDCs will include two semesters of

leadership curriculum/training and support for AAPI students offered by the ACES Director.

LDC students will also participate in a year-long leadership internship which will include

community engagement, peer mentoring of first-year AAPI students, and participation on a

student advisory board. The LDC will strengthen students’ leadership skills while supporting

them academically and improving a sense of belonging. The LDC will serve 70 students and 150

AAPI students will receive peer mentoring. The student advisory board will provide 8 workshops

to USF offices on the needs of AAPI students. The proposal addresses both Competitive
Preference Priorities and all of the proposed services will strengthen institutional capacity to

support AAPI student success that will extend beyond the life of the grant.

Exemplifying UT Prosim (That I May Serve) Through Culturally Responsive Student and

Faculty Development

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061

This Project Proposal focuses on an effective model of retention by prioritizing a holistic Model 

of Wellness that addresses retention through Mentorship Programs, curriculum development, and 

gaps in institutional infrastructure to support both the AANAPI populations at Virginia 

Polytechnic Institute and State University. Although AANAPI populations are one of the fastest 

growing in the region, their increased representation at the institution has resulted in a lack of 

focus on their retention. Additionally, Virginia has eleven tribal communities within the state, 

seven of which are federally recognized. The AANAPI communities increasingly face issues of 

institutional invisibility, albeit in different ways.

The Project focuses on a multifaceted approach to ensuring student success and retention for 

both the AANAPI communities. This will be achieved by (1) curriculum development using

a Faculty Cohort Model, which introduces new courses and strengthens existing courses

inclusive of AANAPI related topics; (2) a focus on student retention through increased tutoring

and academic support as well as peer mentoring through a framework of wellness; (3) a focus on

belonging through a Wellness Model and holistic framework.

While the project focuses on the AANAPI communities on campus, all of the programs and 

events are open to and serve all students on the Virginia Tech campus. Both the ACEC and

AIICC are frequented by low-income, first-generation, and students from other minority

populations. All would be welcomed and supported in these endeavors. The proposed five-year

project will be used to establish infrastructure to support curriculum development and the 

support and retention of both students and faculty who identify with these communities. There is 

an expectation that, if awarded, the institution is to plan for permanent ways in which to continue 

the initiatives described therein.