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U. S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education Seal

Project Abstracts for

New Grantees for FY 2010

Funded under Title V, Developing 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) 

Program (CFDA Number: 84.031S)

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC 20006-8517
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Introduction

The Developing Hispanic–Serving Institutions (HSI) Program 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 receive a grant under the Title V program, an institution of higher education must 

have applied for and been designated as an eligible institution. The Notice Inviting Applications 

for the Designation as an Eligible Institution was published in the Federal Register on December 

7, 2009 (74 FR 3579). 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 Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program awards Individual Development Grants (one eligible 

Hispanic-Serving Institution) and Cooperative Development Grants (an eligible Hispanic–

Serving Institution in cooperation with one or more Institutions of Higher Education). Although 

the allowable activities and the five-year performance period for the Individual Development 

Grant and the Cooperative Development Grant are the same, the maximum award amounts 

differ. The maximum award amount for Individual Development Grants is $650,000 per year 

and the maximum award amount for Cooperative Development Grants is $775,000 per year.

The Hispanic–Serving Institutions 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; improvement of telecommunication capacity; 

enhancement of student services; enhancement of administrative and funds management 

systems; establishment or improvement of a development office; creation or enhancement of 

community outreach programs for elementary and secondary students; and establishment or 

increase of an institutional endowment fund.

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

expanded to include: activities to improve student services, including 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.‖
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The Notice Inviting Applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2010 was published in the 

Federal Register on May 13, 2010. The deadline for the transmittal of applications was June 14, 

2010. As required by the Department of Education, applications for grants under the FY 2010 

Hispanic–Serving Institutions grant competition were submitted electronically using the 

Department‘s internet-based application system (e-Application) via http://e-grants.ed.gov.
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Table of Contents

Grants are listed in “state” order for each grant type.

Cooperative Development Grants

Grant Number Applicant Name State Page

1 P031S100081 California State University - Bakersfield CA 8

2 P031S100021 College of the Sequoias CA 9

3 P031S100093 Los Angeles City College CA 10

4 P031S100109 Palomar Community College CA 11

5 P031S100123 Riverside Community College – Norco College CA 12

6 P031S100053 Ventura College CA 13

7 P031S100077 New Jersey City College NJ 14

8 P031S100035 City University of New York for Bronx Community College NY 15

9 P031S100078 LaGuardia Community College NY 16

10 P031S100113 Mountain View College TX 17

11 P031S100067 Sul Ross State University TX 18

12 P031S100119 Texas Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) University - Kingsville TX 19

13 P031S100074 Wharton County Junior College TX 20

Individual Development Grants

Grant Number Applicant Name State Page

1 P031S100127 Amarillo College TX 21

2 P031S100051 California State University - Northridge CA 22

3 P031S100140 California State University Channel Islands CA 23

4 P031S100026 California State University - Fresno CA 24
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5 P031S100039 California State University - Stanislaus CA 25

6 P031S100015 Chaffey Community College CA 26

7 P031S100075 College of the Desert CA 27

8 P031S100068 Crafton Hills College CA 28

9 P031S100045 El Camino College CA 29

10 P031S100084 Evergreen Valley College CA 30

11 P031S100128 Fresno City College CA 31

12 P031S100002 Gavilan Community College CA 32

13 P031S100043 Imperial Community College CA 33

14 P031S100076 Los Medanos College CA 34

15 P031S100017 Mount San Jacinto Community College CA 35

16 P031S100007 Mount St. Mary‘s College CA 36

17 P031S100001 North Orange County Community College - Cypress College CA 37

18 P031S100008 Pasadena City College CA 38

19 P031S100048 Reedley College CA 39

20 P031S100121 Rio Hondo College CA 40

21 P031S100100 San Diego Community College CA 41

22 P031S100152 Santa Barbara City College CA 42

23 P031S100059 Santiago Canyon College CA 43

24 P031S100094 Taft College CA 44

25 P031S100120 Woodbury University CA 45

26 P031S100016 Adams State College CO 46

27 P031S100095 Community College of Denver CO 47

28 P031S100115 Florida International University FL 48
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29 P031S100027 Hillsborough Community College FL 49

30 P031S100030 Miami Dade College - Wolfson Campus FL 50

31 P031S100134 Wabaunsee Community College IL 51

32 P031S100049 Seward County Community College KS 52

33 P031S100020 Bergen Community College NJ 53

34 P031S100088 Hudson County Community College NJ 54

35 P031S100085 Saint Peter‘s College NJ 55

36 P031S100145 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology NM 56

37 P031S100046 New Mexico State University - Carlsbad NM 57

38 P031S100091 Northern New Mexico College NM 58

39 P031S100101 New Mexico State University - Alamogordo NM 59

40 P031S100082 Santa Fe Community College NM 60

41 P031S100038 City University of New York for John Jay College NY 61

42 P031S100159 City University of New York for New York City College of 

Technology

NY 62

43 P031S100155 City University of New York for the City College NY 63

44 P031S100057 Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology NY 64

45 P031S100066 Esperanza College of Eastern University PA 65

46 P031S100041 Caribbean University - Bayamon Campus PR 66

47 P031S100087 InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo PR 67

48 P031S100132 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo PR 68

49 P031S100156 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico PR 69

50 P031S100023 Universidad Central del Caribe PR 70

51 P031S100142 Universidad del Sagrado Corazon PR 71
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52 P031S100037 University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras PR 72

53 P031S100079 University of Puerto Rico at Carolina PR 73

54 P031S100092 University of Puerto Rico - Medical Sciences Campus PR 74

55 P031S100072 Angelo State University TX 75

56 P031S100071 El Centro College TX 76

57 P031S100004 Howard County Junior College TX 77

58 P031S100003 Laredo Community College TX 78

59 P031S100125 Northwest Vista College TX 79

60 P031S100097 Odessa Junior College TX 80

61 P031S100129 Texas Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) International University TX 81

62 P031S100149 University of Saint Thomas TX 82

63 P031S100014 Western Texas College TX 83

64 P031S100136 Big Bend Community College WA 84

65 P031S100062 Heritage University WA 85
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P031S100081

California State University - Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield College, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB), the lead college in this cooperative arrangement project, 

is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. California State University-Bakersfield 

is the only four-year public institution of higher education within a 100-mile radius of Bakersfield and 

currently enrolls over 6,000 undergraduates, 38 percent of whom are Hispanic students. Bakersfield 

College (BC), the partner institution in this project, is the oldest continually operating community college 

in California. Bakersfield College currently serves over 17,000 students each term who are diverse 

ethnically; in 2009 Hispanics increased to over 45 percent of all Bakersfield College students. The oneactivity project - Developing a Highly Structured Engineering Pathway for Hispanics Through an 

Inter-segmental and Collaborative Approach - is both geographically and economically sound. It has 

two components: 

Activity Component One: Developing a High Quality Computer Engineering Degree by Adapting 

the Existing Computer Science Program at California State University-Bakersfield: For the past 24 

years, the Computer Science department has awarded over 300 degrees. For the past 10 years the 

department has developed a hardware option for the degree that is closely related to a Computer 

Engineering degree. Technological advancements and changing workforce needs dictate that a fully 

developed inter-segmental degree pathway in Computer Engineering is imperative to address local 

industry needs.

Activity Component Two: Providing a More Accessible, Seamless, and Supportive Gateway to 

Degree Completion: The pipeline will open at the high school level by strengthening collaboration 

between California State University-Bakersfield and Bakersfield College faculty and teachers in the high 

school pre-engineering Project Lead the Way program. The pipeline will be filled at Bakersfield College, 

where the existing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) success center will 

provide the catalyst for attracting more students to science and engineering courses and ensure that 

students complete all necessary transfer requirements for an Engineering degree completion at California 

State University-Bakersfield. The journey will finish at California State University-Bakersfield with 

transfer students completing a high quality Engineering degree while they are getting real world 

experience through internships and capstone projects. The entire pathway will be supported with best 

practices for accessible science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees.
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P031S100021

College of the Sequoias, CA

Fresno Pacific University, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

College of the Sequoias, a two-year community college and Fresno Pacific University, a private four-year 

university, are both located in the heart of California‘s Central Valley. Both institutions continue to have 

a significant growth in the enrollment of Hispanic and low-income students. Concurrently, the schools 

are also experiencing a gradual growth of college-ready Hispanic students who have declared a major in 

science or math, areas in which there are critical demands for qualified professionals. Many of these 

students are most likely coming to these campuses due to the rising cost of attending more distant 

California universities. Unfortunately, due to lack of adequate support, preparation and advice, many of 

these students do not attain a degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)

majors.

College of the Sequoias and Fresno Pacific University propose to create the Promoting Achievement and 

Scholarship through Enrichment Opportunities (PASEO) program to serve STEM students consisting 

of the following activities: (1) The establishment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

(STEM) cohorts for students expressing early interest in math-based fields and the creation of 

supplemental instruction opportunities for students who need additional assistance and who are intending 

to major in the above-named areas. The program will provide: STEM academic-support coursework;

increased support services; and other mechanisms to facilitate course and degree completion. 

Additionally, a residential summer bridge program for STEM majors of both campuses will be 

conducted to provide engaging activities that will promote course preparedness. (2) The establishment of 

a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning component conducted jointly by both schools. Science, 

mathematics and engineering faculty members will form faculty inquiry groups (FIGS) which will meet 

regularly to design, measure, and assess individual classroom pedagogy experiments. Much needed 

laboratory equipment and instructional technology will be purchased to assist faculty in the development 

of more sophisticated laboratory experiences. (3) An outreach component will attempt to increase the 

college-going culture of the local students. (4) A final component will be the management and evaluation 

of all activities to provide fiscal oversight and to track progress of all objectives. 

Both College of the Sequoias and Fresno Pacific University are committed to the success of the PASEO 

Program. Campus facilities, in-kind support, and additional resources will be made available to ensure 

that the goals and objectives of this proposal are completed.
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P031S100093

Los Angeles City College, CA

West Los Angeles City College, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Los Angeles City College (City) in Los Angeles and West Los Angeles City College in Culver

City, California, both public two-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions, have come together to propose a 

cooperative project, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS. The project will: (1) 

increase the enrollment and completion rates of Latino students in our adjacent service areas; and (2) 

develop and share resources to enhance each institution‘s ability to serve the needs of low-income and 

Latino students. City (enrollment 17,636) and West (10,932) are public, comprehensive, independent 

colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). They serve dense, urban areas of 

west, central and south central Los Angeles, where higher education attainment is low and poverty rates 

are high, especially for Latinos. More than one-third of students at both colleges work at least part-time 

to support themselves or their families. 

“Anytime, Anywhere Pathways to Success” Project: With City as the lead institution, the proposed 

cooperative project is designed to help overcome significant barriers many residents face to accessing the 

predominately traditional on campus face-to-face delivery of higher education at City and West. With 

over 9,900 Latino students at City and West, increasing the educational goal attainment of Latino and 

other students has become a critical priority as three-year graduation rates (12 percent at City, nine

percent at West) are unacceptably low. Analysis of each institution‘s strengths and weaknesses reveals 

that competing work and family responsibilities, in addition to the sheer difficulty of traveling around Los 

Angeles, keep many students from succeeding in traditional, campus-based programs. To expand 

opportunity, access, and persistence for Latino and low-income time- and place-bound students, City and 

West will expand curricular offerings available via distance education by developing an online AA degree 

in Liberal Arts and adding three new online/hybrid certificates in high-need fields (Renewable Energy, 

Animation, and Digital Media). Recognizing that courses alone are not enough to help students succeed, 

the project will develop online student services, including tutoring, financial aid and library services. 

Rigorous faculty development will support all project efforts and will enable the ongoing conversion and 

revision of courses and services for distance delivery. All are designed to provide students with well 

defined pathways to success, anytime, anywhere.
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P031S100109

Palomar Community College, CA

California State University, San Marcos, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Palomar College and California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) are public postsecondary 

institutions located in North San Diego County. Palomar serves over 32,000 students each semester, of 

which 49 percent are ethnic and racial minorities and 33 percent are Latino. California State University, 

San Marcos serves 9,767 students of which 40 percent are ethnic and racial minorities and 26 percent are 

Latino.

Palomar College and California State University, San Marcos seek to increase the number of Hispanic 

and other low-income (HLI) students who transfer and earn a degree in a science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field. Through an extensive needs analysis, the institutions have 

determined that in order to do this, the entire Palomar- California State University, San Marcos STEM

educational pathway must be strengthened. The Palomar-CSUSM Planning Group identified the 

following project goals:

(1) Increase the participation of Palomar Hispanic and other low-income students in STEM programs by 

providing educational outreach, counseling and guidance; 

(2a) Improve Hispanic and other low-income student success and persistence in STEM programs by 

enhancing their engagement in the learning process and increasing their participation in academic support 

services; 

(2b) Improve Hispanic and other low-income student success by strengthening programs and curriculum 

through collaborative faculty initiatives and strengthened technology and equipment resources;

(3) Increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students enrolled in STEM programs who 

transfer to four-year universities by establishing guaranteed admissions and support program between 

Palomar and California State University, San Marcos; and 

(4) Ensure the continued operation of successful grant activities after the grant period ends by 

strengthening the college endowment. 

The Planning Group considered a variety of options to achieve project goals and objectives. The group 

selected a comprehensive approach that includes three interwoven strategies:

• STEM Center. Establish a learning center that will provide strong academic and advisement support 

services to students. The center will provide career outreach and advising.

• Curriculum and Program Improvement. 

• Guaranteed Transfer Agreement and Support Program. Establish a transfer and support program for 

STEM students so that a seamless pathway for success is created between Palomar and the California 

State University, San Marcos. 
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P031S100123

Riverside Community College - Norco College, CA

California State University, San Bernardino, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Norco College, a public two-year college in the Riverside Community College District,

and California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), a four-year and graduate university,

are neighboring Hispanic-Serving Institutions in southern California‘s Inland Empire region. The

populations served by Norco and California State University, San Bernardino are concentrated in 

Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The two counties are now home to more than four million 

people, including large proportions of Latino and low income residents. This diverse region has seen 

rapid growth in digital entertainment industry start-up and expansion, leading to a demand for specialized 

skills and highly trained employees who stand to earn good incomes. Norco and California State 

University, San Bernardino are ideally positioned to develop articulated program offerings in this field, 

and to provide opportunities for Latinos and other low-income individuals to participate in this creative 

and remunerative industry. It is also an industry in which Spanish language fluency, when combined with 

a functional command of English, is a distinct asset.

A notable characteristic of the interactive digital media industry is its transdisciplinary

nature, requiring teamwork on the part of skilled professionals and technicians across a diverse

array of specializations. Thus the activity title, Habilidades Unidos: Transdisciplinary

Cooperation for Academic and Career Success. Through this project, the partners will pursue: (1)

Curriculum Development: Creation of new 2+2 articulated programs in Commercial

Music/Music Technology, Game Development/Motion Graphics, and Mobile Applications; (2)

Success Services: Assistance for English-language learners and specialized assistance with math

and writing/storytelling skills that commonly pose obstacles for students who are academically

underprepared; and (3) Outreach to Latino and Low-Income populations: Targeted efforts to

invite and support participation on the part of Latinos and other low-income persons, including

awareness activities, support activities, and career education and development of success skills.

In carrying out this activity, Norco and California State University, San Bernardino have the opportunity 

to create aligned curricula, develop shared resources in costly and highly specialized lab facilities, 

coordinate student support and transfer assistance for Latino and low-income students, and bring about 

regular interaction among faculty for training and joint planning of curricula and pedagogy. The partners 

can achieve a contribution to educational access and opportunity for Latino and low income residents that 

is far greater than either could accomplish in isolation or in competition.
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P031S100053

Ventura College, CA 

(Oxnard College)

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

VENTURA COLLEGE, OXNARD COLLEGE TITLE V PROJECT ABSTRACT

Ventura College (Lead Institution) and Oxnard College (Partner Institution) are both public, two-year 

community colleges belonging to the Ventura County Community College District. Ventura College 

(VC) is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 30 miles south of Santa Barbara. Its primary service 

area is northern Ventura County, including the small towns and primarily Hispanic agricultural 

communities located in the relatively remote Santa Clara River Valley. In fall 2009, Ventura College 

enrolled 14,735 students, 42.2 percent of whom (6,214) were Hispanic. 

The goals of this Title V Cooperative Project are to:

(1) expand access to student services (Ventura College); 

(2) develop appropriate academic and student services accessible to all learners; 

(3) enhance the District Web portal to improve efficiency, student engagement and access to appropriate 

information and online services to all stakeholders; 

(4) increase faculty professional development opportunities; 

(5) improve student services through technology (Oxnard College).

Project Strategies:

- Increase engagement with Hispanic high school students and their families and increase support for 

entering students at new (VC) Student Intake Center;

- Develop and pilot a comprehensive suite of online services to support all learners;

- Revise Web portal hierarchy, information and services to align with identified flows;

- Annual cohorts of full-time and adjunct faculty at each college attend hands-on summer institutes to 

learn, practice, and apply new technological and pedagogical skills;

- Degree audit and transcript evaluation are automated and institutionalized for Oxnard

College.
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P031S100077

New Jersey City University, NJ

Hudson County Community College, NJ

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

“Increasing Latino Participation in Nursing and Health Information Management” is the proposed 

project of New Jersey City University (NJCU) in collaboration with Hudson County Community College 

(HCCC). New Jersey City and Hudson County Community College are located in close proximity to 

Ellis Island and the demographic makeup of both the County in which these institutions are located and 

the schools themselves reflect this sense of diversity and minority saturation. New Jersey City is a public 

four-year Hispanic-Serving Institution, with approximately 32 percent Hispanic students enrolled (there 

are approximately 5,700 students currently enrolled as undergraduates). New Jersey City, located in 

Hudson County, one of the most densely populated counties in the most densely populated state in the 

country, is the only state university in New Jersey with a strict urban education focus. 

The project consists of two major activities, both of which address larger problems and challenges that 

have made it difficult for New Jersey City to achieve their mission as being the premier urban university 

for excellence and access. The primary challenge that this project addresses is the improvement of 

student success in Nursing and Health Information Management by creating a seamless pipeline from 

Hudson County Community College to New Jersey City for students to complete their four-year degrees.

 

Activity One: Improving Academic Success and Participation of Latinos in the Nursing and Health 

Information Management 

During the first year of this project, New Jersey City and Hudson County Community College will work 

together to create and Articulation Agreement between their Nursing Programs to ensure a seamless 

transfer of Associate-degree holding Nursing students into New Jersey City. Nursing Curriculum will be 

aligned and transfer advisers will be in place to assist students in the planning of their educational 

endeavors. In addition to this, supplemental instruction for nursing courses will be offered, as will 

English language tutoring and mentoring programs. Health Information Management courses will be 

created (both online and in-class sections) and offered at both institutions. ―Practicing Professionals‖ will 

also be recruited to impart their experiences in the Nursing and Health Information Management 

professions to the students, and to students in neighboring high schools, to encourage them to pursue 

careers in the Nursing field, a field that is experiencing a serious workforce shortage.

 

Activity Two: Improving Teaching and Learning in Nursing and Health Information Management 

New technology, equipment, software and subscriptions will be purchased using the funds from this 

project to usher the Nursing programs at both institutions into the 21st century. New Nursing faculty 

members will be hired to teach newly added courses and all faculty members will receive professional 

development through the utilization of workshops and an annual Summer Institute. Nursing faculty will 

be encouraged to travel to national nursing conferences and attend nursing education meetings.
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P031S100035

Bronx Community College, NY

John Jay Community College, NY

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

A dual/joint degree program in criminal justice between Bronx Community College (BCC) and John Jay 

College (JJC) was completed in April 2008. Students who earn an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal 

Justice at BCC are now automatically accepted at John Jay College provided they meet the academic 

requirements to continue with their baccalaureate in Criminal Justice. In addition, John Jay College has 

recently eliminated its Associate degree programs, so that applicants who do not meet entrance 

requirements are now automatically referred to a City University of New York (CUNY) community 

college. This pathway to Bronx Community College will insure that enrollment will continue to grow 

exponentially in this already popular major. Since the inception of the Bronx Community College 

Criminal Justice program at Bronx Community College in the fall of 2008, enrollment is already four 

times what was projected in the dual/joint agreement. There are now 567 students in the Bronx 

Community College Criminal Justice Program. 

Bronx Community College and John Jay College continue to share a similar need for increased retention 

and performance among non-native English speaking students and Hispanics in particular. With attrition 

rates at Bronx Community College currently in excess of 60 percent after two years, many students are at 

high risk for non-completion of their Associate‘s degree. Our Title V project - Enhancing Student 

Success in Criminal Justice Studies - plan seeks to address this risk by: (1) enhancing academic 

preparation for criminal justice studies among junior and senior high school students; (2) providing Bronx 

Community College criminal justice students with academic and social interventions to accelerate their 

successful completion of associates degree; (3) providing students with transitional support; and (4) 

providing students with opportunities to learn more about career options within the field of criminal 

justice. The project results will be:

Activity 1: Providing Early Developmental Writing and Reading Courses - At the conclusion of the 

grant period, 320 high school students will have received reading and writing skill-building interventions, 

and these students will pass the reading and writing portions of the City University of New York entrance 

exam at rates that are 15 percent higher than the Bronx Community College average. In addition, 70 

percent of these students will have achieved advanced standing credit for at least two courses prior to 

attending college. These outcomes will accelerate the progression of these students through their 

associate‘s degree studies.

Activity 2: Increase Support for Non-Native English Speaking students across the Curriculum - At 

the conclusion of the grant period, improved counseling, advisement and academic support services for 

students interested in criminal justice at both institutions will increase retention rates by 10 percent by the 

end of a five-year period; the passing rates of Hispanic criminal justice students in writing and reading 

courses will increase by 6 percent, and the transfer rate to John Jay College will increase by 20 percent. 
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P031S100078

LaGuardia Community College, NY

City University of New York, NY

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

LaGuardia Community College and its sister colleges in the City University of New York represent a 

major Northeastern gateway to higher education for Hispanic and other minority and low-income 

students. But academic access does not always translate into success. Students across City University of 

New York face major challenges as they seek to meet academic requirements, engage with college life, 

succeed in coursework, and progress toward the baccalaureate degree. This problem is particularly acute 

for Hispanic students, who frequently enter higher education through community colleges and must 

navigate transfer processes as well as the other challenges facing first-generation college students. 

Through its integrative approach to e-Portfolio, LaGuardia has developed a powerful set of tools and 

practices that can build student engagement, achievement, and retention. LaGuardia‘s e-Portfolio success 

has drawn international attention. Now LaGuardia seeks to extend the benefits of this high-impact 

practice and use it to address the pivotal problem of transfer from community college to baccalaureate 

institution. 

LaGuardia requests Title V funding for the “Making Transfer Connections‖ project, supporting a 

partnership with four other City University of New York colleges: Queens College, Queens borough 

Community College, Lehman College, and Bronx Community College. LaGuardia will lead this 

collaborative network in a sustained effort to employ e-Portfolio practice in strengthening three areas 

pivotal to transfer success: instruction, advisement, and assessment. Together, these interrelated efforts 

will address a central goal – building a comprehensive academic pathway toward the baccalaureate degree 

for Hispanic and other minority and low-income students. 

Significant groundwork for this project has already been laid. Fund for the Improvement of PostSecondary Education (FIPSE) funding enabled LaGuardia to build its leadership capacity and help its 

partner‘s pilot e-Portfolio. A multi-year process built a foundation of knowledge and thoughtful plans. 

Title V funding will allow LaGuardia to go deeper, helping its partners (all of whom serve large Hispanic 

student populations) employ e-Portfolio to address issues of transfer and baccalaureate degree attainment. 

Three interlocking tasks will take place on each campus: (a) using faculty development around ePortfolio to strengthen instruction and student success, both before and after transfer; (b) developing 

advisement structures and processes that employ e-Portfolio to improve transfer success; and (c) using ePortfolio to strengthen General Education assessment, opening the way for greater cross-campus 

alignment, improved articulation and simplified transfer processes.

While serving thousands of students, the project will train hundreds of faculty and advisors, build 

effective institutional processes, and establish a model for addressing the needs of Hispanic students that 

can improve educational attainment throughout higher education.
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P031S100113

Mountain View College, TX

University of North Texas at Dallas, TX

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The partnering institutions in this cooperative - Mountain View College (MVC) and the University of 

North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) - are located eleven miles apart in the southwest quadrant of Dallas 

County. Our combined service area has an increasingly Hispanic population base (65.5 percent) and a 

low level of educational attainment with less than eleven percent of the area‘s residents holding any form 

of college degree. Both Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) recognize the profound effects of the low 

educational attainment levels of the area and the critical need to increase the college-going and 

completion rate of the service area‘s residents. Therefore, Mountain View College (48.2 percent 

Hispanic) is pleased to request a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Title V Cooperative Development Grant to 

serve as a catalyst to enhance both institutions‘ capacity to expand educational opportunities for - and 

improve the academic attainment of - Hispanic and low-income students. 

Activity One: To improve student persistence and success through curricular innovations and 

student-centered learning strategies for acquisition of writing skills. 

The two components of this Activity (Writing Skill Centers and Writing across the Curriculum) focus on 

the need for Mountain View College and University of North Texas at Dallas to serve students with an 

innovative and student-centered writing tutorial program. Particularly effective for those whose native 

language is not English, this Activity will support students with a rigorous, content-rich, program 

supported by professional tutors and Peer Writing Assistants. 

Activity Two: To produce strategies and processes for co-institutional data alignment and usage to 

track and evaluate student outcomes, completion, transfer and success rates. 

This Activity is designed to help faculty utilize data in the active pursuit of student success, while 

implementing a co-institutional data analysis strategy to track and evaluate student success measures at 

both institutions. By establishing a co-institutional set of processes and procedures for data analysis, this 

Activity will help ensure institutionalization and ongoing enhancement of institutional capacity. 

Activity Three: To develop a co-institutional support structure for academically unprepared and 

underserved students and produce access to high-demand, high-wage occupations with program 

development and alignment. 

This Activity will support the development of a culturally relevant Peer Assisted Learning Support 

structure (PALS) and foster new program development between the two institutions resulting in enhanced 

student engagement as our Hispanic and other low-income students strive to link academics with a highdemand, high-wage career. 
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P031S100067

Sul Ross State University, TX

Midland College, TX

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Sul Ross State University-Alpine campus (SRSU), a public four-year Hispanic-Serving

Institution (HSI) in Alpine, Texas, and Midland College (MC), a public two-year HispanicServing Institution in Midland, Texas, have come together to propose a cooperative project, the

Hispanic Institutions Transfer Access Project (HITAP).

The project will:

1) increase transfer and retention of Hispanic students between Midland College and Sul Ross State 

University; and 

2) develop and share resources to enhance each institution‘s ability to serve the needs of low-income and 

Hispanic students. 

With Sul Ross State University as the lead institution, the proposed cooperative project is designed to 

allow Hispanic and low-income students at Midland College the opportunity to earn a bachelor‘s degree 

from Sul Ross state University, a highly regarded institution with a proven track record of graduating 

Hispanic students, without leaving Midland College. Students will have convenient access to four-year 

degrees in fields in which demand is robust and starting salaries are strong: a Bachelor of Arts or 

Bachelor of Science in Education; Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology; and Bachelor of Science in 

Criminal Justice. To do this, we will convert 58 Sul Ross State University courses to distance delivery 

format so that they can be delivered on the Midland College campus. We will also develop essential 

student services and the systems to assist Midland College students in person and online to support Sul 

Ross State University students attending from Midland College. The result will be an increase in the 

number of Hispanic and low-income students attaining four-year degrees. This Cooperative project will 

build on existing relationships between our institutions‘ faculties, reduce barriers to education for lowincome and Hispanic students, and increase cost effectiveness through resource sharing and collaboration.
19

P031S100119

Texas A&M University - Kingsville, TX

Del Mar College, TX

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Texas A&M University - Kingsville (TAMUK) is a state-supported institution serving an area of rural 

South Texas bordering Mexico. The university serves an area approximately the size of West Virginia, 

ranging from San Antonio to the Mexican border. Texas A&M University-Kingsville is designated as a 

Hispanic-serving institution, with 57 percent of its student population being Hispanic. Del Mar College 

(DMC) is a community college located in Corpus Christi, Texas, which offers a wide variety of academic 

and vocational programs to traditional and adult learners. Del Mar College is designated as a Hispanicserving institution, with 58 percent of its student population being Hispanic. 

Activity 1: Strengthening Academic Support Programs and Services Enhancing Student 

Success. To help students overcome obstacles to success in gateway courses, supplemental instruction

(SI) will be implemented in the freshman year and beyond. This program (Supplemental Instruction) 

targets traditionally difficult academic courses, courses that have a high rate of Ds, and a high rate of 

withdrawals. Professional development for faculty and staff will be provided and a new event, a South 

Texas Success Conference for HSIs and emerging HSIs in the state and region, will be supported. 

Activity 2: Developing a Campus-Based Student Internship Program Enhancing Student 

Success and Workforce Preparation. Activity 2 will develop student employment as a positive 

influence on student success and retention at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Del Mar College. 

Participants (15 each fall 15 each spring on each campus) will develop skills and abilities appropriate to 

their chosen profession as they gain in their understanding of opportunities available to them upon 

graduation. Finally, faculty and staff will receive training which will enhance their abilities to serve as 

effective supervisors and mentors to students employed via this program. 

Measurable Outcomes. Project evaluation will assess achievement of the following Texas A&M 

University-Kingsville – Del Mar College Title V goals: Student Success Pipeline for Activities 1 and 2 

participants; Progression toward degree completion for Activities 1 and 2 participants compared to peers; 

Attitudinal changes associated with program implementation; Employer satisfaction; Employer 

satisfaction; Faculty / staff satisfaction with professional development activities; and Faculty / staff 

attitudinal changes associated with program implementation.
20

P031S100074

Wharton County Junior College, TX

Brazosport College, TX

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Technology-assisted education, including media such as video/interactive courses and conferencing, 

online courses and services, and pod casting, can provide an effective learning opportunity for individuals 

who live in the isolated rural areas of Wharton and Brazoria counties in Texas. This well designed 

system will be a great asset to students as well as to faculty and staff. After substantial research and 

discussion, the two colleges have developed a Title V Cooperative Arrangement Project to: (1) 

significantly upgrade the availability and use of technology on the campuses and at off-site locations; (2) 

create and implement a virtual campus that offers technology assisted courses and programs leading to 

certificates and degrees; (3) provide ongoing technical support and training for faculty and staff to 

promote a significant increase in the use of technology in instruction and student services, including 

online courses and services; (4) create an online counseling/advising program; (5) implement online 

academic support and orientation services; and (6) provide comprehensive virtual tutorial services.

With this project, Wharton County Junior College and Brazosport College will experience a significant 

increase in opportunity for access and success for students by providing them with a comprehensive 

Distance Education program. This program will allow students to complete part or all of their degrees 

online. The Distance Education program will also allow students both access and flexibility in addressing 

specific services online such as completing a college application, participating in a college orientation, 

and interacting with a counselor. Students will not have to overly disrupt their busy schedules to drive to 

campus and ordinarily spend time in lectures, computer labs, seek a certificate or degree, or wait in lines 

to register, order transcripts, apply for graduation, or complete required forms. Services and activities in 

the Distance Education Program were specifically designed to address just such needs of the colleges‘ 

students, faculty and staff.

Both colleges know how important management and evaluation are to the success of a significant 

development program such as, the one that we are proposing in this application. The fully qualified 

Project Director will have the opportunity, responsibility, and institutional support required to effectively 

implement this project, which will strengthen each college‘s ability to increase access, retention, 

graduation, and transfer of Hispanics and other low-income students.
21

P031S100127

Amarillo College, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Amarillo College (AC), Amarillo, Texas, a comprehensive, two-year public community college, lies in 

the heart of the Texas Panhandle and serves a 9,363 square-mile service area, with most of its 300,000 

residents concentrated around Amarillo, the largest city in a 120-mile radius. Accredited by the Southern 

Association of Colleges and Schools and governed by a Board of Regents, Amarillo College offers 160 

developmental, transfer-oriented, and technical programs to over 10,000 credit students. Mirroring the 

demographics of our area, 2,890 of fall 2009 students were Hispanic (25.6 percent), many traveling to 

class from four rural counties with majority Hispanic populations. With the Hispanic proportion of the 

Panhandle population projected to reach nearly 50 percent by 2030, major strides must be made to include 

them in the emerging economy. Yet, service area degree attainment for Hispanics remains historically 

low at only 3.8 percent Associate‘s degrees and 3.4 percent Bachelor‘s or above.

Student and Faculty Characteristics: Typical Amarillo College students attend part-time (68 percent) 

while they juggle work (70 percent) and family responsibilities. The faculty at Amarillo College is highly 

motivated professionals for whom student success is the highest priority. (See chart for specifics.)

 

Significant Problems: Graduation and transfer rates from Amarillo College are stagnant or declining. 

Our analysis indicates that one major stumbling block to student success lies in the quality of our General 

Education core. From 17-44 percent of students enrolled in a General Education course fail to complete 

with a C or better, delaying degree progress and increasing educational costs. Although rates vary from

course to course and between delivery methods, General Education success rates for Hispanic students 

are lower in every instance, with 33-66 percent of students failing to attain a C or better. Weaknesses in 

our General Education offerings which inhibit student success must be addressed: teaching methods in 

face-to-face classes remain static, with lecture still the primary teaching method; use of technologies in 

course design and student support is limited; and online/Web-based enhancements to course offerings are 

being developed too rapidly with too little support.

Proposed Solution: Revitalizing Student Success at Amarillo College: The more access we

create for students, the more responsibility we have to ensure their persistence and graduation.

To this end, we propose to: (1) invigorate the General Education core by re-designing the

curricula based on best practices; (2) fortify student support with integrated Early Retention,

mediated student sticky spaces, Team Spot collaboration tools, and online articulation guides;

and (3) stimulate teaching and learning with a new Center for Academic and Faculty

Excellence that includes the tools and training faculty need to develop new, technology-supported 

programs to increase success and completion.
22

P031S100051

California State University, Northridge, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State University, Northridge (CSUN), located in Los Angeles CA, is a vibrant,

diverse university community in Los Angeles serving nearly 30,000 undergraduate students,

32 percent of whom are Latina/o. Over the past five years, the institution has developed a

comprehensive evidenced-based strategic planning process. This planning process has identified

the following academic, management and fiscal weaknesses: (1) Low proficiency levels in English and 

math among incoming freshmen students; (2) Low successful pass rates in gateway courses; (3) 

Inadequate tutoring programs and tutor training throughout the university; (4) Faculty development 

activities curtailed by massive budget cuts; (5) Inadequate career planning, networking, and development 

of professional skills; (6) Limited opportunity for freshmen student to engage and interact with their peers 

and faculty from their discipline; (7) Outreach to area high schools is limited; (8) Increased class size; and 

(9) Decline in state financial support.

These weaknesses have contributed to an unacceptably low freshmen retention rate and graduation rate, 

particularly among undergraduate Latina/o students. To address these problems, as well as to meet 

Graduation Rate Improvement Target recently issued by the California State University‘s Board of 

Trustees, the purpose and goals of this Title V project are:

1. To improve the six-year graduation rates of all students at the university.

2. To close the graduation rate gap for Latino students.

3. To increase fall to fall retention of Latino freshmen students.

4. To increase California State University, Northridge‘s endowment.

To meet these goals, California State University, Northridge will implement a three-prong Activity. 

Under the first Component of the Activity, California State University, Northridge, will strengthen 

student academic support by: (a) expanding the Discipline-Based Freshmen Connection Program; (b) 

offering the Peer Learning Facilitators Program; (c) expanding the Latino Community Service-Learning 

Program; and (d) expanding the Math Pre-Remediation Program. Under the second component of the 

project, California State University, Northridge will strengthen student support services by: (a) 

expanding the Peer Mentorship Program; (b) expanding the Faculty Mentorship Program; (c) launching 

the Career Pathways Program; and (d) conducting outreach to local high schools that serve predominantly 

Latino student population.

Finally, under the third component of the project, California State University, Northridge, will enhance 

faculty development through the Faculty Learning Community Program and implementation of the 

Faculty-to Faculty Mentorship Program. Through this grant, California State University, Northridge, will 

be able to substantially change the way it educates thousands of its students. The effort, focused on 

improving retention and graduation rates, will affect all areas of the university. By the end of the grant 

period, this project will have affected 21,582 university students, 300 staff and faculty, and 4,200 high 

school students.
23

P031S100140

California State University Channel Islands, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State University Channel Islands (CSU Channel Islands) is a new (opened 2002)

public four-year university located in Ventura County, which has a regional population that is 38 percent 

Hispanic. The region has a very low university-going rate among its Hispanic population. Hispanic 

students have a high dropout rate in high school, and of those who do graduate a very low percentage are 

eligible to enter directly into a four-year university. Ventura County has the highest community-college 

going rate in the state of California; the transfer rate from community colleges to four-year universities is 

also very low. When Hispanic students do enter California State University Channel Islands as first-time 

freshmen or as transfers they tend to be academically underprepared, which increases their time to 

graduation and increases their risk of dropping out of the university. The creation of a University 

Endowment will serve to strengthen the university‘s long-term capacity to offer student scholarships and 

sustain effective and promising practices resulting from the project.

Activity: Project ISLAS (Institutionalizing Student Learning, Access, and Success): to develop

and infuse a university-going culture in the region that addresses barriers to higher

education for Hispanic students.

Project Islas will increase the access, persistence, and graduation rates of Hispanic and other

underrepresented students by improving the university readiness of Ventura County‘s future

university students (―Getting Ready‖) and increasing the academic success of CI students

(―Getting Through‖).

• Component One: “Getting Ready” will improve the university readiness of Ventura

County‘s future university students by developing targeted outreach programs for

Hispanic students in Ventura County public high schools and community colleges.

• Component Two: “Getting Through” will increase the academic success of CSU

Channel Islands‘ Hispanic students by developing a University Experience Program to

increase retention. This program will include first-year and transfer-year seminars and

learning communities integrating student-learning outcomes and training for faculty and

staff to enable them to best serve Hispanic students.
24

P031S100026

California State University-Fresno, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT 

California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), located in Fresno, California, is a mature university 

which has served the central San Joaquin Valley for almost a century and has been largely shaped by the 

changing socio-economic and demographic characteristics of this valley. 

Fresno State has many recognized strengths and accomplishments in responding to service area needs. 

But the challenges facing the university today have never been more severe. The retention rate of 

Hispanic students is declining, and there is an unacceptably large gap between the graduation rates of 

Hispanic and white students. There is scarce development funding to redesign programs, services and 

practices in response to the needs of Hispanic students. The overarching objective of this one Activity 

project - Improving the Graduation Rate of Hispanic Students - is to significantly reduce the six-year 

graduation rate gap between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students at Fresno State. 

Component One: Strengthening Efforts to Make Hispanic Students Success a Fresno State 

Community Priority. Building on Fresno State efforts to create a more learning-centered environment, 

this component aims to develop and strengthen Student Affairs partnerships as well as other related 

offices to extend an array of student services and make more explicit links between academics and student 

services. Students will be actively encouraged to renew and deepen their commitment to academics by 

engaging in a variety of proven out of classroom activities such as community-based service learning and 

community based research. 

Component Two: Course/Pedagogy Redesign. This component is faculty-driven and will focus on 

addressing weaknesses in academic course pedagogy and delivery that currently have the greatest 

negative impact on Hispanic student success, university academic quality, management and fiscal 

stability. Course Redesign is well planned to build on university strengths and use models that have been 

proven effective in national and university research. Faculty will be trained in and implement five models 

of course redesign, all of which integrate improved student support and increase community-based 

learning opportunities. 

Activity Objectives by September 30, 2015: 

1. To increase the first-year and second-year retention rates of Hispanic students by at least five percent 

points over 2009-2010 baselines (closing the retention rate gap). 

2. To increase faculty participation in training (at least 75 percent of faculty teaching gateway courses 

will participate in training) and implementation of five redesign models in at least 70 courses. 

3. To increase student success rate (C or better) in redesigned courses (which includes identified student 

learning outcomes) by at least 10 percent over 2009-2010 baselines (before course redesign.) 

4. To increase the Hispanic four- and five-year graduation rate by five percent points over 2010 

baselines. 

5. To increase the six-year graduation rate (2009-2015) of Hispanic students by at least 10 percent points, 

with an eight-year goal of closing the graduation rate gap completely.
25

P031S100039

California State University, Stanislaus, CA 

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State University, Stanislaus (CSU Stanislaus) proposes a project with one overall goal: 

Strengthen and expand high-impact practices to increase engagement, retention, and graduation, with 

specificity to Hispanic and underserved/first generation students.

The two primary activities we propose to achieve this goal and the objectives are: 

Activity 1-First Year Experience (FYE) Objective: To refine, expand, and institutionalize the FYE 

Program linking it with a developmental English course, and institutionalizing FYE in the general 

education curriculum. This objective will lead to increased student engagement leading to higher 

retention and improved graduation rates of Hispanic and underserved/first-generation students. 

Measurable Goals for First Year Experience 

See an increase of the two-year and three-year retention rates of Hispanic first-time, full-time Freshmen 

enrolled in FYE by at least two percent in Year 2 and annual increase of one percent per each year 

thereafter. Increase the WPST first attempt pass rates of Hispanic first-time, full-time freshmen by five

percent by the end of the grant period. 

Activity 2-Check In, Check Up, Check Out (C3) Objective: Implement a comprehensive student 

success and retention program to provide an environment that from entrance to exit, enhances students‘ 

academic success, attainment of personal goals and satisfaction resulting in increased engagement, 

retention, and completion. This objective prepares Hispanic and underserved/first generation students for 

successful completion of their general education requirements, major degree program, and will ensure 

completion in a timely manner. 

Measurable Goals for C3 

See an increase of the two-year and three-year retention rates of all Hispanic first-time, full-time freshmen 

by at least two percent in Year 2 and annual increase of one percent per each year thereafter.

The four-year graduation rate of all Hispanic first-time, full-time freshmen will be at least 23 percent and 

the five-year graduation at least 45 percent by the end of Year 4 and Year 5, respectively.

The two-year graduation rate of all Hispanic first-time, full-time transfers will be at least 50 percent and 

three-year graduation rate at least 75 percent beginning Year 3 and Year 4, respectively. 
26

P031S100015

Chaffey College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Chaffey College is a large two-year, public community college in Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino 

County, 40 miles east of Los Angeles, California. In the fall of 2009, 219 full-time and 642 part-time 

faculty provided instruction to 21,552 students, generating 7,356 credit full-time equivalent Students. 

This is a two-component activity.

Component One – Transformation of Guidance and Mentoring Support System: Addresses the 

development and implementation of a counselor apprentice model through the college‘s expansive 

network of Success Centers, promoting greater access to broad-based mentoring services; bilingual 

financial assistance outreach to Hispanic and low-income students and families; strengthens service 

delivery providing new academic support structures to students.

Component Two – Learning Strategies for Increased Engagement: Infuses Learning to Learn (LTL) 

study strategies throughout the college. Learning to Learn is certified through the Department of 

Education‘s Program Effectiveness Panel. Learning to Learn strategies help students focus on asking 

questions, managing learning tasks, and engaging in the learning process. Comprehensive Supplemental 

Instruction (SI) targeting 22 high-risk/barrier transfer and developmental gateway courses will be 

implemented to improve student academic performance. Through the Faculty Success Center, student 

success strategies and innovative teaching methodologies will be developed and incorporated across the 

curriculum.

Outcome Measures include a 20 percent increase in persistence; a 10 percent improvement in course 

success; a 20 percent decrease in course repetition; 6,800 students participating in guidance and 

mentoring services; and at least 180 faculty utilizing innovative teaching/learning strategies in at least 500 

sections.

Project Management and Evaluation: Key personnel (e.g., the Project Director, Grant Manager, 

Activity Component One Director, Activity Component Two Director, and Outcomes Researcher) each 

possess over 20 years experience in postsecondary education, sharing a broad range of knowledge related 

to project management, curriculum development, and faculty and administrative leadership. Chaffey has 

an award-winning Institutional Research (IR) Office that is experienced in data management, research 

design, statistical analysis, and evaluation. The Institutional Research Office will be supported by the 

University of Southern California‘s Center for Urban Education, a highly credentialed third party 

independent evaluation team with strong expertise in all aspects of educational research, particular 

socially-conscious research that promotes student equity.
27

P031S100075

College of the Desert, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

College of the Desert (COD) is a public, two-year degree-granting comprehensive community college that 

serves the almost half million residents of the Coachella Valley located in Riverside County, California. 

The college is led by President Jerry Patton, guided by a five-member publicly-elected Board of Trustees, 

operates under the laws of California, and is accredited by the Western Association of Colleges and 

Schools (WASC). 

This grant has a single integrated activity that represents an assertive approach to improving student 

learning and student success with a focus on Hispanic, low income, and first generation students. The 

project will be implemented through three integrated components. The first component will work 

collaboratively with local high schools to address the large number of students who enter the college 

under prepared to enroll in college level courses. This component will create a college readiness initiative 

that offers a short but intensive effort to teach entering students the skills they need for college. It is not 

expected that everyone will be able to develop the level of basic skills needed for college, but with 

focused instruction, support services including test practice, many students can improve their skills and 

placement test scores to permit entry directly into college courses or at least higher levels of 

developmental courses. The second component will focus on providing counseling/advising and 

academic support services to assist more students, especially Hispanic, low-income and first-generation 

students to learn and succeed, to be retained at higher rates and to permit more to achieve their goals, 

graduate and transfer. The third component aims to create a culture of evidence across the college to 

permit significantly improved access to accurate data, in a timely manner to permit administrators, faculty 

and staff to better assess programs and services, including longitudinal cohort analysis. This culture of 

evidence will be displayed by institutionalizing the use of both qualitative and quantitative data in 

analysis, planning, decision-making and budgeting. 

College of the Desert knows how important management and evaluation are to the success of a significant 

development program as in this proposal. The fully qualified Project Director will have the opportunity, 

responsibility and institutional support required to effectively implement this project which will 

strengthen both institutions‘ ability to increase access and retention, graduation and transfer of Hispanic, 

low income and first generation students and to better serve our community.
28

P031S100068

Crafton Hills College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Crafton Hills College (CHC) is a comprehensive, public two-year institution located in Yucaipa,

California. It is the newest and smallest of the two colleges in the San Bernardino Community College 

District (SBCCD), serving the economically and ethnically-diverse communities of eastern San 

Bernardino Valley. Crafton Hills College enrolled 9,715 credit students in 2008-09, 25.8 percent (2,455) 

were Hispanic. 

In response to Accreditation, and with a strong commitment to institutional improvement, the staff, 

faculty, management, and students of Crafton Hills College have engaged in a rigorous examination of 

the institution‘s strengths and weaknesses, specifically those affecting our Hispanic Students. During this 

extensive and exhaustive planning process, issues of inclusion, transfer, student services, academic 

enrichment, retention, data management, and resource development emerged as the college‘s top 

priorities. The two activities that have grown from the planning process will integrate and systematize 

these priorities in a project that incorporates two tightly interrelated activities. 

Activity One: Strengthening Transfer and Success of Hispanic Students, supported by and involving 

all areas of the college, will implement research-based strategies to develop a college culture that 

promotes, expedites, and values transfer with the overarching goal of improving transfer rates of Hispanic 

and at-risk students. 

Activity One will channel students through a series of student-college interactions designed to develop an 

expectation of transfer. Features of the activity will include a fully-staffed Transfer Center; counseling 

and dissemination of transfer information in a variety of formats; a faculty-driven Transfer Advocates 

Program; a robust and expanded Honors program; and a Sophomore Experience program providing 

students with critical guidance and academic support in key gateway courses and an environment of 

engagement through transfer-level learning communities. In addition, the college will undertake a full 

review of the Crafton Hills College curriculum and will align and articulate gateway courses with feeder 

institutions. 

Activity Two: Strengthening Crafton Hills College Through Research and Increasing Capacity for 

Resource Development, will increase the college‘s capacity to use data to help guide decisions including 

those regarding the effectiveness of transfer interventions. Capacity will also be addressed through the 

establishment of a grants office where college priorities will be linked to external funding sources, faculty 

and staff will be trained, and grants will be managed to assure compliance.
29

P031S100045

El Camino College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The issue of low completion and graduation rates, especially among Latino students, emerged out of the 

planning processes as the college‘s top priority. Several factors were identified that have a negative 

impact on these rates, including slow progression of students from developmental courses to college-level 

courses, poor success rates in key gateway English and mathematics courses, a confusing myriad of 

degree and transfer requirements paired with insufficient access to counseling as well as inadequate 

educational and financial planning tools. 

Approximately 70 percent of El Camino College students taking the placement test place into pre-college 

levels in English, and 90 percent of them place into pre-college levels in mathematics. Students who start 

just one level below college-level are twice as likely to succeed and progress through the sequence, but 

even for them the odds of completing a degree within five years has historically been only about eight

percent. Hispanic students are particularly impacted as they are overrepresented in developmental 

courses. As a result, the college‘s Hispanic graduation rate is 15 percent compared to the overall rate of 

27 percent. 

The Project, Improving Graduation and Completion Rates, strengthens El Camino College programs 

and services that directly impact students‘ (especially Hispanic students) ability to complete gateway 

English and mathematics courses and other requirements necessary to graduate with an associate‘s degree 

and/or become transfer prepared. 

Activity Strategies: To address identified gaps that prevent more El Camino College students 

(particularly minority and low-income students) from achieving an associate‘s degree, the proposed 

project includes the following components: (1) GET READY -- Preparados para su futuro -- Strengthening 

student, faculty, institutional, and community readiness for the pursuit of the associate‘s degree; (2) GET 

SET -- Listos para el éxito -- Strengthening student learning and faculty teaching in pre-collegiate essential 

gateway courses (reading, writing, mathematics); (3) GO FOR THE ASSOCIATE‘S DEGREE - Al título -

Getting students across the finish line to complete degrees, certificates and transfer requirements.

Project Objectives include: (1) increasing percentage of Hispanic and other students in developmentallevel courses who complete English and mathematics courses required for a degree; (2) increasing 

percentage of Hispanic and other students who successfully complete BOTH transfer-level English and 

math courses; (3) increasing the percentage of Hispanic and other students who achieve ―transfer 

prepared‖ status; and (4) increasing the percentage of Hispanic and other students who graduate with an 

associate‘s degree. 
30

P031S100084

Evergreen Valley College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Cambios: Institutional Changes to Increase Hispanic Student Success 

Evergreen Valley College, San Jose, California, founded in 1975, a two-year, open-entry, public 

community college; 6,260 FTE credit students, with an Hispanic enrollment of 33 percent, current 

operating budget of $31,441,543. 

Overview of the Activity In Four Components 

The Cambios project addresses low success, persistence, and transfer rates of Hispanic students, 

particularly students enrolled in math, science, and English. The overarching goal is to institutionalize 

practices that increase Evergreen Valley College‘s capacity to meet the needs of Hispanic students and to 

change the culture of Evergreen Valley College so that Hispanic student success becomes a top 

institutional priority.

Component 1: Program Innovation and Expansion. This component addresses low achievement rates 

of Hispanics at the developmental and transfer level by modifying and expanding the Enlace Program. 

Goals include increasing the course success and persistence rates of Enlace students by at least 15 

percent. 

Component 2: Faculty Professional Development. This component responds to the need for campuswide adoption of teaching/learning methodologies proven effective for Hispanics students. This 

component will result in at least 48 instructors trained in best practices to achieve outcome equity for 

Hispanic students. 

Component 3: Supplemental Instruction/Peer Tutoring Center. This component addresses Hispanic 

achievement gaps by providing instructional support in ―at risk‖ math, science, and English courses. 

Component goals include providing instructional support for at least 600 Hispanic students. 

Component 4: Retention Management System. This component responds to the lack of 

comprehensive data collection of Hispanic students. Goals include tracking the academic outcomes and 

level of campus engagement of all first year and first generation Hispanic students enrolled in Enlace and 

providing early alert intervention activities.
31

P031S100128

Fresno City College, Fresno, CA 

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Fresno City College, one of two WASC accredited colleges in the State Center Community College 

District, is a public associate-degree granting institution located in Fresno County in California‘s Central 

San Joaquin Valley. Founded in 1910, Fresno City College is the first community college in California 

and one of the first in the nation. Currently, the college serves approximately 25,000 students each 

semester who are seeking associate degrees, workforce training, and/or lifelong learning opportunities. 

Fresno City College is striving to expand enrollment capacity in response to the significant increase in 

demand for educational programs and services caused by shrinking resources in the state‘s public 

university systems and the need to train unemployed workers for jobs that will be created in a 

transforming economy. Celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2010, Fresno City College ‘s successes 

over 100 years of service include: The establishment of strong participatory governance via the Strategic 

Planning Council, which coordinates the college‘s strategic planning process by establishing college goals 

and objectives; voter support of bond measures directly linked to campus construction and facilities 

upgrades; prudent fiscal responsibility; strong community and business partnerships that strengthen 

programs and bring industry donations to the college; an exemplary student service program and 

expanded distance learning courses to reach the widest possible audience of learners. 

Fresno City College understands that there is room for improvement in its services as well. For Hispanic 

students, the college plans to increase both enrollments and transfers through the Camino Hacia el 

Futuro pre-college summer bridge program. The program will enhance student success rates in English 

coursework, which directly correlates with their chances of overall success in their college career. In 

addition, Camino Hacia el Futuro contains a college level component which will seek to track student 

progress and encourage completion of coursework in order to sustain student efforts to achieve transfer 

readiness. Furthermore, the college will update its technology infrastructure, allowing for additional 

online content such as courses, access to library holdings, wireless access points on campus, and virtual 

desktop access for software systems. 

As well as increasing scheduling flexibility, these improvements will allow low income students to access 

an educational  ̳toolbox‘ previously not available to them. Each of these components will focus on 

Hispanic students, but will also benefit the college‘s student body as a whole. Finally, in a time of 

national fiscal instability, the effect of the California state budget crisis cannot be ignored. Rising costs 

and enrollment figures hinder student achievement, and in some cases prevent students from attending 

college all together. The goals described above will allow Fresno City College to minimize revenue loss 

from attrition and course repetition and will allow funding to be focused on areas of need. 
32

P031S100002

Gavilan Community College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Gavilan College is a public, comprehensive community college located in the northwest of the San 

Juaquin Valley, in Gilroy, California. Hispanic students are over 48 percent of Gavilan‘s student body; 

they make up 68 percent of the region‘s K-12 population. The educational attainment of Hispanic adults 

in the college‘s service area is over 30 percent lower than that of white adults. Gavilan must respond 

aggressively to the needs of Hispanic and low-income students, who are largely underprepared, lowincome and first-generation. 

Activity Title: "Focus on the First Year: A Student Success Agenda" The proposed project is one 

comprehensive activity with Part 1 and Part 2 that work together to increase student engagement, success 

and momentum, especially in Hispanic/low-income students' first year.

Part 1 will improve student engagement, performance and achievement across core programs and 

disciplines. Up-to-date labs, new instructional strategies, integration of instructional technology improve 

student performance through extensive faculty development. Gavilan will use ―internal experts‖ --

faculty who have tested best learning practices and who will train and their colleagues to adapt them. In 

pilots of new methods, faculty will assess results and refine strategies as needed. By the end of the grant 

period, active learning strategies will permeate the learning culture and continue with funds from 

improved persistence and course FTEs, from basic skills/ ESL or foundational courses to transfer-level 

coursework. A First-Year Experience with basic skills courses and skills reinforcement in core courses 

will be piloted and evaluated for long-term improvements.

 

Part 2 addresses the entrance system by automating testing and placement, launching routine Educational 

Plans from Degree Works (linked to Banner) and developing a mandatory Orientation program. Students 

will be able to access all new plans and progress information from their own web portals. The project 

reduces fragmentation of the entrance system and tightens requirements so that more first-year students 

will not drop out during their most vulnerable year. Instead, more students will start any needed basic 

skills within their first year and more will persist to enroll in their second year. Both academic and 

student supports are aimed at key transition points for Hispanic and low-income students – beginning 

their college experience, moving through basic skills sequences, and moving into degree programs.

 

Key Objectives: 

 Increase student engagement and persistence to their second year. 

 Increase success rates of students in basic skills and in core courses. 

 Reduce performance gaps between Hispanic/low-income and Anglo/mainstream students. 

 Increase classroom uses of active or project-based learning and integrated technology. 

 Increase student access to current computers and web resources. 

 Increase percentage of freshmen completing Educational Plans and Orientation, and taking 

recommended basic skills courses -- within their first year. 

 Increase student progress on three key milestones: 12, 20 and 30 College-Level Units. 
33

P031S100043

Imperial Valley College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Imperial Valley College (IVC) is in an isolated area on the Mexican border in Southern California. This 

an area with the some of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in California. IVC has an 86 

percent Hispanic population almost all of whom are first-generation students. IVC is requesting help to 

improve the pedagogy and technology that serve this needy population.

 

Three goals were developed for Project ATLAS: Access to Technology Leads to Advancement and 

Success, which will serve to guide and institutionally support students with these measureable objectives: 

Goal 1: Student Success 

Objective 1.1 -- By 2015, improve student fall-to-fall persistence rate by four percent. 

Objective 1.2 -- By 2015, improve the graduation rate of Hispanic students certificate completion and/or 

degree attainment -- by 3 percent. 

Objective 1.3 -- By 2015, improve student success rate (obtaining an A, B, C or Pass) for courses 

implementing new pedagogy and/or technology by 5 percent. 

Objective 1.4 -- By 2015, train a group of 10 computer technicians who can train other technicians, who 

can, in turn, train and mentor 42 percent of the students in the use of new technology. 

Goal 2: Excellence in Education 

Objective 2.1 -- By 2015, train a group of 15 faculty who can train and mentor other faculty each year on 

social learning, paired classes, cultural-competency and instructional technology; each of these trainers 

will instruct or mentor, at least, two to four other faculty or staff each year. 

Objective 2.2 -- By 2015, 80 percent of the CTE programs will use high-tech simulations or other 

technology or pedagogy to better teach their students. 

Objective 2.3 -- By 2015 train 80 percent of the full-time faculty and 20 percent of the part-time faculty 

on best practices for using technology in the classroom with 80 percent of these documenting the 

incorporation technology in their courses. 

Objective 2.4 -- By 2015, 50 percent of students will report their involvement with paired classes, social 

learning, cultural-competency and/or instructional technology with a 90 percent satisfaction rate with 

these pedagogies. 

Goal 3: Develop Resources and Increase College Effectiveness 

Objective 3.1 -- By 2012, train a group of 10 computer technicians who can train and mentor other staff 

and faculty to implement instructional technology equipment and/or systems; each of these trainers will 

instruct or mentor 160 faculty or staff or students by the end of the grant. 

Objective 3.2 -- By 2015, 90 percent of the administrators, department chairs, and counselors in the 

college will be trained in using customized report and 75 percent will use these reports in making 

decisions that impact their job. 

Objective 3.3 -- By 2015, 90 percent of cost center supervisors will report using technology during the 

budgeting process to develop consensus and make informed decisions. 
34

P031S100076

Los Medanos College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

At Los Medanos College (LMC), there is a large gap between the majority of students who come in 

hoping to transfer (overall, 56 percent; Hispanic, 59 percent) and the reality of those that actually do 

(overall, 3.2 percent; Hispanic, 2.9 percent). ÉXITO is a comprehensive initiative which will bridge this 

gap and create systemic change at LMC in which transfer is a high institutional priority, ultimately 

increasing the number of Hispanic and other low-income students who transfer to four-year institutions. 

Principles from California‘s Transfer Velocity Project weave through the three project components to 

create a sustainable pipeline, such as, strong linkages with community and families; high quality, rigorous 

programs and instruction based on proven models of excellence; high levels of student, faculty and staff 

engagement and support; and high levels of professional development based on effective assessment.

Component One, High School Readiness for College, focuses on outreach and orientation, and will 

create customized new student orientations, bilingual community and school partnerships, and a Welcome 

Center.

Component Two, Transfer Readiness, will create the ÉXITO Transfer Center and Programs, 

coordinating and scaling up Learning Communities and will house the Transfer Academia, integrating 

academic, support services and engagement opportunities for Hispanic and low-income transfer students. 

Component Three focuses on Institutional Readiness, Assessment and Professional Development in 

which we will create and sustain a college-wide assessment and transfer culture to support informed, datadriven and equity-focused decisions with its heart in student learning and improved outcomes for 

students. 
35

P031S100017

Mount San Jacinto College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Mount San Jacinto College is a public, Hispanic-serving, two-year degree-granting community college 

that serves 26,000 students in Riverside County, California. It has two main campuses are located in San 

Jacinto and Menifee. Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE) of 29 percent is higher than the area‘s 25 

percent Hispanic population. The Hispanic student population has increased dramatically by over 170 

percent between fall 2000-fall 2010 and represents the largest proportion of Mount San Jacinto College‘s 

minority population. 

Activity One: Instructional Student Success 

Activity Two: Student Support Development

To meet the needs of Hispanic and underprepared students, Mount San Jacinto College proposes to: (1) 

develop and implement a comprehensive and sustainable learning community model; (2) create a strategic 

outreach and retention plan to increase success of basic skills/English as a Second Language (ESL) 

students; (3) institutionalize a distance education student preparation and success program focused on 

developing online skills for basic skills students; (4) develop and implement an extensive First-Year 

Student Experience program; and (5) establish a strategic student outreach program to increase 

engagement and involvement of basic skill and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. 

Sample of key measures: (1) By the end of the academic year 2010-2011, the number of first-time 

students persisting to the next academic year will increase by 20 percent over the baseline; (2) By 

September 2015, the number of Basic Skills/ESL students persisting to the next term will increase by 30 

percent over the baseline; (3) By September 2015, underprepared (Basic Skills/English as a Second 

Language-ESL) student success rates will increase by 15 percent over the baseline; (4) By September 

2015, the number of students enrolled in ESL credit courses will increase by 30 percent over the baseline; 

(5) By September 2015, the number of students transitioning from non-credit Basic Skills / English as a 

Second Language-ESL to credit will increase by 20 percent over the baseline; (6) By September 2015, the 

number of Hispanic and underprepared students who are successful in online distance education courses 

will increase by 15 percent over the baseline; (7) Using cohort analysis methods, the number of students 

completing informed educational goals (graduation, transfer, certificate, etc.) of Hispanic and 

underprepared students assisted through the First Year Experience will be at least 45 percent higher than 

Hispanic and underprepared students not so assisted; and (8) By 2015, the number of students graduating 

and/or transferring to four-year universities will increase by 15 percent over the baseline. 
36

P031S100007

Mount St. Mary’s College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Mount St. Mary‘s College is at a critical juncture in its long history: it must focus more directly on the 

challenges faced by their underrepresented students: Hispanic (42 percent), low-income (54 percent) and 

first-generation students (54 percent). The Doheny campus is located in downtown Los Angeles; the 

Chalon Campus is about 15 miles west of L.A. Historically, the small, four-year liberal arts college has 

been far more inclusive of high-risk students than similar colleges in the area. This long-term 

commitment has risks and responsibilities: Mount St. Mary‘s College must do more than merely accept 

under-represented or low-income students and let them sink or swim. In this spirit, the problems this 

project addresses that are thoroughly analyzed in the Comprehensive Development Plan are the 

following:

1) First-year vulnerability, high attrition, low engagement, wobbly goals and skills liabilities;

2) Instructional delivery that relies on traditional methods with low student access to technology;

3) Limited data management skills of managers, staff and faculty for planning and accountability. 

"High Tech, High Touch for Hispanic/Low-Income Student Success" 

One Activity in Three Interrelated Parts

Part 1: iComunidad, a freshman cohort learning community, will improve engagement, persistence and 

graduation rates: first-year students will strengthen skills, clarify academic goals/career options and 

complete 24 units in two terms. Faculty Teams of four will develop the curriculum and prepare to 

institutionalize the program for ALL first-year students. 

Part 2: Studio Classrooms are a hybrid of classroom and lab. Courses and methods will be re-designed, 

piloted and assessed by at least six faculty per year. Five Studio Classrooms will be retrofitted and newly 

equipped to foster undergraduate research and integrated technology across the curriculum with students 

in 30 courses over the five-year grant period. 

Part 3: Data Management for Reporting, Equity and Accountability will equip at least 30 managers, 

staff and faculty with reporting skills in the new "iStrategy" tools. The program will be scripted to 

existing databases, and staff will be trained to use desktop tools that allow them to generate dynamic 

reports, plan wisely, review programs and assess curriculum with key indicators of student and 

institutional success. 

An External Evaluator will monitor the project objectives and improve evaluation capacity. 
37

P031S100001

Cypress College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Cypress College (Cypress), one of two colleges of the North Orange County Community College

District (NOCCCD), is a two-year, public, college. Cypress is one of the 110 California

Community Colleges under the governance of a State Chancellor, a State Board of Governors

appointed by the Governor, and a locally elected North Orange County Community College

District Board of Trustees. Cypress is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and 

Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Student population increases at 

Cypress are occurring among the Hispanic and other minority populations. Cypress enrolled 16,670 

students in fall 2009; 29 percent of these Full-time Equivalent (FTE) students were Hispanic. 

Cypress‘ Title V project - Strengthening Basic Skills to Improve Hispanic Student Retention, 

Persistence, and Success - is one Activity composed of three related components:

Component One, Integrating Instruction & Student Services will develop new processes and

procedures to ensure a coordinated support structure for new underprepared students by

developing a mandatory ―Student Assessment and Orientation‖ process tied to the College

Success Factors Index and electronic education and career plans and two new support centers – a

Math Learning Center, and an English Success Center. Both will be faculty coordinated and

staffed; faculty will develop one- to two-unit credit lab courses. Each will focus primarily on Basic

Skills, especially in reading and writing across the curriculum and math computational skills, but

will also serve students at all levels. A high standard of training will ensure a consistent level of

high-quality instruction for students in all math, English and English as a Second Language (ESL) 

courses.

Component Two, Institutional Effectiveness, focuses on configuration and implementation of

TracDat for Student Learning Outcomes Assessment tracking and reporting of course, program,

college and district level outcomes.

Component Three, Staff Development, focuses on strengthening faculty and staff to respond to

culturally diverse, underprepared students by increasing knowledge and use of: retention and

teaching strategies; computer-aided instruction; training on student learning outcomes;

educational technologies; alternative learning styles; and development of mandatory peer tutor

training.

Sample of key measures: five percent increase in student success rates for Basic Skills students; five

percent increase in fall-to-fall persistence rate among Basic Skills students; 10 percent increase in threeyear graduation rate of Hispanic students; 10 percent increase in number of degree awards of Hispanic 

students; 65 percent of faculty will receive a variety of training including Student Learning Outcomes, 

educational plans, directed learning activities, and instructional design for Hispanic and underprepared 

students; and 65 percent of staff will receive training in student learning outcomes, educational plans, and 

student services for Hispanic and underprepared students.
38

P031S100008

Pasadena City College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Pasadena City College (PCC), located in Pasadena, California, serves the greater Los Angeles area. The 

college enrolls over 25,000 students; over 33 percent are Hispanic. Pasadena City College‘s proposed 

Title V project aims to improve Hispanic student learning outcomes through strategies well-supported by 

extensive national and institutional research. 

The project, XL for Life: Transforming Developmental Education at Pasadena City College to 

Improve Hispanic Student Success, includes two components selected as sustainable efforts to 

significantly improve basic skills outcomes for Hispanic students: 

1. Develop and implement a “habits of mind” curriculum and campaign, which will focus on 

fostering effective study habits and behaviors and building community for basic skills students 

and faculty thereby increasing student engagement in and out of the classroom. This will include 

the development of a virtual one-stop center for students, faculty and staff which brings together 

all Pasadena City College activities and resources related to basic skills student success including 

online advising, classroom assignments, critical campus news, and academic and social activities. 

2. Implementing Highly Effective Innovations to Address Specific Weaknesses in Pasadena 

City College’s Current Basic Skills Program: Pasadena City College will restructure the 

assessment, curriculum and instructional delivery of the developmental education program in 

order to accelerate students successfully into the college level coursework (through development 

of supplemental learning (SL) combined with case management as well as modularized learning 

(ML) opportunities across all basic skills sequences ).

Three essential ingredients which are necessary for project success and will therefore permeate all aspects 

of development include:

1) a coherent, sustained professional development program focused on basic skills student success;

2) development of and training in engaging technology to support project objectives; and 

3) integration of instruction and support services improvements. 
39

P031S100048

Reedley College, CA 

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Reedley College is one of two colleges in the State Center Community College District [SCCCD], a 

comprehensive two-year college district located in Central California. The mission of Reedley College is 

to offer an accessible, student-centered educational environment which provides high quality learning 

opportunities essential in meeting the challenges of a diverse, global community. Located in a diverse 

multicultural community, Reedley College enjoys both a richness of resources and a special responsibility 

to ensure that all students have equal access and receive a high quality of service. While there are many 

strong programs and services, faculty and staff understand that there are areas of improvement which 

need to be addressed in order to maximize student success. One primary area of concern is academic 

achievement rates of Hispanic students. These individuals are often first generation college attendees and 

are ill prepared for college level coursework. 

Reedley College will use four key tactics to increase Hispanic student awareness, retention, graduation, 

transfer, and career pathway knowledge. The plan will include pre-college partnerships with local high 

schools (K-19 Bridge), updated Career and Transfer Centers, new on-campus programs to assist new 

Hispanic students in achieving their college goals (Freshman Academic Success Team and Alianza de 

Transferencia), and plans to improve the college‘s library. 

The effects of these strategies will interconnect to create an overall support network for incoming college 

students. The K-19 Bridge program will encourage college and community linkages and increase overall 

student and family understanding of college challenges. The updated Centers will promote career and 

educational success and further encourage students to set goals and manage their school plans. Both the 

Freshman Academic Success Team (FAST) and the Alianza de Transferencia (Transfer Alliance 

Program) will provide the necessary framework to support students in achieving educational goals. 

Updated library services, including a laptop loan program, will provide them with the tools to succeed. 

Each of these components will focus on Hispanic students, who comprise 60 percent of the campuses 

enrollment, but will also benefit the college‘s student body as a whole. 

Finally, in a time of national fiscal instability, the effect of the California state budget crisis cannot be 

ignored. Rising costs and enrollment figures hinder student achievement, and in some cases prevent 

students from attending college all together. The goals described above will allow Reedley College to 

minimize revenue loss from attrition and course repetition and will allow funding to be focused on areas 

of need. Reedley College is committed to improving its academic, management and financial programs 

and services in order to provide the highest quality education available to the residents of Fresno and 

Tulare Counties. 
40

P031S100121

Rio Hondo College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Rio Hondo College District is located 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles in Whittier, a community with a 

growing Hispanic population that has grown dramatically to 72 percent Hispanic. This number is 

reflected in college enrollment also at 72 percent full-time enrollment (FTE) Hispanic. 

As faculty and staff gathered to develop a strategic plan for Title V funding, the major goal focused on 

building capacity through improving practices that increased student success to timely graduation. 

Instructional Development and Educational Assessment of Students for Success (IDEAS) is the 

proposed project.

The first objective is a set of strategies to: (1) introduce students to the campus prior to initial 

enrollments; (2) foster rapid success through remedial education; (3) multi-functional faculty student 

tutoring systems and online tutoring opportunities; and (4) allow large cohorts of students into the First 

Year Experience leading to the Transfer Academy. 

The second objective magnifies instructional development of faculty and staff in two areas: (1) 

creating a campus culture of assessment with campus wide learning outcomes and appropriate 

assessments for all courses at what the state agency, Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior 

Colleges, calls ―proficiency level.‖ Efforts include authentic assessments aligned to the type of learning 

and engage student awareness of the goals and purposes of the course. (2) Include sufficient training for 

faculty so that technology use in the classroom is innovative and appealing to students learning. As a 

result of these strategies, an ongoing comprehensive faculty and staff development program or Institute of 

Teaching and Learning will emerge with a dedicated facility and continuous offerings.
41

P031S100100

San Diego City College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

San Diego City College (SDCC) is a comprehensive, two-year, public community college located in 

downtown San Diego, less than 20 miles from the international border with Mexico. In fall 2009, SDCC 

enrolled 18,090 students; about 37 percent of the students are Hispanic. San Diego City College has 

developed a comprehensive five-year plan to improve Hispanic, first-generation and low-income student 

retention, persistence and academic success. This five-year plan aligns with the College Strategic Plan 

and builds on the College‘s experiences with its prior Title V project and Basic Skills Initiative. 

Strengthening Student Retention, Persistence and Success at San Diego City College is the proposed 

project.

The San Diego City College Title V planning team identified the following five-year goals: (1) Increase 

the academic achievement and success of Hispanic, low-income, and first-generation students; (2) 

Increase the academic retention, persistence and success of Hispanic and low-income students; (3) 

Improve student retention, persistence and success; (4) Improve student retention and timely program 

completion by implementing an enrollment management system; and (5) Strengthen fiscal stability by 

building the college endowment.

The Title V planning team considered a variety of options to achieve project goals and objectives. The 

five-year plan‘s key direction is the development of a comprehensive First Year Experience (FYE) 

program that provides prescriptive advice and guidance through the first year of college, accelerates 

student acquisition of college-level skills, and supports student success in college-level classes. This fiveyear approach consists of the following interwoven strategies: 

First Year Experience (FYE) learning communities that provide validating experiences for Hispanic 

and low-income students, increase student-to-student and student-to-faculty interaction, and teach 

students to access academic support from other students through collaborative learning techniques.

A strong matriculation process that includes mandatory orientation, assessment, placement, and 

counseling, and develops family support for student success.

Accelerated developmental education that helps motivated students prepare more quickly for collegelevel courses.

Structured Learning Assistance that provides mandatory supplemental instruction as part of collegecredit courses with traditionally high failure rates among target students.

Professional development for all staff on providing Hispanic and low-income students with basic 

College information and referral, and faculty training in motivating students.

Enrollment management to ensure that students are able to access the courses they need. 
42

P031S100152 

Santa Barbara City College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Santa Barbara City College is a public community college located 90 miles north of Los Angeles in a 

community in which Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population and the largest 

ethnic group feeder high schools in its service area. Over the past decade the College has served an 

increasing number of academically under-prepared students with diverse needs that severely test its 

ability to reach and maintain the levels of student progression and goal completion that it strives to 

achieve. 

ACTIVITY: Express to Success Program 

Strategies will increase the success, progression, degree completion and transfer rates of Hispanic and 

other underrepresented students who enter the college needing basic skills and English as a Second 

Language (ESL) courses by providing clear and highly structured pathways from English as a Second 

Language (ESL) to basic skills to associate degree and/or transfer. 

Component One: Progression from Basic Skills to College-level Courses to Degree Completion 

and Transfer through activities to support Accelerated Learning Communities, an English as a 

Second Language (ESL) Immersion program, Academic Progression, and strategies to Strengthen 

Articulation strategies. 

Component Two: Develop Strategies to Strengthen Academic and Support Services to better 

serve underrepresented students. An array of student support strategies will be strengthened, a new 

Student Pathways and Tracking System, developed, Intensive Orientation/Counseling provided, and 

in-depth Faculty and Staff Development Workshops offered. 

Component Three: Increasing Resource Development Capacity to Better Serve 

Underrepresented Students by strengthening the fiscal stability of the College and building the 

capacity to provide enhanced services and programs. 
43

P031S100059

Santiago Canyon College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Santiago Canyon College, Orange California, located in Southern California, is a two-year open entry 

California Community College, with an enrollment of 10,560 credit students in fall 2009. 

This is a one-activity proposal with four strategies, each of which will result in increased student

success for its targeted population, with the net result that the college will see increased student

success in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and improved teaching and learning 

through assessment of student learning outcomes. This proposal responds to specific areas of weakness 

identified in the Santiago Canyon College Educational Master Plan (EMP) and to statewide change in 

Accreditation Standards to emphasize student-learning outcomes and outcomes assessment.

Faculty and staff have identified the following:

Problem #1. Hispanic students and other underrepresented students have low interest, enrollment and 

success in science, technology, and engineering courses and low success in difficult mathematics courses 

needed for an Associate of Administration / Associate of Science degree and to transfer.

Problem #2. Lack of assessment of student learning outcomes threatens the college‘s ability to meet its 

mission, accreditation requirements, and student success.

Problem #3. Santiago Canyon College lacks a system to gather, analyze and act on information/data to 

assess student learning in the classroom that would better inform the budget and planning process.

Problem #4. The college‘s ability to serve Hispanic and other underrepresented at-risk students is 

hindered due to a lack of financial resources, jeopardizing student access, and success and persistence 

rates. The four strategies below are proposed solutions to the four major problems:

Strategy One involves hiring a part-time Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) counselor 

to implement innovative and diverse advising and in-reach efforts to identify and support currently 

enrolled college students to increase their interest and promote their success in pursuit of STEM majors 

and careers.

Strategy Two involves the establishment of a Science Learning Center and the implementation of 

Supplemental Instruction for historically difficult gatekeeper science and math courses and the creation of 

directed learning activities that support course student learning outcomes.

Strategy Three involves increasing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors transfer 

options by creating a new Associate of Science- Engineering degree and associated articulation 

agreements for students transferring to a four-year institution.

Strategy Four involves ongoing training, coaching and mentoring for faculty to integrate student learning 

outcomes assessment into course outlines and use Faculty Inquiry Groups (FIGS) to improve teaching 

and learning.
44

P031S100094

Taft College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Taft College (TC) is a public two-year Hispanic-serving institution located in Taft, California, a rapidly 

growing community in Western Kern County in Central California.

Activity: Through one well-planned activity Taft College will address deficiencies in programs that have 

the greatest impact on the success of Hispanic and other underprepared students. Most of the funding we 

request will be used to develop resources to help our very needy students. 

Through this activity Taft College proposes a visionary approach to developmental education by 

centralizing the institution‘s basic skills efforts through a centralized and comprehensive Quest For 

Success (QFS) program. The program will coordinate all college wide basic skills efforts and implement 

strategies that will not only accelerate students through the basic skills course sequence but also better 

prepare them for college level work. In addition the project proposes the development of improved 

articulation agreements with feeder high schools‘ in order to align their math and English curriculum with 

college level coursework. Internal research has pinpointed serious problems in this program that 

adversely affect student success that have not been addressed to date due to lack of coordination. 

These specific problems will be addressed systematically – following recommendations from an internal 

task force based upon researched best practices, student input, and community needs – using the 

following strategies: (1) developing outreach methods to better prepare high school graduates for college 

enrollment; (2) addressing identified problems with assessment and curriculum; (3) integrating more 

comprehensive and responsive student support services with instruction; (4) Implementing the 

Accelerated Semester for Academic Preparedness (ASAP) in order to accelerate completion of the basics 

skill course sequence, improving thus the transition rate to college level course; and (5) developing a 

tracking and evaluation capability to support continuous improvement of student outcomes. 

Taft College English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills and gateway instructors will be 

engaged fully in developing learning outcomes, new and redesigned curriculum, alternative delivery 

systems and valid assessments to improve the effectiveness of their programs with Hispanic and other 

nontraditional underprepared students. Counselors will work with faculty in cross-functional teams to 

integrate support services and instruction following best practice. 
45

P031S100120

Woodbury University, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Woodbury University, a private, nonprofit University in southern California, was founded in 1884 to 

prepare its students to participate in the area business community—an historic link that has lasted through 

the years. Woodbury offers Bachelor‘s degrees in Architecture, Arts, Fine Arts, and Science and 

Master‘s degrees in Architecture, Architecture / Real Estate Development, Business Administration, and 

Organizational Leadership, all within the four Schools of Architecture; Business; Media, Culture and 

Design; and Trans-disciplinary Studies. 

The proposed Title V project will increase Woodbury‘s ability to serve greater numbers of Hispanic and 

low-income students by developing three new baccalaureate programs in the School of Media, 

Culture, and Design (MCD): Film, Media Technology, and Game Arts and Design, with internship 

and career services embedded in curricula to support students‘ success. Each program‘s pilots will begin 

with junior-year curricula enrolling community college transfers or Woodbury juniors with completed 

prerequisites to produce graduates during the project. Selected University facilities will be renovated and 

equipped to house the new programs. We will also conduct ongoing evaluation of the project to support 

its achievement of activity objectives, institutional objectives, institutional goals, and the purpose of the 

Title V program.
46

P031S100016

Adams State College, CO

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Adams State College (ASC) in Alamosa, Colorado, is a public, Hispanic-serving, four-year

degree-granting college that enrolls approximately 2,900 students (both undergraduate and

graduate) in rural south-central Colorado. Adams State College is located is the most economicallydepressed region of Colorado with median family incomes 40 percent lower than the state average. 

Hispanics represent about 20 percent of Colorado‘s population, but they represent 40 percent of the 

population of the six-county area surrounding Adams State College and 30 percent of Adams State 

College‘s students.

Improving Student Engagement and Success is this project‘s single activity. It is designed to 

effectively address three of the significant problems now facing Adams State College, including the need 

to consolidate and expand our student services; a need for a comprehensive faculty and staff development 

program, and the need to keep up with rapidly-evolving instructional technology. These problems have 

been identified through an institutional strategic planning process and will be addressed through activities 

and facilities that will increase the success of Adams State College students—especially Hispanic and 

low-income students. This will be done, in part, by the hiring of several key staff members. The project 

will produce measurable outcomes, resulting from the implementation of three components:

Component One: Developing a new Student Success Center to provide enhanced

tutoring, advising, and career services, as well as an expanded summer bridge program,

to Adams State College students;

Component Two: Improving the number and quality of professional development

activities for Adams State College faculty and staff; and

Component Three: Improving access to instructional and assistive technology for

faculty and students.
47

P031S100095

Community College of Denver, CO

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Community College of Denver (CCD) is a public, open-door, comprehensive, two-year college serving 

Denver, Colorado‘s largest city. Forty-four percent of Denver residents are minority members, as is 46 

percent of those who attend Community College of Denver, and their average incomes and educational 

attainment are low. Compared to Caucasians‘, for example, average per capita income for Denver‘s 34 

percent Hispanic residents is less than a third, poverty nearly two and a half times as common, and 

baccalaureate attainment less than half. 

The Denver area offers opportunity for trained professionals and, in fact, faces pressure to maintain a 

skilled workforce. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are especially 

strong, and Colorado has the nation‘s second largest aerospace industry, but area STEM professionals 

have been largely imported from other states. Creating a pipeline of , , STEM professionals is the best 

option for maintaining economic strength while extending opportunity to Hispanic and low-income area 

residents. Community College of Denver has built an excellent reputation for educating Hispanic and 

low-income students with a case-managed approach to supporting the success of first-generation and 

under-prepared students. However, there is a challenge stabilizing enrollment. Potential growth exists in 

STEM, where enrollments are low. However, increasing service to Hispanic and low-income students 

requires scarce resources: adequate and well equipped labs; online and hybrid STEM course options, and 

Certificate and AAS degree programs for students who seek one- and two-year programs that prepare 

them for immediate employment. 

Although limited, Community College of Denver has had success in STEM. In 2006, four-year 

Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD), with whom we share our downtown main campus, 

collaborated with Community College of Denver on ACES for 2 + 2 programming to improve Hispanic 

students‘ baccalaureate completion in aerospace engineering. In 2007, Community College of Denver, 

Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Denver‘s North High School worked together on JumpStart 

into Aerospace to extend the ACES pipeline into high schools for Hispanic and other disadvantaged 

youth. This experience positions CCD to propose Supporting Opportunities in STEM (Science, 

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) (SOS). Supporting Opportunities in STEM (Science, 

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) will renovate and equip STEM instructional labs, revise 

STEM lab instruction, create new certificate and degree programs in two high-demand, high-opportunity 

fields, develop STEM online/hybrid courses, and increase Community College of Denver and highHispanic / low-income high school students‘ competency and awareness in STEM fields. 
48

P031S100115

Florida International University, FL

Individual development Grant

ABSTRACT

Florida International University aims to strengthen its capacity to improve the academic attainment of 

Hispanic students, who comprise 60 percent of the university‘s student population. Currently, just 16 

percent of Florida International University students graduate after four years, and only 46 percent 

graduate after six years. Careful analysis has revealed institutional limitations that compromise Florida 

International University‘s ability to maximize achievement of Hispanic students, such as inadequate 

support services for students unprepared for core courses in mathematics and English composition 

classes, lack of formal mechanisms to identify and provide services for students struggling in their first 

year of college, and Florida International University faculty‘s limited awareness of cultural issues that 

may impact learning and achievement, as less than 16 percent of the faculty is Hispanic. 

To overcome obstacles to academic success, focus will be placed on facilitating more successful 

transitions from the demands of high school or community college to the rigors of a large, researchoriented university. Considerable effort will be directed toward increasing the number of Hispanic 

students who pass gateway courses, such as College Algebra, which research has identified as having 

high predictive value for retention and six-year graduation rates. Seven initiatives are proposed, each of 

which reflects the unique needs of Florida International University‘s Hispanic student population, 

incorporates evidence-informed or best practices, and aligns directly with Florida International 

University‘s strategic plans and the Title V program‘s funding priorities. Methods will focus on infusion 

of high tech high touch teaching, which stresses the cultivation of personal connections with students to 

supplement utilization of rich IT resources and fosters student commitment to university. 

Activity 1 is designed to improve student success in College Algebra by introducing high tech high touch, 

computerized Mastery Learning Models laboratory experiences, and peer tutoring. Improvement in 

students‘ writing skills is the focus of Activity 2, which will be achieved by having faculty with 

specialized training in second language writing instruction teach English composition classes and revising 

composition course curricula. Activity 3 involves cultural awareness training, including second language 

instruction, for Florida International University faculty. To enhance reading skills, Florida International 

University will identify students with weak reading in the required Humanities in Writing courses and 

offer tutoring through the Reading and Learning Lab (Activity 4). Academic achievement will be 

enhanced by a variety of new or expanded tutoring services (Activity 5). For first-year students at risk, 

Activity 6 will create mechanism for early alert and intervention. Finally, Activity 7 is designed to guide 

Hispanic students into careers as mathematics or English teachers as they will be exceptionally well 

qualified to prepare school aged Hispanic students for postsecondary education. 
49

P031S100027

Hillsborough Community College-Dale Mabry, FL

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Hillsborough Community College-Dale Mabry, in Tampa, Florida, is a two-year, publicly supported 

college, one of five campuses in the Hillsborough Community College District. Located on the west side 

of Tampa in the heart of the Hispanic community, Hillsborough Community College-Dale Mabry serves 

more than 14,000 students, including 4,074 Hispanic students and at least 7,700 low-income students 

(Institutional Research & Grants, 2010). The purpose of the proposed project is to increase the 

degree/certificate completion rates of Hispanic students and the college‘s large low income student 

population by improving the achievement of students with limited English proficiency and helping 

students to master high-risk Gateway courses that are currently serving as barriers, rather than doorways, 

to student success. 

To accomplish this, Hillsborough Community College-Dale Mabry is committed to addressing 

weaknesses in its programs and infrastructure that are impeding the progress of Hispanic and low-income 

students. This transformation will be accomplished by: (1) integrating ―best practice‖ strategies /

technologies into courses called English for Academic Purposes (EAP courses), designed for students 

with limited English proficiency; (2) developing a new EAP Learning Center, equipped with modern, 

interactive technologies; (3) integrating new instructional/technological strategies into key high-risk 

Gateway courses, supported by new Academic Excellence Seminars; and (4) developing a new 

Connections Center, where Hispanic students can connect to and engage in the college environment and 

have access to support services that meet their needs. 
50

P031S100030

Miami Dade College-Wolfson Campus, FL

Individual development Grant

ABSTRACT

Located in South Florida, part of the State of Florida four-year, public community college system, Miami 

Dade College had over 80,000 students in Fall 2008. Wolfson Campus is part of Miami Dade College, 

serving the residents of the Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Activity 1: Create a new STEM Student Success Center (STEM SSC) - To create and implement the 

new Student Success Center for Hispanic students with declared programs of study in the sciences, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Sample of Key Measures: (1) a new STEM Student 

Success Center, delivering retention, transition, and career services, including academic advisement, 

scholarship/ internship information, tutoring, mentoring, and social networking; (2) a new Strategic 

Enrollment Management plan for STEM degree programs; (3) centralized administration, the new STEM 

First-Year Experience Program through the STEM Student Success Center. This program will impact 

over 1500 students annually.

Activity 2: Create a Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Summer Bridge 

Program (STEMSB). To create and implement a new STEM Summer Bridge Program for First-Time-inCollege Hispanic students, ages 17-25, with interests in STEM degree programs to facilitate transition 

into postsecondary education. This represents the second major element of the First-Year Experience 

Program. Sample of Key Measures: (1) secondary-to-postsecondary education transition services; (2) 

academic advisement; (3) career advisement; (4) test preparation assistance; (5) supplemental instruction; 

(6) learning communities, emphasizing Mathematics skills (developed under Activity 3); (6) retention 

services; and (7) community outreach to promote STEM degree programs and careers among 

disadvantaged Hispanic populations, particularly high school students. An estimated 100 Hispanic 

students will participate in the STEM Summer Bridge Program, representing a projected completion of 

300 semester credits in STEM courses.

Activity 3: Create a new STEM Pedagogy (STEMP). To create and implement new STEM Pedagogy for 

existing gateway courses, new STEM Learning communities and a first-year orientation course. These 

constitute the third major Activity of the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

First-Year Experience Program. Sample of Key Measures: (1) new pedagogy emphasizing active, 

collaborative learning and student engagement; (2) a first year orientation (first-year student extended 

orientation) course for Hispanic students; and (3) new STEM Learning Communities, utilizing best 

practices.
51

P031S100134

Waubonsee Community College, IL

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Waubonsee Community College is a public two-year institution of higher education located 45 miles west 

of Chicago. Waubonsee Community College 600-square mile district serves over 421,402 residents, with 

projected growth to 543,000 by 2020. Waubonsee serves southern Kane County and portions of Kendall, 

DeKalb, La Salle and Will counties; these five counties accounted for just over 71 percent of Illinois‘ 

estimated population growth from 2000 to 2009. Kane and Kendall counties are among the fastest 

growing counties in the United States. The Hispanic population is rapidly increasing. The Waubonsee 

Community College district minority population is 36.6 percent (2009). At the end of the fall 2009 

semester, 32.5 percent (4,105 students) of the total unduplicated headcount (12,633) at Waubonsee 

Community College (excluding high school and children‘s programs) was Hispanic. Growth in 

Hispanic/Latino headcount from fall 2007 to fall 2009 is 17.0 percent (Waubonsee Community College 

Institutional Research 2010). Over 67.4 percent of Waubonsee students are the first in their families to go 

to college.

The Goals of this Title V Project are to:

1) Enhance data collection, assessment and monitoring of institutional effectiveness; 

2) Develop a comprehensive data warehouse to enhance data-informed decision-making; 

3) Improve Hispanic student post-secondary transition and success; and

4) Improve Hispanic General Equivalency Diploma (GED) / English as a Second Language (ESL) 

transition.

Project Strategies:

- Participate in Foundations of Excellence self-study process

- Define key indicators of success and build dashboard of key indicators for stakeholders

- Build and populate data warehouse database

- Train end users to use data warehouse to extract, aggregate, analyze and present data in useful formats 

for effective decision-making

- Pilot interventions for probationary students

- Implement student intervention and tracking software

- Pilot tutoring support for college transitions and intrusive case-management model

- Pilot proven strategies to encourage and support transition to college from General Equivalency 

Diploma (GED) / English as a Second Language (ESL)

- Strengthen relationships with district high schools to improve the number of college bound students, the 

quality of the college transition experience, and the alignment of high school to college curriculum.
52

P031S100049

Seward County Community College, KS

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Seward County Community College/Area Technical School (SCCC/ATS) is located in

Liberal, Kansas, and draws from a sixteen-county, multi-state area comprising southwest Kansas,

southeast Colorado, and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. Almost 30 percent of our students are 

Hispanic (29.2 percent), and nearly half (49 percent) of those Hispanic students are enrolled in technical 

programs. With the Liberal School District‘s enrollment now 65 percent Hispanic, Seward County 

Community College/Area Technical School will continue to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution and must 

address the academic, institutional management, and fiscal stability issues that limit our ability to offer 

Hispanic and low-income students access to high-quality programs, that will prepare them either for 

transfer or for employment in highly-technical fields. 

Seward County Community College/Area Technical School faces an overarching problem of declining 

enrollment. Over the last five years, area population has dropped, even as Hispanic population figures 

have increased. The product of a recent (2008) merger of Seward County Community College and 

Southwest Kansas Area Technical School, the new institution must upgrade facilities on the former 

Southwest Kansas Area Technical School campus and replace outdated technical programs with new 

high-demand programs to reverse enrollment declines. Adding technical and Allied Health programs 

should be especially attractive to potential Hispanic and low income enrollees, who already tend to 

concentrate in existing technical and Allied Health fields of study. In fact, a majority of workers in the 

Corrosion Technology field are Hispanics, although most jobs currently are entry level and very labor 

intensive. Completion of either the Corrosion Tech or Process Tech programs would represent a 

substantial advancement which would lead to improved economic status for these workers.

With state funds to support higher education declining and local funds stagnant, Seward County 

Community College/Area Technical School must seek external funding to construct and renovate space, 

purchase equipment, and hire staff to develop new high-demand programs in Process Technology, 

Corrosion Technology, and Radiologic Technology. These and other technical programs must also 

address the needs of time- and place-bound students by adding a distance learning classroom and 

providing faculty with professional development in distance education pedagogies. With Title V support 

Seward County Community College/Area Technical School will see increased enrollment, including 

increasing numbers of Hispanic students, and growing enrollment-related revenues. With creation of an 

endowment fund, fiscal stability will be further enhanced for the future. Institutional five-year objectives 

call for an increase of 90 students annually after the grant as a result of the new programs, a 25 percent 

increase in the number of Hispanics attaining certificate and associate degrees, and creation of an 

endowment.
53

P031S100020

Bergen Community College, NJ 

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Student enrollment at Bergen Community College has changed dramatically in the last few years in size, 

demographics, and academic readiness. Significant expansion led to serious challenges: Approximately 

90 percent of incoming students test into developmental English or Mathematics. Only 49 percent of 

them return to the college after three semesters. Between one half and 65 percent pass basic skills or 

entry college-level courses, and fewer than eight percent attain degrees over a given four-year period. 

A Comprehensive Campaign for Enhancing Student Persistence & Success Campaign will address 

these challenges.

The campaign will enhance student persistence and success through three primary goals: (1) guide 3,500 

incoming developmental students (nearly 30 percent of whom Hispanic/Latino) to transition more 

effectively to college; (2) support their learning in basic skills and entry-level courses; and (3) develop an 

optimal infrastructure for the first two goals. Over five years, student return rates for a fourth semester 

are projected to improve to 63 percent from a baseline of 49 percent. 

Beyond numbers, the spirit of the campaign lies in strong connections to be built among students and over 

200 staff/faculty Success Advisors and student Peer Advocates through individualized/group mentoring 

and advising. Students will engage in self-discovery, college orientation, and career exploration. Basic 

skills courses will be reformed to enhance learning (content-courses pairing, accelerated, or self-paced). 

In-class tutoring and recitation sessions will be expanded. An academic intervention system, faculty 

professional development and training, enhanced facilities and student resources, and external assessment 

will support these activities.

The college designed this campaign with the aim of incorporating permanent improvements in academic 

support services to developmental students beyond Title V funding.
54

P031S100088

Hudson County Community College, NJ

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Hudson County Community College seeks federal funding to implement the goals and objectives 

described in the following Title V grant application entitled Building a 21st Century Community College. 

This five-year initiative (beginning in October 2010 and ending in September 2015) intends to expand the 

educational opportunities and experiential learning possibilities offered to its traditionally underprepared, 

underserved, minority student population. Hudson County Community College is a federally-designated 

Hispanic-Serving Institution, with 46 percent Hispanic students enrolled. The average age of the Hudson 

County Community College student body is 26, and students are typically juggling a number of additional 

responsibilities as they attempt to complete their studies and obtain a degree or certificate. This project 

intends to make the process of degree or certificate attainment easier and more academically engaging for 

Hudson County Community College students. To achieve this end, we propose the implementation of 

two distinct, but interrelated, Activities.

Activity One: Expanding Access and Increasing Student Success and Persistence through the 

establishment of the Center for Distance Education Currently, Hudson County Community College 

does have a task force that was assembled to expand the online course offerings available to Hudson 

County Community College students, but the program is still in its infancy. Through the award of these 

grant funds, Hudson County Community College plans to create a central ―technology hub‖ to be used by 

faculty and staff members, as well as students. The Center for Distance Education will provide 

professional development to faculty members through training workshops and sessions, and 10 faculty 

members will be selected each year to participate in a Summer Institute, where they will receive hands-on 

training to create one online course each. As a result of this, 10 new online courses will be created and 

offered to Hudson County Community College students in Years Two through Five of the grant (a total of 

40 courses by the grant period end). Academic Advisement, career development, counseling and tutoring 

will have newly added online components to monitor the achievements of students in these courses. 

Hudson County Community College will increase enrollment, persistence, retention, and completion 

numbers through this Activity.

Activity Two: Strengthening the Capacity of the Mathematics and Technology Programs. Hudson 

County Community College aims to improve the enrollment, retention, persistence, and completion data 

of their students by developing and enhancing their current GIS, Mathematics, and Technology programs. 

These disciplines are experiencing rapid growth and the need for the improvement of these programs is 

apparent. Hudson County Community College will acquire new, cutting-edge equipment, materials and 

supplies that will enhance the current educational programming and create new experiential learning 

opportunities for our students. A Student Early Alert System will be purchased to provide advanced 

academic advisement. Faculty will be trained to record student performance indicators in the database to 

allow traditionally at-risk students to be more closely monitored and advised.
55

P031S100085

Saint Peter’s College, NJ

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Saint Peter‘s College (SPC) is located in the most densely populated county in the nation‘s most densely 

populated state. Sixty-three percent Saint Peter‘s full-time students who have identified their 

race/ethnicity are members of racial/ethnic minority groups. SPC has relatively successful persistence 

rates from Year 1 to Year 2, but after Year 2, GPA and persistence disparities emerge between SPC‘s 

minority students and their counterparts, with the exception of those participating in the Educational 

Opportunities Fund program. 

Purpose: To increase the retention and academic performance of Hispanic and other low income and 

minority undergraduate students through: (a) English-language development programs; (b) expansion of 

successful academic assistance programs and activities to successfully integrate Spanish-speaking 

students into the College community; (c) faculty development on cultural competency, infusion of 

multicultural values into the curriculum and use of technology for teaching; (d) academic readiness 

programs for students in Jersey City high schools; and (e) strengthening of technology tools for 

education programs.

Objectives: 

1) Increase the overall first-year retention from 72 percent to 75 percent;

2) Increase Hispanic first-year retention 71 percent to 75 percent;

3) Increase overall retention to sixth semester from 60.9 percent to 74 percent; and 

4) Increase average first-year GPA for all Hispanic students from 2.50 to 2.65. 

Over the five-year Title V grant period, SPC will:

 Establish a Center for English Language Learning (ELL) / English as a Second Language in order 

to strengthen skills of new English speakers. Services will include tutorial services, consultation 

cultural competency for staff, and formal ESL classes for students and the community. 

 Develop and coordinate supports tailored to the unique strengths and needs of low income and 

minority students. 

 Expand successful high school programs designed to foster and support educational aspirations 

for the very ethnically diverse students in Jersey City‘s urban school district. 

 Enhance technology to support student learning.

 Faculty will participate in on-campus and off-campus professional development to support 

cultural infusion into the curriculum and teaching methods.
56

P031S100145

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, NM

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, known as New Mexico Tech is a Hispanic-Serving 

public research institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, engineering, and 

technology-related fields; in fact, New Mexico Tech is one of only three research institutions and the only 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) institution in the state. Our mission reflects this 

purpose: to integrate education, research, public service, and economic development through emphasis on

science, engineering, and natural resources. New Mexico Tech is located in the city of Socorro and has a 

population of 9,000. The entire state is New Mexico Tech‘s primary service area; 84 percent of incoming 

freshmen are New Mexico high school graduates, but New Mexico, which is 45 percent Hispanic, is a 

poor state, 47th lowest in per capita income, with 29 percent of residents living in poverty. Many of New 

Mexico Tech‘s students reflect this disadvantage, but they are high achievers with high aspirations. 

Nationally, Hispanic adults continue to be under-represented among those with Bachelor‘s degrees (7.5 

percent), and only 6 percent earn Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-related 

degrees (Digest of Ed. Stats. 2008), so New Mexico Tech is proud of the strides we have made in 

enrolling Hispanic students, 6 percent more in the past year alone. Unfortunately, our students are not 

succeeding, re-enrolling, or graduating at acceptable rates, and failure is more common among Hispanic 

students. Gateway course failure rates are as high as 41 percent for all students and 46 percent for 

Hispanic students, fall attrition 28 percent for all and 32 percent for Hispanic students, and four- and sixyear graduation rates 21 percent and 46 percent for all students and merely 11 percent and 32 percent for 

Hispanic students. In contrast, peer institutions average 17 percent attrition and 30 percent four-year / 64 

percent six-year graduation rates. New Mexico Tech‘s analysis shows that, while our first-year students 

work very hard, they feel isolated and not engaged in New Mexico Tech‘s rich academic life. No 

structures exist to provide them with an intellectual ―community,‖ and gateway course instruction, mostly 

lecture-based, talks ―at‖ them rather than involving them in the process of learning. 

We, therefore, propose to create themed Living/Learning Communities linking key gateway courses with 

our First-Year Seminar and to infuse gateway courses with interactive instructional techniques and 

technologies. A robust faculty development program and Center, learning labs in freshman residence 

halls, and up-to-date classroom instructional technology will complete the project, which aligns with the 

purpose of Title V.
57

P031S100046

New Mexico State University-Carlsbad, NM

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

New Mexico State University-Carlsbad (NMSU-Carlsbad) is a Hispanic-Serving, public, openadmissions two-year institution located in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Over 2,000 students enrolled during 

Fall 2009, 46 percent were Hispanic and a majority (90 percent) low income. Hispanic student 

enrollment increased from 36 percent in 2000 to 46 percent in 2009.

CRITICAL PROBLEMS: Three critical problems will be addressed: (1) a majority of students 

interested in pursuing a healthcare-related degree (especially nursing) are academically underprepared for 

the rigors of math and science prerequisites and core program courses; consequently, they fail either to be 

accepted in the nursing program or fail to move forward to completion; (2) students (time- and placebound in our vast, remote location) have limited distance access to instruction in healthcare-related

programs and nursing students sometimes must travel over 300 miles roundtrip to a hospital clinical site; 

and (3) student demand for multiple high-demand healthcare-related associate degree options are not 

being met.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES: To address key institutional problems, NMSU-Carlsbad proposes activities 

to move more Hispanic and low-income students through the healthcare-related education pipeline with 

more program options, supplemental academic and advising support and expanded access to instruction 

and hospital clinical time (virtually).

• Expanding Opportunities: Two New Allied Health Associate Degree Programs

- Addresses limited access to high-demand career pathways by developing a Public Health

and a Health Information Technology associate of applied science degree program.

• Improving Attainment: Providing Supplemental Support for Allied Health Students

- Addresses low academic preparedness for succeeding in Allied Health programs by

providing an Academic Success Lab and Proactive Advising for Allied Health students.

• Expanding Access & Providing 21st Century Technologies for Allied Health students

- Addresses limited access to instruction and technological resources by adapting fourteen

Allied Health courses to online/hybrid format; updating the nursing laboratory and

developing a human patient simulated hospital setting to support student access to nursing

clinicals and provide simulated hands-on learning for Allied Health students.
58

P031S100091

Northern New Mexico College, NM

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

This proposed Title V Project for 2010-2015, “EXITO: The NNMC Student Success Initiative,” will 

move Northern New Mexico College substantially forward in its transformation into a regional university. 

The project is a comprehensive, ambitious, systemic response to the most significant challenge to 

Northern New Mexico College achieving its mission: our entering students are under-prepared for 

college-level work. Over 80 percent require remediation, leading directly to the low graduation rates. 

EXITO will increase persistence to graduation through three inter-connected, ―best practice‖-based 

components: (1) aggressive Outreach to the secondary schools to raise awareness of the need for higher 

education and to provide information on rigorous secondary school programs of study; (2) comprehensive 

Student Success efforts that enable systematic student tracking, advising, counseling and other services; 

supporting the academic preparation and transitions of our students by restructuring developmental 

courses from a time-based to a competency-based model; and instituting Summer Bridge Programs for 

first-year students; and (3) Professional Development and Learner-Centered Pedagogy 

Implementation via a First Year Experience program that will lead to General Education reform; and 

sustaining these widespread, institution-wide innovations through faculty and staff professional 

development. 

The project‘s approach will have measurable and significant outcomes, such as: 

(1) Increases from 36 percent in 2009 to 48 percent by 2015 in regional high school graduates going 

on to higher education within a year of graduating;

(2) 75 percent of Bridge Program students able to skip at least one semester of remedial coursework;

(3) At least 50 percent of students completing remedial coursework and transitioning into collegelevel courses by 2015;

(4) 20 percent improvement in FYE and General Education course completion rates from 2008 to 

2015; and

(5) 80 percent of Northern New Mexico College faculty gaining and then applying new pedagogical 

and advising skills by 2015. 

The project‘s overall five-year budget focuses on new capacities and systemic improvements that are 

sustainable and affordable. 
59

P031S100101

New Mexico State University, Alamogordo, NM

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

New Mexico State University Alamogordo (NMSU-A) in Alamogordo, New Mexico is a public, 

comprehensive, open-door community college within the New Mexico State University system, offering 

Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Developmental Education, 

General Equivalency Diploma (GED), English as a Second Language (ESL), and certificate programs.

New Mexico State University Alamogordo‘s Engineering Technology Department offers degrees in 

Information Technology, Electronics Technology, and Biomedical Engineering Technology, as well as 

curricula in Renewable Energy. But only three percent of all students – and just 35 Hispanic students –

were enrolled in these science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees and curricula 

in fall 2009. Moreover, too many of these students do not persist, graduate, or transfer into high-demand 

STEM areas, including baccalaureate programs in Engineering Technology at our parent four-year 

institution, New Mexico State University Alamogordo - Las Cruces. Contributing to this problem is the 

extended time it takes our underprepared students to progress through developmental coursework into 

college-level STEM courses. Students who begin in pre-college level curricula add semesters to their 

educational journey, with few enrolling or persisting in STEM degree programs. 

No Time to Lose: A Head Start to STEM Success is the proposed project. Proactive initiatives will lead 

to the development of a Fast Track developmental education option to accelerate progress through the 

developmental sequence and into STEM courses. The Fast Track option, incorporating individualized 

instruction and instructional technology, will be supported by program-specific tutoring. Fast Track 

instruction and resources will be centralized in the Foundational Learning Center (FLC), an addition to be 

constructed in Years 1-2 adjacent to the open student tutoring lab. In Years 3-5, we will redesign 

curricula in Information Technology, Electronics Technology, Biomedical Engineering Technology, and 

Renewable Energy, to infuse hands-on instruction with updated, industry-standard instrumentation, as 

well as reinforcement of mathematical concepts, technical reading, research, and report writing. 

Redesigned curricula will be supported by up-graded instrumentation as well as a new Information 

Technology Training and Certification Center and program-specific tutoring, and we will develop a new 

STEM Orientation course to facilitate transition into these fields that offer job opportunities and 

economic stability for Hispanic, low-income students.
60

P031S100082

Santa Fe Community College, NM

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) enrolls a high percentage of students who are Hispanic (over 2,000 

/ 36 percent); low-income (39 percent); and first-generation college (58 percent). For nearly one-third of 

residents (32.1 percent) in Santa Fe, educational attainment is lower and poverty is higher compared to 

the state average: Bachelor‘s degree (16.8 versus 24.9 percent) and individual poverty (23.5 versus 17.9 

percent). Four in ten Hispanic families (38.8 percent) are low-income. In the Santa Fe Public Schools 

(75 percent Hispanic), 65 percent of children received free or reduced-price meals and 91 percent of Santa 

Fe high school graduates entering the college fall 2009 were assessed as having weak basic academic 

skills.

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) consistently enrolls more academically underprepared students (64 

percent compared to the national average of 39 percent) and graduates fewer students than all other 

community colleges in New Mexico (10.5 versus 28 percent average). Consequently, a majority of first 

year students experience costly delays in achieving their education goals.

Two key strategies will address problems that prevent students from making successful and reasonable 

progress toward degree attainment:

• Redesigned Developmental and Core College Courses: To address low success and progress for first 

year students enrolled in developmental and “gatekeeper” core courses, faculty will redesign 

developmental courses to be linked with each other and linked/contextualized with ―gatekeeper‖ core 

courses. The purpose is to accelerate the time it takes for developmental students to master basic 

academic skills and enroll and succeed in college-level courses.

• Proactive, Customized First Year Experience Student Support Services: To address low progress 

(college credit accumulation) toward graduation, customized First Year Experience services will be 

developed targeting four different populations of first year students: Cohort 1 = Full-time, degree-seeking 

traditional-aged students; Cohort 2 = Full-time, degree-seeking nontraditional-aged students; Cohort 3 = 

Part-time, degree-seeking students; and Cohort 4 = STEM career track students. A new First Year 

Experience Center and a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advising Center 

will be developed for centralized, technology-enhanced first year student support services. Supporting 

both components of the single activity is the development of a user-friendly, data inquiry system for 

evidence-based use of data for continuous improvement of teaching and learning and support services for 

at-risk students.
61

P031S100038

John Jay College of Criminal Justice-CUNY, NY

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

This project seeks to improve persistence and graduation rates of Hispanic students by engaging them 

early in their college careers in a coordinated First-Year Experience program and undergraduate research 

mentoring. Toward this goal, the specific objectives of Activity 1 are aimed at: (1) Analytical and 

Critical Thinking: a Cornerstone Experience for Students. This will be accomplished by revising the 

curriculum of two cornerstone courses at the College: (a) NSC107 – a required non-major science course; 

and (b) BIO103 – a required course for science majors. This effort aims to improve student performance 

and critical thinking skills by 10 percent by offering new curricula, course content, and faculty 

development. (2) Promoting Research as Innovative Student Mentoring. This will involve the 

development of our existing undergraduate research program in science such that it can serve as a model 

for a college-wide program. This effort aims to increase six-year graduation rates of participants by six

percent beginning in Year 3, and increase by three percent the number of science students moving on to 

post-graduate programs by Year 4.

Specific objectives of Activity II are aimed at: (1) First-Year Seminar: Supporting Transition to the 

Academic Environment. This will be accomplished by developing a core transition curriculum and 

faculty resource bank for the academic First-Year Seminars to reduce attrition rates of Hispanic students 

in the freshman year by six percent; (2) Promoting Excellence in Teaching in the First Year. This 

initiative aims at engaging more full-time faculty in teaching the First-Year Seminars by supporting 

inquiry groups, and promoting faculty research into effective pedagogies. This effort intends to increase 

number of First-Year Seminars and FYE Learning Communities taught by full-time faculty by 50 percent, 

and increase the engagement of Hispanic students with faculty by 10 percent; (3) Creating Communities 

of Learners in the first year. This objective will be accomplished by establishing student cohorts and 

supporting them with peer mentors to improve participation of entering Hispanic students by 10 percent 

per year.
62

P031S100159

New York City College of Technology, NY

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

New York City College of Technology (―City Tech‖), the senior college of technology of The City 

University of New York, seeks Title V funding to improve institutional capacity to improve educational 

outcomes for Hispanic and low‐income students. As a diverse community of learners in the midst of a 

global city, City Tech approaches this challenge by instituting a cohesive set of interrelated General 

Education initiatives that center on place‐based learning premised on laboratory models and on 

high‐impact pedagogical practices. The plan includes the following four Activities:

(1) Redesign General Education to incorporate high‐impact learning practices into theme based courses 

at the College, to be implemented through a cyclical series of General Education Seminars that enable 

faculty members to research proven high‐impact learning strategies while planning courses that will 

incorporate those strategies;

(2) Increase the engagement of Hispanic and low‐income students with learning through the creation of 

a state‐of‐the‐art open digital platform for teaching and learning while also expanding

communications between students and faculty to strengthen intellectual and social bonds in a large 

impersonal commuter institution with view opportunities for shared exploration;

(3) Create a culture of assessment at the college that integrates comprehensive outcomes assessment 

into the General Education curriculum; and

(4) Build a restricted endowment in support of the City Tech Center for the Study of the Brooklyn 

Waterfront that will become a permanent locus of laboratory and primary‐source based learning activities 

that have become the hallmark of a City Tech education. 

City Tech students have available a wide array of academic and personal support services including 

academic advising and personal counseling, but the college has been constrained by the extremely heavy 

course requirements in professional and technical programs from providing the foundational General 

Education skills, knowledge, and values across all programs of study that can provide the common 

intellectual framework that careers require today. The open digital platform for learning will provide a 

seamless interface to ensure the integration of technical, professional, and General Education 

competencies. The student‐faculty research opportunities provided by the College‘s Center for the Study 

of the Brooklyn Waterfront will be institutionalized through a restricted endowment.
63

P031S100155

City University of New York - City College, NY

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

City College is a comprehensive teaching, research, and service institution dedicated to accessibility and 

excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. Founded in 1847 as the Free Academy, the College 

has sustained its initial mission of offering affordable access to higher education to the people of New 

York. The college has two campuses, both in Manhattan: the main Harlem campus in uptown Manhattan 

and a downtown campus near Wall Street that houses the Center for Worker Education. 

The City College of New York proposes a coordinated set of initiatives designed to improve student 

learning and increase retention and graduation rates, a goal that is set forth in the college‘s Strategic 

Plan for 2009-2013. This overall goal of the Title V Program will be achieved through two primary 

activities: 

1. Building strong quantitative and writing skills to improve student success across the curriculum, 

with a focus on General Education and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 

courses; and 

2. Developing new online and hybrid course formats to offer students greater flexibility in completing 

graduation requirements, especially where student demand exceeds capacity. 

Specifically, we will improve student learning in our General Education curriculum by working with 

faculty to enhance pedagogy in required writing courses (the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar and 

Perspectives courses) and quantitative courses (Freshman quantitative courses and the STEMmathematics sequence). In addition, we will offer faculty training and support to develop fully online and 

hybrid courses to increase student access to required courses. 

The measurable objectives of the proposed Title V Program include:

a) Increasing first-year retention rates 

b) Increasing six-year graduation rates 

c) Improve student performance on the City University of New York (CUNY) Proficiency Exam 

d) Improve the quality of student writing across the curriculum 

e) Increase retention of students in STEM majors

f) Improve student access to required courses through new online course formats.
64

P031S100057

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, NY 

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Through the proposed project - From Basic Skills to Baccalaureates: An Accelerated Pathway for 

Hispanic Student Achievement -Vaughn College will address deficiencies in practices that have the 

greatest impact on the success of Hispanic and other underprepared students. Through this activity, 

Vaughn College proposes the development of a comprehensive Teaching and Learning Center that will be 

charged with coordinating and restructuring the Vaughn developmental education approach to make it 

much more efficient and effective. Vaughn‘s weaknesses will be addressed systematically – following 

recommendations from an internal task force based upon internal research and extensive review of best 

practices: (1) developing outreach methods to better prepare high school graduates for college 

enrollment; (2) developing the Accelerated Student Achievement Program that will significantly speed 

the transition from basic skills to college level courses; (3) addressing identified problems with basic 

skills assessment and curriculum; (4) integrating more comprehensive and responsive student support 

services with instruction; and (5) developing a tracking and evaluation capability to support continuous 

improvement of student outcomes in overcoming basic skill under-preparedness. 

Developmental education instructors will be engaged fully in developing learning outcomes, new and 

redesigned curriculum, alternative delivery systems and valid assessments to improve the effectiveness of 

their programs with Hispanic and other nontraditional underprepared students. Counselors will work with 

faculty in cross-functional teams to integrate support services and instruction following best practice. 

Since helping underprepared students is a major part of the college‘s mission, all faculty members will be 

involved in the development to identify learning outcomes for their courses and adapt their pedagogy to 

address Hispanic student engagement issues and improve learning outcomes and retention for all at-risk 

students. 
65

P031S100066

Esperanza College, PA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Esperanza College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a separately-accredited (Middle States

Association of Colleges & Schools) two-year private branch campus of Eastern University (EU),

a private four-year church-related institution of higher education. Esperanza College functions both as a 

separately accredited branch campus of Eastern University and as an open-door, two-year community 

college. Esperanza College employs a unique process for transitioning students with low to moderate 

English skills from classes conducted almost entirely in Spanish to classes conducted entirely in English. 

In existence for only 10 years, Esperanza College has already made a difference for Hispanic and lowincome students in our area, with half of all students completing the Associate of Art (AA) within two

years and 17.5 percent at this time having also completed the Bachelor of Art (BA) through a cooperative 

arrangement with Eastern. 

Esperanza College offers the Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, with concentrations available in Early 

Childhood Education, Business Administration, Communications, and Community Health Services. With 

a current enrollment of 195 (up 225 percent since 2005), Esperanza is projected to increase its enrollment 

by at least two thirds—to 325 students—by 2015.

Esperanza College‘s students are predominately low-income Hispanics (90 percent in fall 2009) and 

African-Americans living in the area surrounding the college: a cluster of neighborhoods that are home to 

over 70,000 people, nearly two-thirds of whom are Hispanics. Residents of this ―Hispanic Corridor‖ 

suffer low levels of educational attainment (10.2 percent of adults with bachelor‘s or higher degree) 

leading to high rates of unemployment (35 percent) and poverty (40.1 percent) (Latino Journal e-News, 

Feb. 24, 2010, and American Community Survey, 2008). Major employers, including schools, hospitals 

and other health agencies, government offices, small businesses, and banks, seek employees with skills 

and knowledge far beyond those of the average community resident. Bilingual teachers, accountants, and 

health care providers are especially needed in Philadelphia.

Activity: Accesso al Aprendizaje (Access to Learning). These circumstances have prompted

Esperanza College to find ways to expand its existing programming to include Secondary Education 

(Math and Science), Accounting, and Medical Assisting, as described in this proposal. We will also 

develop an academic support center to enable students in the new programs to complete their degrees 

more rapidly, as our experience has shown us that too many students, while ultimately succeeding in 

completing a degree, are delayed by academic and language issues. To expand programming, however, 

we must also expand facilities because the space the college shares with Esperanza, Inc., has more than 

reached capacity. We propose to create new labs for Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Chemistry, 

two additional classrooms, four small study/advising spaces, and a Student Success Center. All labs will 

be appropriately equipped, and the classrooms and Student Success Center will include Smart Classroom 

technology. By the fall of 2015, we will enroll at least 25 students a year in Math/Science Teacher 

Education, at least 40 a year in Accounting, and at least 35 a year in Medical Assisting.
66

P031S100041

Caribbean University – Bayamon Campus, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT 

Caribbean University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, proposes a Title V 

Project - Enhancing Learning Results through Program and Technological Improvement - to improve 

student performance and thereby increase the institution's persistence and completion rates. The project's 

main focus is a single major activity consisting of the development of the institution's technological 

capacity specifically in support of first and second level courses with high attrition rates. By targeting 

students early in their college career, when they go through a critical period of adaptation to college life, 

the university seeks to maximize the impact of the programs and technology to be developed under this 

Application. 

The project will be developed in four areas of activity: (1) Development of a comprehensive tutoring 

program providing both face-to-face tutoring and instructional modules available online and off-line on a 

24-7 basis; (2) Training of faculty in the use of technology for teaching and related activities, including 

student-centered approaches to learning. Concurrently, this effort will be institutionalized by way of a 

permanent faculty training program to assure the continuous development of skill in the use of technology 

for student advisement, teaching, and assessment; (3) Development and integration of curricular and cocurricular support materials that will become a key factor in improving student persistence and 

completion of their study programs; and (4) Improvement of the existing technological infrastructure, 

including software, needed to support these initiatives. 

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

second-year students receiving tutoring services to enhance their academic achievement; (2) first and 

second-year students in good academic standing; (3) faculty participating in professional development 

opportunities; (4) faculty incorporating technology best practices into their teaching; and (5) classrooms 

and labs equipped with state-of-the-art technology. In the long term, this project will have a major impact 

on the low-income Hispanic population of the area, providing them not only the tools to successfully 

accomplish their academic objectives in their area of preference, but also giving them the opportunity to 

experience first-hand, the use of technologies that, in time, will become an integral part of their 

professional careers.

Sample of other key measures by the end of the grant: (a) at least 75 percent of students receiving 

tutoring will pass basic Mathematics, Spanish and English courses with a ―C‖ or better; (b) at least 500 

students will receive tutorial services in the targeted disciplines as recorded by attendance data; (c) 80 

percent of faculty participating in professional development will incorporate technology and best 

practices in teaching and learning; and (d) a total of 30 classrooms, eight Science Labs and one 

Auditorium equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia technology to enhance the learning environment. 
67

P031S100087

InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico –Arecibo Campus is a private, non-profit Hispanic-Serving 

Institution located in an economically deprived region of the Island which serves a predominantly lowincome and first-generation student population of 4,276. In this proposal, InterAmerican University of 

Puerto Rico-Arecibo Campus addresses critical institutional goals and objectives which will improve 

student learning outcomes in basic skills, through enhanced support services offered, infusion of new 

methodologies/strategies in the teaching-learning process and upgrading its campus-wide technology 

infrastructure. 

Activity: Improving Student Learning Outcomes through Developmental Education, Enhanced 

Support Services and Technology Initiatives

Some samples of key measures are: the freshmen to sophomore retention rates of students participating in 

a newly-implemented Developmental Education Program and tutor/mentoring offered through the 

establishment of a one-stop SUCCESS Center will increase at least five percent on an annual basis after 

the second year as measured against previous years‘ baseline data; targeted students passing rates in 

General Education basic skills courses will be five percent or more higher than non-participants and 

similar cohorts in previous years not impacted when measured against baseline data; and the persistence 

to graduation rates of the 2011/2012 freshmen cohorts impacted will demonstrate an increase of at least 

10 percent when measured against previous years‘ cohorts baseline data. 
68

P031S100132

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico – Arecibo Campus, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Background: Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico–Arecibo (PCUPRA) is a private, nonprofit, 

four-year university located in the northwest region of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Total 

enrollment in fall 2009 was 680 (97 percent Hispanic / 89 percent low-income), with 470 undergraduate 

students. Located in the city of Arecibo (population 102,454), Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto 

Rico–Arecibo also serves residents from nearby towns and villages, an area with high levels of poverty 

and low educational attainment. Overall, the service area is highly rural and economically distressed.

PCUPRA is a small institution, which at this juncture has a large opportunity to capitalize upon a unique 

situation: its close proximity to the largest pharmaceutical complex in the world. As a result, there is a 

pressing need for qualified professionals with science degrees that are trained in sophisticated 

instrumentation used by this industry. Despite the close geographical proximity to what is considered one 

of the most advanced biopharmaceutical corridors in the world, PCUPRA has overwhelming problems 

that must be overcome before the institution is able to provide its students access to employment within 

this thriving industry. Our most pressing problems include: limited and outdated curricula; insufficient 

classroom space; limited instructional technology capability; and inadequate science laboratories.

Proposed Solutions:

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico–Arecibo Title V project proposes to develop:

 a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology;

 a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science;

 a biotechnology lab with appropriate equipment to train students in sophisticated instrumentation 

required by industry;

 an environmental science lab with suitable equipment for both in-lab and in situ (field work) 

learning environments;

 an appropriately-equipped chemistry lab, needed to support the proposed environmental science 

academic program; and

 two classrooms with instructional technology to provide an effective and conducive learning 

environment for students, and allow for enrollment growth.
69

P031S100156

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (PCUPR) was founded in 1948 with a mission to 

―contribute to the preparation of specialists in the fields of theoretical and applied science in order to 

provide personnel who will aid in the industrial and technological development of Puerto Rico and who 

will fill the needs and aspirations of the Puerto Rican society.” To this end, Pontifical Catholic 

University of Puerto Rico‘s College of Science has maintained a long-standing commitment to the 

enhancement of science education and research.

However, despite the dedication to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

education, scarce financial resources have made it difficult to maintain adequate laboratory equipment 

and facilities for up-to-date undergraduate instruction. Furthermore, the institution has been unable to 

develop undergraduate degree programs that can prepare students for high-demand STEM careers and 

propel them beyond the ―non-essential‖ job category. Even in difficult economic times, the 

pharmaceutical industry generates over 30,000 jobs in Puerto Rico and the sub-set Bio-Pharma industry is 

rapidly emerging as the Island‘s primary employer. But students are quickly losing ground in the race for 

high-demand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and Pontifical Catholic 

University of Puerto Rico faces the realization that outdated instructional facilities, methods, equipment, 

and resources are contributing to students‘ struggle. 

Thus, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico‘s proposed Title V project directly addresses student 

needs by providing the institution with desperately needed resources to improve science instruction. 

Specifically, the proposed project focuses on: (1) upgrading and improving science laboratory 

instruction through renovation and equipment acquisition; (2) providing faculty with the needed 

training, support, and resources to improve the quality of instruction; and (3) Developing Academic 

Support Systems to ensure success.

Through these efforts, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico will provide a gateway to higher 

education STEM opportunities for our students and service area.
70

P031S100023

Universidad Central del Caribe, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The Universidad Central del Caribe (UCC) is a Hispanic Serving Institution located in Bayamon, Puerto 

Rico. The Universidad Central del Caribe is a fully accredited and licensed non-profit institution whose 

mission is to prepare high-quality and committed health professionals to meet the health needs of the 

Puerto-Rican people and Hispanic communities in the mainland.

In order to increase opportunities in higher education for health care professionals for low-income 

Hispanic students, The Universidad Central del Caribe proposes to improve its student outcomes 

(retention, graduation rates and times, passing rates on licensure exams, etc.) by a Title V project with 

five components. The proposed project is centered goal of strengthening the teaching and learning 

environment through technology, focusing in:

1) In order to provide adequate space for various size study groups, with appropriate educational 

technology to take advantage of Web-based resources, offer Web-based and other technology-based 

learning complements, and especially to offer an adequate facility to prepare for licensure exams and take 

online licensure exams, we propose to renovate a portion of the library to create a technology-rich 

Educational Resource Center.

2) To complement this facility for clinical studies, we propose to develop a clinical Skills Simulations 

Laboratory to provide technology-based clinical experiences in learning for safe, high-quality, patientcentered care. 

3) To assure that these facilities offer students maximal learning opportunities, we will provide faculty 

training in using educational technology, assessing teaching and learning outcomes through classroom 

research, developing effective testing strategies, creating more effective curricula and pedagogy using 

student-centered models, and support for faculty developing technology-based learning objects to 

complement classroom learning activities. 

4) To strengthen the human dimension of learning we will create a peer mentoring program through 

academic and non-academic support strategies, assisting students at various levels adapt to a challenging 

academic environment and succeeding. 

5) Because finances play a critical role in retention for many students, we seek to raise endowment 

challenge grant funds during the project for an addition to The Universidad Central del Caribe 

endowment primarily to improve our ability to provide scholarships to deserving low-income students.
71

P031S100142

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, offers Associate, Bachelor‘s, Professional 

Certificate, and Master‘s programs in six departments: Business Administration; Communication;

Education; Humanities; Natural Sciences; and Social Sciences; and a bachelor‘s degree in 

Multidisciplinary Studies. 

The institutional Title V Planning Committee identified five significant problem areas: (1) High student 

attrition in the first three semesters, and significant attrition in upper-level students; (2) Outdated first year 

Experience project; (3) Insufficient/disjointed assessment of at-risk students, and lack of an assessment 

culture among students and faculty; (4) Lack of a fully-Web distance learning offering providing 

interactivity and online collaboration as an innovative alternative, especially for students that cease to 

attend to their courses at the prescribed hours; (5) Insufficient online service infrastructure to make 

students services comprehensive, up-to-date and efficient. 

To deal with the identified problem areas, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón proposes Retaining and 

Graduating through Technologically-Based Empowerment, a five-year plan with three components:

a. The first component: The Freshman Experience Project [FEP] will contribute to retention and 

graduation by providing a new orientation and a first year-through-Sophomore seminar, to meet student 

needs with new strategies and activities to guide and accompany the students for three (3) semesters. 

b. The second component: The Distance EDucation and Online Services [DEDOS] project will address 

retention and graduation by: (1) providing a fully-Web distance education initiative that will be used as a 

―back-up system‖ for students who are at risk of dropping out of their courses; and (2) creating a 

comprehensive 24/7 fully-Web student services and support intervention. 

c. The third component: Systematic Assessment System [SAS] will address retention and graduation as 

follows: The proposed student learning assessment system will monitor student course of studies at 

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón to flag at-risk students and attend to their needs and interests with 

timely and appropriate interventions. And it will perform a systematic, standards-based, student learning 

assessment to ensure the quality and pertinence of the Title V Project‘s offerings. 

Project design includes activities for innovative and customized instruction course development; 

articulation agreements and student support options to facilitate transfers from two-year to four-year 

institutions. Our Title V proposal has taken into consideration the need to improve student financial and 

economic literacy in the current fiscal situation and has scheduled activities that utilize distance education 

technologies.
72

P031S100037

University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras, San Juan, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Located in the Río Piedras region of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras 

(UPR-RP) is the flagship campus of the 11-unit University of Puerto Rico system. The University of 

Puerto Rico-Río Piedras enrolls 15,356 (fall 2009) undergraduate and 3,610 graduate students (18,966 

total), 99 percent Hispanic and most, both graduate and undergraduate, officially low-income. By far the 

largest and most established higher education institution on the island, University of Puerto Rico-Río 

Piedras is the leading degree-granting research university in Puerto Rico. Among four-year public/private 

institutions across the country, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras ranks 2nd in enrollment of Hispanic 

students and baccalaureate degrees granted to Hispanics, second only to Florida International University. 

Yet despite this distinction, like most Hispanic-Serving Institutions, this institution lags far behind its 

counterparts in research activity. The National Science Foundation ranks University of Puerto Rico-Río 

Piedras 214th among 672 research universities receiving Research and Development (R&D) funds. With 

annual research funds in excess of $16.1 million, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras is one of only 12 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions with annual Research and Development (R&D) funds in excess of $12 

million for science-related research. However, the university lags far behind research universities on the 

mainland United States which average $100 million annually. 

Undergraduate research activity, a proven strategy for increased student success and retention, is minimal 

at University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras and overwhelmingly concentrated within the science disciplines. 

Those departments embracing research initiatives have seen a positive impact on student retention and 

graduation rates, as well as faculty productivity. However, fiscal constraints have prevented University of 

Puerto Rico-Río Piedras from developing the support system necessary to foster and increase 

undergraduate research activity.

The University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras must expand its capacity to conduct research and engage 

faculty and students in the research process. Accomplishing this goal will directly address the Title V 

purpose. Yet, expanding research capacity or even maintaining current efforts is a challenge in a world of 

rising costs and shrinking resources. We will accomplish this goal through a comprehensive activity with 

three distinct, yet interrelated strands:

1) Expanding Undergraduate Faculty Capacity to Actively Engage in Research

2) Expanding Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students

3) Strengthening the Institution’s Grant Writing and Fundraising Capacity.

Embedded in these three activity strands is a series of initiatives designed to develop University of Puerto 

Rico-Río Piedras‘ capacity to create a sustainable research-based academic culture. 
73

P031S100079

University of Puerto Rico at Carolina, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

OVERVIEW: The University of Puerto Rico at Carolina (UPRC) is part of the University of

Puerto Rico (UPR) System, the public, state-supported university system serving students throughout the 

Island through 11 campuses. Our Hispanic-Serving Institution is located 20 miles east of historic Old San 

Juan on the north side of the Island, but part of the densely populated metro area of 2.6 million. The 

University offers seven baccalaureate and seven associate degree programs and is accredited by the 

Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Puerto Rico Council of Higher Education. More 

than 4,300 students enroll each year at The University of Puerto Rico at Carolina. Overall, 100 percent of 

our students are Hispanic and 62 percent are disadvantaged. 

CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS: After only a decade as a four-year institution, The University 

of Puerto Rico at Carolina faces severe challenges with inadequate programming and insufficient 

instructional capacity. Despite formidable area opportunities in high-demand occupations within Social 

Sciences and Natural Sciences, our institutional limitations prevent us from enabling our students to 

access such high-potential jobs. Significant weaknesses keep us from serving as a conduit for students to 

gain access to promising careers: absence of programming/training in highly specialized areas within 

Social Sciences and Natural Sciences, deficient instructional facilities, limited technological 

infrastructure, and inadequate faculty capacity to develop and support crucial program offerings.

The proposed activity is Expanding Student Opportunities and Options. This activity will address these 

problems and weaknesses and help to expand opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of 

Hispanic and low-income students. The University of Puerto Rico at Carolina requests Title V funds to 

help support the following development activities:

- Expand Natural Science programming, including a BS in Biology and specialized certificate

programs: Food Science and Forensic Chemistry;

- Develop Social Science certificate programs: Drug Addiction, Field Forensic Science, and

Conflict Prevention & Mediation;

- Develop online offerings to increase enrollment capacity and respond to increasing demand

for high-potential programs;

- Improve laboratory facilities by renovating/equipping Chemistry labs, Biology labs, and

Social Sciences labs;

- Enhance technology infrastructure, develop computer lab, add smart classrooms, and equip

Faculty Resource Center; and

- Provide professional development to faculty in best practices, strategies, and tools for online

instruction, and integration of assessment strategies into new curriculum.
74

P031S100092

University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus proposes the following activity: Development 

of an Institutional Data Management System and Improvement of the Technology and Information 

Resources Learning Environment.

This activity includes three components and will serve the 2,381 University of Puerto Rico Medical 

Sciences Campus‘ students: (1) Development and Implementation of an Institutional Data Management 

System (IDMS); (2) Development of a Hispanic Health Sciences Virtual Library (HHSVL); and (3) 

Improvement of the technological, telecommunications, and television network infrastructure and 

improvement of instructional facilities.

The expected outcomes include: (a) to improve Medical Science Campus‘ technologytelecommunications television network infrastructure by 90 percent (baseline=10 percent); (b) to increase 

to 150 the number of faculty trained in the use of new instructional technology equipment (baseline=0); 

(c) to improve Medical Science Campus‘ instructional and technological support facilities by 40 percent 

(baseline=30 percent); (d) to design, create, and implement database training for the planning and 

decision making processes (baseline=0; (e) to increase by 125 the number of faculty (baseline=75), by 40 

the staff (baseline=25) and to 30 (baseline=0) the academic administrators participating in institutional 

assessment, strategic planning, budgeting, and decision-making activities; (f) to increase to 30 the number 

of faculty in the research and clinical areas integrating information literacy in the teaching/learning 

process (baseline=0); (g) to increase at least 50 percent the amount of the students taking courses with 

embedded information literacy competencies that will demonstrate acquisition of those competencies 

(baseline=0); and (h) to increase by 100 percent the availability of online services and unique, specialized, 

and audiovisual library collections in a digital format (baseline=0).
75

P031S100072

Angelo State University, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Angelo State University (ASU), a Hispanic Serving Institution located in San Angelo, Texas, enrolls 

more than 6,300 undergraduate and graduate students annually. Angelo State University serves a largely 

rural region in West Central Texas in which college completion rates significantly lag behind state and 

national rates.

When compared with its Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) peer group, Angelo 

State University‘s retention and graduate rates are unsatisfactory. Angelo State University‘s first- to 

second-year retention rate in 2008-2009 was only 55.9 percent, while peer institutions averaged 71.4 

percent. Additionally, the comparison average benchmark six-year graduation rate for Integrated 

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) peer institutions is 46 percent. Angelo State University 

falls alarmingly short of this benchmark at 28.9 percent and Angelo State University‘s Hispanic students 

have a six-year graduation rate of only 22 percent.

The purpose of this project is to improve retention and graduation rates, particularly among Hispanic 

students, by improving the academic and academic support structures at Angelo State University. Angelo 

State University will address identified barriers to completing a college education, including: (1) delivery 

of developmental education in English and math; (2) fragmented tutoring and learning support; (3) 

inadequate student engagement; (4) advising weaknesses; (5) insufficient support for faculty/staff related 

to diversity, teaching, and learning,; and (6) inadequate outreach to area high schools and communities. 

To that end, Angelo State University has developed the following activity—Improving Retention and 

Graduation Rates of Hispanic and Low Income Students—divided into three components:

1. Overcoming Barriers in Developmental English and Math – The developmental English and math 

programs will revise the delivery and content of their respective curricula as well as improve the 

use of technology, student support, and faculty development to improve success rates in 

developmental English and math.

2. Strengthening Services and Faculty Development – Student services, including tutoring, 

supplemental instruction, and learning support will be centralized and expanded. Transfer 

students will receive much-needed advising to prepare them for coursework at a four-year 

institution, and faculty and staff will engage in development initiatives focused on diversity, 

teaching and learning, and use of technology.

3. Strengthening HSI Outreach and Services for Hispanic Students – Angelo State University will 

establish outreach linkages to local high schools and communities with high Hispanic 

demographics to improve college readiness.
76

P031S100071

El Centro College, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

El Centro College (ECC), one of seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District, serves 

ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged and increasingly Hispanic neighborhoods. Although El 

Centro College offers pre-professional courses transferable to four-year institutions, it has a distinctive 

and historical competency in technical occupational training in more than 40 fields with few transfers.

 

El Centro College has undergone exciting expansion over the past six years, with the opening of new 

buildings and campuses and tremendous enrollment growth. In fall 2009, El Centro College enrolled 

9,072 credit students, 32 percent of which were Hispanic. Despite tremendous improvements at the El 

Centro College over the past decade, unchanged is the fact that the college serves many of Dallas‘ most 

indigent neighborhoods, enrolls some of the most economically disadvantaged students in the State of 

Texas, and as this application documents, continues to struggle to improve successful student outcomes.

El Centro College proposes a single comprehensive Activity in this project - A Comprehensive Student 

Success Model, with three major components:

1. Improving Success in Developmental and Introductory Gatekeeper Courses;

2. Strengthening Supports and Interventions for Success; and

3. Articulation of Technical, Allied Health and Nursing Programs for Transfer.

This project includes strategies designed to improve numbers of students overcoming basic skills 

deficiencies, increasing degrees earned, and transferring to four-year institutions.
77

P031S100004

Howard County Junior College, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Howard College, which has four campuses in west central Texas, is a public, Hispanic-serving, two-year 

degree granting college that serves approximately 4,100 students. Howard College‘s service area is 

economically-depressed, with the median household income in the 13-county region at just $42,886, 

below the average of $50,049 for Texas as a whole, according to the most recent estimates from the U.S. 

Census Bureau. The Hispanic population in Howard College‘s 13-county service area is 35 percent, 

which a direct correlation to the colleges percentage of Hispanic students, which is just over 36 percent. 

Howard College caters to local area residents who either cannot afford to leave the area to pursue 

schooling or who choose to stay in the area because of family or other obligations. The college has an 

open admissions policy, which means that many of our students have deficits in their academic skills 

when they enroll. The most recent figures show that a full 20 percent of our students are enrolled in at 

least one developmental education course. The college‘s Title V application, ―Reaching Excellence for 

All in Developmental Education‖ (READE, pronounced ready) represents as aggressive approach to 

addressing these issues. 

“READE” is the project’s single activity, designed to help eliminate many problems identified at 

Howard College, including a need for expanded developmental education; a need for additional 

professional development opportunities for faculty; and a need to keep up with rapidly-evolving 

technology. These problems – identified through a self-study and our 10-year accreditation review – will 

be addressed through the development of support activities that will enable Howard College to increase 

the services we provide to our students, especially our minority and low-income students. The project 

will produce clear outcomes, addressed through four components:

Component 1: Create a centralized developmental education plan. 

Component 2: Develop new and improve existing tutorial centers on our campuses. 

Component 3: Improve professional development activities for faculty to build capacity to provide 

developmental education courses, including online. 

Component 4: Update technology on campus. 
78

P031S100003

Laredo Community College, TX 

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Laredo Community College has a total undergraduate FTE of 6,781, 95. It is 81 percent Hispanic, (fall 

2009). Title V Developing Institutions funds are requested for the purpose of improving and expanding 

its capacity to improve the academic attainment of Hispanic students and other low income individuals 

and to reduce the costs of attaining a postsecondary degree by: (1) equipping facilities for distance 

education (DE) technology, including the purchase or rental of telecommunication technology 

equipment; (2) by developing a model transfer and articulation agreement in Computer Information 

Systems, the Bachelor of Applied Technology, with the University of Texas at Brownsville and others; 

and by (3) using best and promising practices to enhance blended and on-line courses, including but not 

limited to utilizing innovative software and media streaming produced onsite by Laredo Community 

College instructors (training). This component is crucial to increase retention and success for students, 

including those with disabilities. 

The proposed Title V Project is central to the institution‘s plans of improving student retention within 

instructional units and upgrading computer and media services. 

Activity: Using Distance Education Technology to Increase Student Success

To improve academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability, Laredo Community College 

will use grant funds for one major activity with four interrelated components.

Component 1: (1) Providing training and facilitating the enhancement of distance education courses 

using emergent technologies to increase retention; (2) Increasing the number of technology-enhanced 

courses, live and online; (3) Providing faculty training and equipment for the creation of the video 

streaming, lecture capture technology, and other telecommunications enhancements for live and on line 

courses; 

Component 2: (4) Providing support services through DE to facilitate student growth and success for all 

students concentrating on advisement, financial literacy, and career planning, with an outreach component 

to high school students by faculty and student technology mentors. 

Component 3: (5) Developing a model transfer programs for an on line Bachelor of Applied Technology 

(BAT) degree with the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB);

(6) Equipping a Distance Education Technology Center in the new Academic Building to enhance 

services to all students; (7) Distance Education Technology Center offering services to faculty and 

students, 

Component 4: (8) Securing software and hardware to document, track, analyze and report student 

academic outcomes which will result in increased revenues for the college impacting fiscal stability; and 

(9) Securing the necessary technology to gather and analyze data to improve decision making by 

administration.
79

P031S100125

Northwest Vista College, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Northwest Vista College is a two-year institution serving the rapidly growing and predominantly Hispanic 

west side of San Antonio, Texas. Through our main campus and four satellite campuses, we offer 

academic and technical courses to over 15,000 students pursuing associates degrees, certificates, and 

transfer credits. Approximately 6,690 (47.2 percent) of these students are Hispanic. Over the past 15 

years, the rapid expansion of our enrollment has tested our ability to meet the needs of students, but it has 

also provided a unique environment for innovative approaches toward ensuring student advancement, 

promoting completion, and delivering an exceptional education. 

INNOVISTA, a new program through Northwest Vista, will focus on significant obstacles to student 

access, success, and persistence. It will expand and improve online learning opportunities, advance 

students through developmental education to degree seeking status, and create a solid freshman 

experience through learning communities and academic advising. Strategic activities for this project 

include:

Activity One: Expand and Improve Distance Learning

1. Increase access to education by expanding distance learning opportunities 

2. Increase student satisfaction and sense of preparedness to improve success and retention rates among 

distance learning students

3. Increase teaching quality and innovation in distance education 

Activity Two: Accelerate and Enhance Developmental Education

1. Provide immediate advising for students who test into developmental education to increase enrollment 

and success rates

2. Create an academic mentorship program and proactive advising system 

3. Develop an acceleration program using high school initiatives and Learning Communities to improve 

transition rates from developmental education to degree fulfilling courses 

Activity Three: Develop Learning Communities

1. Develop specialized learning communities for First Generation in College students 

2. Create Learning Communities to improve success and retention rates among First Time in College 

students through community building, ownership, and identity 

3. Create special advising programs to foster connections between faculty and students 

Grant funds will be applied toward a systematic approach of institutionalization—for example, 

developing and testing small-scale pilot projects, scaling successful initiatives, and working with 

stakeholders to implement the final large-scale project—all of which will help promote the future 

sustainability of this project. 
80

P031S100097

Odessa Junior College, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Odessa College (OC), located in Odessa, Texas, a West Texas city of more than 95,000 people midway 

between Fort Worth and El Paso, is the only comprehensive public community college serving a statedesignated service area that encompasses 27,994 square miles, which stretches across 13 counties, and 

extends from the lower Texas panhandle all the way south to the border town of Presidio. 

Almost half (49.6 percent) Odessa College‘s students are Hispanic, the majority are time and place bound,

(62 percent are working; 57 percent have children). For these students, distance delivery courses are not 

just a preference, they are a necessity. As evidence of this great need, Odessa College‘s enrollment in 

courses delivered by distance learning technology has skyrocketed in recent years. But despite our best 

efforts, limited resources have prevented Odessa College from expanding course offerings via distance 

education in high demand/high need disciplines, and student services for distance education students are 

severely lacking. Our faculty does not have the proper training for effective delivery of online, interactive 

television, or hybrid courses and the infrastructure is severely taxed.

Thus we submit this Title V proposal with a single activity for the purpose of Expanding Educational 

Access and Improving Quality of Distance Learning for Rural, Place-bound Students. The proposed 

activity directly addresses the Title V program purpose. We propose to:

1) Expand degree programs offered at a distance by creating a hybrid Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

to Registered Nurse (RN) program and a hybrid Emergency Medical Service Professional A.A.; 

2) Develop and equip two patient clinical simulation labs in Odessa College outreach instructional sites

to reach underserved rural populations; 

3) Develop a comprehensive on-line system of academic support and student services; 

4) Expand the College‘s distance learning infrastructure so that it may accommodate an increased 

volume of online learners; 

5) Equip faculty and staff with the technology resources and knowledge to provide in effective 

instruction and support services at a distance; and 

6) Establish a Title V Endowment to facilitate institutionalization of project activities and provide 

scholarships for low-income students. 

Ongoing formative and summative evaluation processes have been integrated in the design of this project 

in order to assess progress toward benchmarks in stated objectives and against defined baseline statistics. 

Data and information gathered through the evaluation and analysis process will be used to modify the 

proposed project (within federal guidelines) so as to maximize the project success and positive impact of 

proposed strategies on improved Odessa College student access, successful course completion and 

persistence. 
81

P031S100129

Texas A&M International University, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Laredo, Texas, 

proposes a project to develop a focused set of activities that will result in lowering the rate of grades D, F, 

and Withdrawal (W) for sophomores, which is unacceptably high and exceeds the national rate by 20 

percent to 30 percent. This will be accomplished by: (1) increasing the quantity and quality of academic 

advising, career advising, tutoring, supplemental instruction and counseling services; (2) assessing 

student academic success at the sophomore level; (3) providing sufficient resources to support faculty 

development for building pedagogical and academic connectedness for sophomore students; (4) 

institutionalizing financial resources for faculty development; and (5) augmenting scholarship revenues 

through matched endowment funds. 

This proposal includes an external evaluator with training at the U. S. Department of Education Institute 

of Education Sciences (IES) Research Training Institute. The evaluator will assess the project‘s plan for a 

rigorous experimental design to determine linkages between the proposed activity interventions and 

successful outcomes.

Activity: Engaging Sophomore Students: Graduation Roadmap

The project is designed to increase the academic success of Texas A&M International University‘s 

Hispanic, low-income student population by: (1) strengthening sophomore academic, career, and 

personal counseling support services; (2) assessing the sophomore academic experience; (3) increasing 

professional opportunities for faculty development that build pedagogical and academic connectedness 

for sophomore students; (4) institutionalizing financial resources for faculty development; and (5) 

creating an endowment for student scholarships.

Performance measures will include, but not be limited to, increasing the percentage of: (1) second-year 

students receiving services to enhance their academic achievement; (2) second-year students in good 

academic standing; (3) sophomores who have declared majors; (4) faculty participating in professional 

development opportunities; and (5) faculty incorporating best practices into their teaching, such as 

service-learning. In addition, increased matching endowment funds will support students‘ unmet 

financial needs.
82

P031S100149

University of Saint Thomas, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Founded in 1947, The University of Saint Thomas (UST), is an independent Catholic university located in 

the famed ―Museum District‖ in downtown Houston, Texas. As of fall 2009, the undergraduate student 

headcount was 1,792, with 33 percent of enrolled students reporting Hispanic ethnicity. Over 92 percent 

of the full-time faculty holds a terminal degree in their field. The University of Saint Thomas has 125 

full-time faculty and 137 part-time.

Proposed Activities are to strengthen the University of St. Thomas, to increase options for students 

and to increase enrollment revenue. The University of St. Thomas proposes to develop and pilot a 

state-of-the-art Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will be partially online and will admit 50 

students per year. Curriculum development will proceed concurrently with the development of nursing 

student support systems and upgrades of University infrastructure. A high-tech, state-of-the-art Nursing 

Skills Center and Anatomy & Physiology laboratory will be developed, equipped and piloted. A Nursing 

Success Center will be developed and piloted to ensure success of all nursing students, with special 

attention to Hispanic students. The University of St. Thomas is fortunate to enjoy a close relationship 

with health care facilities in the region. As a result of its partnerships, the potential for growth, and the 

potential to meet community needs with this program, the University of St. Thomas has already received 

commitments for student clinical placements, nursing faculty to teach in the program, and student 

scholarships. After initial development, the program is expected to further expand with an accelerated 

nursing program and a bridge program for Registered Nurses (RNs) who do not have the Bachelor of 

Science in Nursing (BSN). 

Overall Project Outcomes. The overall project outcomes are three-fold:

(1) to strengthen academic programs and the university‘s fiscal outlook on a long-term basis by tapping 

into new enrollment markets; 

(2) to strengthen critical resources to support new professional degree program development; and

(3) to improve access for Hispanic and low-income students to a high-demand program.
83

P031S100014

Western Texas College, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Western Texas College (WTC), located in the rural town of Snyder, serves a 10-county state designated 

service district (population 81,204) that encompasses 9,231 square miles. It is the only comprehensive 

public community college for the residents of its service area. Its student body is reflective of its socioeconomic characteristics. More than two thirds (67 percent) of Western Texas College students are lowincome, 82 percent are first-generation in college, 51 percent require remediation, 36 percent are minority 

(mostly Hispanic) and 75 percent of Hispanic students are low-income. Students come through our doors 

in search of the education and training that will help them to rise above the poor economic circumstances 

that have plagued their families for generations.

Western Texas College sits in a region of West Texas that is rapidly becoming a national leader in 

alternative/renewable energy production. The state has approved a $5 billion new high-voltage 

transmission line project to transport the electricity generated by wind farms in rural West Texas to the 

highly populated areas of the state. 

We submit this Title V proposal with a single activity for Expanding Educational Access and Improving 

Success.

We propose to: 

1) Develop an Electrical Distribution Systems evening certificate and A.A.S. degree; 

2) Develop a Wind Energy transferable Associate of Science (A.S.) degree; 

3) Develop a Solar Energy Technology Certificate program and A.A.S. degree; 

4) Develop and test contextualized basic skills and revised curriculum in technical certificate 

programs; and 

5) Establish a Title V Endowment to facilitate institutionalization of project activities and 

provide scholarships for low-income students.
84

P031S100136

Big Bend Community College, WA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Big Bend Community College (BBCC or Big Bend), in Moses Lake, Washington (population 18,800), is 

a two-year public community college and Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) serving an isolated twocounty district in the rural south central region of the state. While the more populous and affluent western 

third of Washington is served by 34 community colleges, the eastern two thirds of the state has only seven 

community colleges, with Big Bend Community College serving one of the largest regions (4,601square 

miles, population 105,830). Forty percent of the area‘s population is Hispanic and 29 percent of that 

group lives in poverty. This is compared to 13.8 percent poverty among non-Hispanic white residents. 

Big Bend offers residents of this rural region a range of associate of arts, science, and applied science 

degrees – including transfer degrees in General Studies, Education, Business, and Pre-Nursing – as well 

as technical certificates.

Big Bend Community College enrolled 1,512 students in fall 2009, 28 percent of these Hispanic and 56 

percent low income students. While our mission is to serve the educational needs of a diverse population 

throughout our service district, few Big Bend Community College students – and even fewer Hispanic 

students –participate in academic courses and programs preparing them for degree options leading to 

careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), an area of growth both in our area 

and nationally. And among 2009-2010 enrollees in nursing programs with particularly strong wage and 

employment potential in our area, only three percent are Hispanic. The rural, isolated nature of our 

service area combines with students‘ time challenges to act as an obstacle to educational access. Seventysix percent of Big Bend Community College students – 81 percent among Hispanic enrollees – work or 

are seeking employment. Forty-one percent of Hispanic students live more than 30 miles from campus, in 

isolated rural communities comprised of up to 94 percent Hispanic residents.

To address the challenges of educational access for our area‘s Hispanic, low income residents, Big Bend 

Community College proposes Expanding Educational Access for South Central Washington, an 

activity to convert curricula leading to high-demand STEM and healthcare degree programs to flexible 

distance delivery formats. Over the course of the project, we will target Gateway Mathematics and 

Science courses, Computer Science and Web Design courses, and Practical Nursing and Associate 

Degrees in Nursing (PN and ADN) programs for distance delivery, blending distance delivery modalities 

– including fully online content, real-time live interactive content, and captured audio-visual content for 

asynchronous delivery. New distance courses will be supported through a range of Online Student 

Services – also developed for blended delivery modalities – and access labs in instructional centers across 

Big Bend Community College‘s vast service area. The blended nature of new distance offerings and 

services will respond to at-risk students‘ instructional and support needs. Distance instruction and 

services alike will be built upon a robust infrastructure, increasing Big Bend‘s capacity to provide rich 

distance learning opportunities to time- and place-bound students well beyond the funding period.
85

P031S100062

Heritage University, WA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Heritage University, a private, four-year Hispanic-Serving Institution located in Toppenish, Washington,

was founded in 1982 to extend access to higher education throughout a high minority and under-served 

area of Washington State. Many area residents have low levels of income and education, and these 

characteristics are shared by Heritage University‘s students, more than half of whom (56 percent) are 

Hispanic (vs. 41 percent for the county) and another 10 percent American Indian (vs. four percent for the 

county). From 2004 – 2009, for example, 84 percent of Licensed Practical Nursing students (52 percent 

Hispanic) re-enrolled the next term with average fall 2009 GPAs of 3.17, 88 percent of education majors 

(37 percent Hispanic) re-enrolled with average GPAs of 3.53, and 53 percent of computing majors (80 

percent Hispanic) re-enrolled with average GPAs of 3.22.

Resource constraints have prevented our expansion of curricula in nursing and computing or revision of 

K-8 science and math teacher curricula to meet new state standards. However, these professional 

technical fields offer tremendous opportunity: Registered Nursing vacancies are critical, science and 

math teacher shortages are acute, and area needs for applied computing professionals are projected to 

grow in double digits. Putting highly-trained nurses in our hospitals, science and math teachers in our 

elementary and middle schools, and applied computing specialists in our businesses and industries have 

become top priorities. 

To address these priorities, Heritage university must build capacity to prepare greater numbers of 

Hispanic and other low-income students—nearly all the students we enroll—to enter high demand STEM 

(science, technology, engineering, and math) professions. We propose to develop Bachelor of Science 

in Nursing (BSN) and Associate of Arts in Applied Computing degree programs and revise the 

science and math courses required for Elementary and Middle School Education majors to meet new state 

standards. Equipping classrooms and labs for effective instruction and training faculty in curriculum 

delivery are integral to project success and detailed as well in the proposal that follows. These efforts 

will extend access and opportunity to even more of the disadvantaged residents we serve, and they 

support significant enrollment-based revenue growth to sustain new programs and services in the coming 

years.

An Endowment request matched and invested according to Title V regulations, will further contribute to 

fiscal stability. 

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