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U. S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education sealn Seal

FY 2011 Project Abstracts for

New Grantees

Funded under Title V, Developing 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program 

(CFDA Number: 84.031S)

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC 20006-8517
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Introduction

The Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division administers the Developing Hispanic–Serving 

Institutions (HSI) Program which is authorized under Title V of the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended. The purposes of the program are to expand educational opportunities for, and 

improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students, and to expand and enhance the academic 

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

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

students complete postsecondary degrees.

In order to receive a grant under 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 Division awards Developing Hispanic–Serving 

Institutions Individual Development Grants (one eligible Hispanic-Serving Institution) and 

Cooperative Development Grants (one eligible Hispanic–Serving Institution in cooperation with 

one or more Institutions of Higher Education). Although the allowable activities and the fiveyear 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 in FY 2011 was $650,000 per year and the maximum 

award amount for Cooperative Development Grants was $775,000 per year.

The Developing 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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For FY 2011, the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division did not hold a grant competition for the 

Title V, Part A, Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI). However, the HSI 

Division funded down the FY 2010 Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions slate. Only 

applicants in FY 2010 who applied for and received FY 2011 Designation of Eligibility and 

scored between 89.67 and 87.67 points were recommended for funding.
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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 P031S110042 California State University-Dominguez Hills CA 5

2 P031S110022 Citrus College CA 6

3 P031S110012 University of New Mexico-Valencia NM 7

4 P031S110122 Del Mar College TX 8

Individual Development Grants

Grant Number Applicant Name State Page

1 P031S110111 Arizona Western College AZ 9

2 P031S110058 Central Arizona College AZ 10

3 P031S110157 Notre Dame de Namur CA 11

4 P031S110055 Riverside City College CA 12

5 P031S110010 Northern Essex Community College MA 13

6 P031S110011 University of New Mexico-Taos NM 14

7 P031S110090 Inter American University of Puerto Rico PR 15

8 P031S110096 Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Campus PR 16

9 P031S110006 University of the Incarnate Word TX 17
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P031S110042

California State University-Dominguez Hills, CA

West Los Angeles College, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State University-Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Dominguez Hills, California, is a

public university granting bachelor’s and master’s degrees. West Los Angeles College (West),

located in nearby Culver City, California, is a public comprehensive community college. Both 

are accredited by the Western Association of Colleges and Schools. While California State 

University-Dominguez Hills enrolls students from across the whole state and beyond, its primary 

catchment area overlaps substantially with West Los Angeles College’s and comprises a densely 

populated area in southern and western Los Angeles County, characterized by a highly diverse 

population, low educational attainment and poverty. California State University-Dominguez 

Hills’s fall 2009 undergraduate enrollment of 10,247 was 40.3 percent Hispanic, and 28 percent

of West’s 10,932 students were Hispanic, qualifying both as Hispanic-Serving Institutions. 

While they offer different levels of education, California State University-Dominguez Hills and 

West Los Angeles College share a focus on meeting the educational needs of their students, the 

region, and the state. They also share similar challenges: low retention to degree completion, 

outdated instructional practices, and inadequate funds for faculty development. Both have been 

heavily impacted by California’s economic crisis and do not have funds to develop new 

instructional practices that could increase student success, retention, transfer (from West to a 

senior institution), and graduation. The project, Building a High-Impact Transfer Academy, 

will create the California State University-Dominguez Hills Transfer Academy at West Los 

Angeles College, a two-year transfer program with tracks for students planning to major in 

Business Administration (60 students per cohort), Criminal Justice (60), Digital Media Arts (60), 

or a technical Associate of Science program (40). Tracks will focus on requirements for each 

major, along with required general education courses. Students in each track will be organized 

as Learning Communities, taking at least three courses a semester together. By meeting 

together, studying together in small groups, attending special events on the California State 

University-Dominguez Hills campus, and participating in group tutoring as needed, they will 

build personal linkages and campus engagement. Faculty will work together to align curricula 

and to infuse high-impact practices and use of technology into instruction. Transfer Bridge 

activities, an upgraded Transfer Center at California State University-Dominguez Hills, and an 

Online Transfer Center developed by West will address current barriers to transfer and provide 

seamless transfer opportunities. California State University-Dominguez Hills and West Los 

Angeles College will also collaborate on extensive outreach to area high schools, developing 

materials to inform prospective students, parents, and high school counselors about the Transfer 

Academy’s guaranteed linkage between West Los Angeles College and California State 

University-Dominguez Hills in the relevant programs and how to prepare for entry into those 

programs. The partners will jointly review and accept students for admission into the program. 
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P031S110022

Citrus College, CA

University of La Verne, CA

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Citrus College (CC), Glendora, California, is the coordinating institution, developed jointly with 

the University of La Verne (ULV), La Verne, California. Citrus College, located in the east side 

of the greater Los Angeles area, is a two-year public community college. University of La Verne

is a private four-year university located in the east side of Los Angeles County. 

Activity: Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers Today Through Technology (PT5)

To improve program completion and graduation rates of future teachers completing their lowerdivision coursework at Citrus College and University of La Verne, and upper-division work at 

University of La Verne by: (1) Improving the Education Career Pathway for Students; (2) 

Establishing a Scholastic Technology Literacy Summer Camp for Students; (3a) Creating an 

Academy for Faculty Instructional Technology in Course Cohorts; and (3b) Transforming the 

Culture of Teaching and Learning through Collaborative Faculty Technology Learning Teams. 

Sample of key measures: (a) Increasing by 60 percent the number of teacher education students 

that will overcome technology literacy and integration deficiencies as measured by successful 

completion of summer bridge programs; (b) The percentage of students who complete the Citrus 

College Teacher Education Program will increase to 45 percent, and to 55 percent the University 

of La Verne teacher education degree program; (c) Increase by 30 the number of faculty 

participating in Learning Teams cohorts that lead to significant course enhancements in 

instructional technology; and (d) increase teacher education-related degree major articulation 

agreements.
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P031S110012

The University of New Mexico-Valencia, NM

New Mexico State University – Grants, NM

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The University of New Mexico-Valencia (UNM-V) is a two-year public college of the 

University of New Mexico System. Established in 1980, University of New Mexico-Valencia 

functions as a regional community college. Over 55 percent of the 2,256 headcount students for 

fall 2009 were Hispanic. 

The University of New Mexico-Valencia will cooperate with New Mexico State University –

Grants (NMSU-Grants). New Mexico State University – Grants is a two-year public college of 

the New Mexico State University System. Established in 1968, New Mexico State University –

Grants functions as a regional community college. Over 39 percent of the 1,479 headcount 

students, for fall 2009 were Hispanic. 

Activity: Cooperating in Innovative Interactive Programs for Rural Hispanic Student Success

Goals: To work cooperatively at both institutions to expand access and improve the retention of 

dual credit students, and the persistence, graduation and transfer rates, for rural Hispanic and 

low-income college students by: 

(1) Establishing a comprehensive distance education program that will formulate policies; 

provide professional development; expand the number and scope of online classes; and 

implement orientation, online advising and online tutoring for students for online courses; 

(2) Providing faculty development in the areas of active learning methods and use of interactive 

technologies; 

(3) Creating an innovative degree program in game design and simulation at both colleges. 

Key Measures: Increase retention of dual credit and persistence of college students, starting with 

a two percent increase over the baseline (2008-2009) in year 2 and increasing one percent per 

year to a five percent increase by year 5. Increase transfer rate of the college students, starting 

with a five percent increase over baseline in year 2 and increasing five percent per year to a 20

percent increase by year 5. Additionally, increase three-year graduation rates of college students 

over baseline by one percent per year starting in year 2. 

Endowment—UNM-V will raise $120,000 during the five years of the grant. The federal 

matches are requested for years 3 through 5. 

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P031S110122

Del Mar College, TX

Coastal Bend College, TX

Cooperative Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Del Mar College, lead institution, and partner Coastal Bend College will partner to improve 

retention and completion rates and increase enrollment in technical and/or professional 

occupational fields of study. 

Del Mar College: Del Mar College is a public two-year institution founded in 1935 and located 

in Corpus Christi, Texas. The college has an enrollment of over 12,000 with a 59 percent

Hispanic enrollment. Del Mar College will service four and a half counties along the Gulf Coast 

to include Nueces, Aransas, San Patricio, Kenedy, and part of Kleberg. 

Coastal Bend College: Coastal Bend College is a public two-year institution founded in 1965 

and located in Beeville, Texas, with branch campuses in Alice, Kingsville, and Pleasanton. 

Coastal Bend College will service nine rural counties in the heart of the Gulf Coast to include 

part of Kleberg, Atascosa, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Karnes, Live Oak and McMullen. 

The proposed project is titled, CELEBRANDO EDUCACIÓN (Celebrate Education).

Activity 1: Improve colleges’ retention and completion rates. This activity has been designed 

with the goal of increasing class completion and college graduation rates through intensive 

tutoring services and enhanced counseling and advising to first-time, full-time degree-seeking 

undergraduate students. In addition, the grant proposes to increase the number of tutors and 

Supplemental Instruction (SI) leaders for higher level courses. The use of technology by the 

colleges in tutoring facilities and in classrooms is essential to the success of the grant.

Activity 2: Increase enrollment in technical and/or professional occupational fields of study by 

improving student knowledge through college and career awareness events. This activity has 

been designed to provide intervention with dual-enrollment students for academic success and 

retention. The colleges will outreach to public school districts in the service area offering 

bridging programs to South Region public school districts. The colleges will host a Leadership 

Symposium each fall and coordinate College and Career Fairs for dual enrolled students. 

Outcomes: Del Mar College and Coastal Bend College faculty and staff will be committed to the 

purpose of the grant. An increased number of students will be successful in class achievement 

and graduation completion rates. More students will be transitioned from high school into dual 

enrollment courses, retained, re-enrolled, and graduated with a Technical Certificate and/or 

Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees from Del Mar College and Coastal Bend College. 

Student attitudes toward their learning experience will definitely be positively impacted.
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P031S110111

Arizona Western College, AZ

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Arizona Western College (AWC) in Yuma, Arizona, is a two-year, publicly-supported college

that has an annual enrollment of 13,000 students with a 56 percent Hispanic enrollment (7,280

Hispanic students). The service area covers a large, remote 10,000 square mile area along the

U.S./Mexican border, characterized by extremely high poverty (62 percent above the national

average), and low educational attainment (Census, 2008).

To help AWC students, particularly Hispanic and low-income students, acquire the skills they 

need to succeed in higher education and the workplace, the college proposes the following 

activity - Steps to Success at Arizona Western College. The activity is designed for the purpose 

of improving student performance and achievement in writing at three levels: (1) Developmental 

Basic Writing courses; (2) Transitional courses (high-risk English and Gateway courses); and (3) 

writing-intensive courses beyond the Gateway level. 

These improvements will ultimately contribute to achievement of one of the project’s key 

objectives: improved degree completion rates for Hispanic students (increasing from 13 percent

to at least 21 percent), as well as for the general student population, with the majority comprised 

of low-income students. Acquiring the writing skills needed to succeed in college and in today’s 

workplace goes far beyond the ability to text your best friend in short phrases. Employers in the 

college’s service area, for example, are searching for employees who are excellent 

communicators, with the ability to think critically and express themselves clearly and logically in 

writing (Yuma Workforce Development Study, 2010). Sound writing skills are needed to plead 

a case, produce compelling reports for clients, write computer documentation, develop

convincing business letters, and to support a host of other communication needs in the

workplace. In addition, researchers have extensively documented the value of writing as a tool 

that can help students build a ―scaffold of learning.‖ As students work to express their thoughts 

and understanding in writing, their understanding and knowledge are significantly enhanced 

(Pobywajlo, 2001). Extensive research at Arizona Western College revealed that student 

progression is hampered by difficulties in writing at the three levels described above. These 

difficulties, in turn, are related to weaknesses in the college’s teaching/technological strategies, 

tutoring support, and a weak infrastructure for writing students. To counter, the college proposes 

to improve student learning at each level through professional development that immerses 

faculty in culturally-responsive teaching strategies and complementing technologies. In addition, 

the project will pilot new tutoring strategies, develop a Writing Center on the main campus and 

construct a Writing Laboratory at the San Luis Learning Center. At the San Luis site (the 

college’s second largest), 69 percent of the enrollment is Hispanic, 77 percent is low income, and 

many students are from families who have no transportation to the main campus. The Writing 

Center on the main campus and Writing Laboratory at the San Luis site will be linked together in 

an electronic, small area network to enhance student learning and optimize resources. 
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P031S110058

Central Arizona College, AZ

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Central Arizona College (CAC) is a growing community college and Hispanic-Serving 

Institution in Pinal County, Arizona. CAC draws its enrollment from an impoverished, 

undereducated area slightly larger than the state of Connecticut (5,300 square miles). Less than 

150 miles from the U.S. border with Mexico, Pinal County (population 368,000) is one of the 

most rapidly growing Hispanic regions in the United States. The county is also the second 

fastest growing region in the country, as population spills over from the Phoenix and Tucson 

metropolitan areas (U.S. Census Bureau estimate, 2009). This project confronts the 

unacceptably low rates at which Hispanic and other low-income students persist and succeed in 

our college. Approximately half of all our first-year students do not return for the second year. 

Less than 26 percent of our graduating students transfer to four-year institutions, and Hispanic 

students comprise only 14 percent of our transferring graduates, although they form more than 

26 percent of our student population.

As Central Arizona College works to address this problem, several significant obstacles are 

present. Pinal County’s large geographical size and entrenched poverty complicate access to and 

retention in degree programs. The developmental education program is uncoordinated and 

decentralized. Professional development for faculty who teach under-prepared and English 

Language Learners students is not readily available. While student enrollment is burgeoning as 

students return to college because of the poor job market and the region’s rapid population 

growth, the institution’s revenues are declining due to state budget cuts and falling property tax 

income as real estate values collapse. Programming for English Language Learners (ELL) is 

insufficient – students with English Language Learners needs are mostly unidentified and are 

often placed in courses for which they are unprepared or that do not meet their basic learning 

needs. On-line users struggle to use the college’s technology. 

To address these significant problems in academic programs, institutional management, and 

fiscal stability, the institution proposes to:

1. Implement a comprehensive, coordinated developmental education program. This program 

will involve supplemental instruction, tutoring, an ―orientation to college‖ program, breaking 

down barriers between departments, Master Academic Plans for students, and intensive 

academic advising. 

2. Provide English Language Learners with additional academic support, which includes 

providing supplemental instruction for students in English Language Learners classes, the 

systematic application of the English as a Second Language Compass test to identify students 

with English Language Learners needs, and additional tutoring for these students. 

3. Provide faculty with professional development in instructional pedagogies that are effective 

with under-prepared and English Language Learners students. 

4. Expand the availability of technical support for Central Arizona College’s on-line learners 

and other users of Central Arizona College technology. 
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P031S110157

Notre Dame de Namur University, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Notre Dame de Namur University is a private not-for-profit four-year university located in 

Belmont, California, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. Notre Dame de Namur 

University serves a growing number of freshman and transfer students, with the largest growth 

rate for Hispanic students. Currently the student population is 26 percent Hispanic. Based on 

California and San Francisco Bay Area demographics, this percentage is projected to steadily 

increase for the foreseeable future. Barriers to attainment of bachelor’s degrees for Hispanic and 

low-income students include financial issues, difficulty in transferring, poor academic 

preparation, language challenges, access to information, and understanding of how to navigate 

the college environment.

To address the educational needs of its increasing Hispanic student population, Notre Dame de 

Namur University proposes the following activities:

 Improving Student Retention and Academic Success

 Enhancing the NDNU Endowment

Activities encompass the following five components:

1. Success coaching to help students navigate and engage with the college environment.

2. Identification of academically at-risk students and provision of academic support services 

to help students overcome poor academic preparation.

3. Translation and interpretation services to address issues of language barriers and access 

to information.

4. Community college outreach and development of articulation agreements to facilitate 

transfer.

5. Endowment funds for scholarships to support students financially.

Each component is designed to increase the capacity of Notre Dame de Namur University to 

support the success, retention, and graduation of its Hispanic and low-income students:

Key measures of success include: 

a) increased retention rates for freshmen and transfer students overall; 

b) increased retention rates for Hispanic and low-income freshmen and transfer students; 

c) improved pass rates in key mathematics and science courses;

d) fewer students on Academic Probation;

e) high degree of satisfaction with academic support services; and 

f) increased scholarship funds for Hispanic and low-income students.
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P031S110055

Riverside City College, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Riverside City College (RCC), Riverside, California, is a dynamic, diverse, public, two-year

community college that has served California’s ―Inland Empire‖ for almost 100 years. The

service area, part of the 14th largest metropolitan area in the United States, has experienced rapid

population growth (26.5 percent) since 2000, including a growing Latino population; the City of 

Riverside is home to almost 150,000 Mexican-American citizens (43.2 percent), the largest 

concentration in the Inland Empire. Serving 23,865 students, including 8,854 Latino students, in 

fall 2009, Riverside City College provides over 100 Associate's degrees, transfer degrees, and 

career certificates. Riverside City College is governed by a Board of Trustees and is accredited 

by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Reflecting service area characteristics, Riverside City College students (38.7 percent Latino, 65.4

percent traditional aged, 58.4 percent female) are typically first-generation college students (70.7

percent), receiving need-based financial aid (37 percent), underprepared upon entry (85.3

percent), and part-time (68.3 percent). More than 90 percent of Riverside City College’s 234 

faculty members hold master’s or doctoral degrees; 13 percent are Latino; 53 percent are female; 

and 63 percent have been at Riverside City College less than 10 years. Fewer than half (47.7

percent) of RCC students are achieving successful educational outcomes within six years, that 

number is declining, and rates for Latino students are worse (less than 40 percent). Low course 

success (62 percent), low course completion (less than 65 percent), low student engagement, and 

low fall-to-fall persistence (less than 45 percent) indicate that students need more comprehensive 

support than the College is providing. However, limited resources, caught in California’s ―cash 

crisis,‖ inhibit institutional ability to develop a comprehensive model for student engagement to 

increase persistence and completion. 

To address these problems, Riverside City College requests funding for Senderos a Excelencia: 

Pathways to Excellence. This Activity has three interdependent components designed to (1) 

Engage RCC Students with intensive exploration of students’ skills, interests, and abilities as 

they relate to career pathways in Business/Career-Technical, Science, Technology, Engineering, 

or Mathematics, (STEM), Liberal Arts/Humanities and intensive academic planning (firstsemester Pathway Plans, Student Education Plans, Pathway Advising); (2) Engage RCC Faculty 

and Staff with professional development in strategies to support students who are Hispanic, lowincome/at-risk, and/or transferring to four-year degrees and in interacting with and teaching 

students in virtual environments; and (3) bring these groups together in Physical and Virtual 

Engagement Centers (including virtual dorms) that promote connections and collaboration 

among students and faculty, using collaborative technologies and virtual worlds to open new 

lines of communication and increase persistence and graduation rates.
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P031S110010

Northern Essex Community College, MA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Northern Essex Community College will build upon a solid foundation of accomplishments and 

evidence to implement those necessary components for the success of Hispanic students on our 

campus. The proposed project is titled, ―Building Bridges for Hispanic Student Success: To 

Improve Academic Performance, Retention and Graduation/Transfer Rates.‖ Enhancement of 

a fully-integrated one-stop Career Planning and Advising Center (CPAC) in Lawrence will bring 

exemplary, seamless services to scale for an increasing number of Hispanic students in need of 

intensive academic advising, financial aid advising and career planning. 

To address the complicated needs of students, especially those unable to make progress towards 

a degree due to poor preparation for college-level work, external work and family pressures, 

need for academic tutoring, study skills, time management and realistic educational and career 

planning, Northern Essex Community College proposes the establishment of a multiservice 

Student Success Retention Center (SSC). The Student Success Retention Center will allow staff 

and faculty to case manage those students most at risk. Student Success Retention Center 

specialized services and interventions will help Hispanic students successfully prepare for and 

complete gateway courses in English and Math, and offer services of a Job Coach and 

Counselor. Student Assistants/Peer Mentors will serve as attractors to the Center, providing peerto-peer encouragement, adjustment to college life, and engagement activities. Academic tutoring 

will be based at the Student Success Retention Center, bringing parity to services on Northern 

Essex Community College’s Haverhill campus. 

Together, the increased capacity of the Career Planning and Advising Center and the farreaching interventions of the Student Success Retention Center will increase Hispanic student 

engagement, retention, academic performance, and ultimate degree completion or transfer. A 

detailed, best practice experimental research design for evaluation will offer both formative and 

summative frameworks upon which to measure completion of our activity objectives and upon 

which to base future planning and implementation.
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P031S110011

University of New Mexico-Taos, NM

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

University of New Mexico-Taos proposes a project titled, ―Access to Success: Developing 

Academic Support Services and Institutional Capacity for Student Success.‖ The project entails

two central activities: (1) to develop and expand essential programs that positively impact 

student retention, persistence and completion of certificate and degree programs; and (2) to make 

these student success initiatives more readily available to our Hispanic-majority student body. 

The strategies are as follows: 

1) Academic Readiness: Expanding Developmental Programs and Facilities 

This activity will improve student persistence by increasing the effectiveness of Developmental 

Studies programs and coursework for Hispanic, lower income and other underserved 

populations. It will include expanding the H.E.L.P. (Honoring and Enhancing the Learning 

Process) Center, improving student referral and tracking systems, and increasing and promoting 

student services that support academic readiness.

2) Achieving Student Success through 21st Century Technology 

This activity will increase access to current technologies, increase exposure to computer literacy, 

and expand tutoring and academic advising to support the persistence and success of Hispanic 

and other students wishing to improve their college-level academic skills.
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P031S110090

Inter American University of Puerto Rico, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR) is a private university system with nine 

campuses and two professional schools: the School of Law and the Optometry School. Inter 

American University of Puerto Rico is a non-profit Hispanic-serving higher education institution 

with an enrollment of approximately 44,000 students annually over the last five years. The 

Metropolitan Campus (MC) is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is the main campus of the 

IAUPR system. In 2009-10, Metropolitan Campus had an enrollment of 10,693 of which 54

percent were female. Thirty-three percent were graduate students. Eighty-three percent received 

financial aid based on economic need. Sixty-five percent of undergraduates were full-time 

students and 74 percent of them work and study. Forty-one percent worked more than 21 hours 

per week. MC offers 12 technical certificates, nine associate degrees, 44 baccalaureates, six

professional certificates, 37 master’s degrees, and 12 doctoral degrees. The annual graduating 

class has been steady at 2,000 students for the last five years.

Metropolitan Campus will implement the Prevail, Achieve, Reflect, Engage, Share project 

(P.A.R.E.S., peers in Spanish). The goal of this project is to increase first-year retention from 

68.5 percent to 75 percent in a five-year period by implementing a comprehensive plan of 

student retention that includes a technological platform, curricular, co-curricular, and 

extracurricular activities. Prevail, Achieve, Reflect, Engage, Share project understands success 

(enrollment-retention-graduation) as an equation of competence and character. That is, students 

can prevail in an institution that addresses the learning experience as a whole, as a process of 

academic progress and the social and personal development of individuals. Student success is 

then an institutional coordinated effort in which students have the opportunity to: (1) 

systematically and continuously reflect on their achievement to make the appropriate 

adjustments; (2) engage in co-curricular and extracurricular activities that enrich their lives; and 

(3) share their experiences and serve others with their knowledge. 

To achieve Prevail, Achieve, Reflect, Engage, Share goal, the objectives are:

1. Increase first-year retention rate from 68.5 percent to 75 percent, in a five-year period by 

assessing student academic progress and engagement in curricular, co-curricular, and 

extracurricular activities using a technology based platform.

2. Increase student academic success from 50 percent to 70 percent in first-year gateway 

courses by incorporating mentoring, counseling, remedial work in basic skills, and 

updating coursework and laboratory infrastructure.

3. Increase student satisfaction in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities from 70

percent to 80 percent in a five-year period.
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P031S110096

Inter American University of Puerto Rico – Ponce Campus, PR

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Inter American University Ponce Campus, is one of the eleven units of Inter American 

University of Puerto Rico. It is a four year, commuter campus with a student population of 

approximately 6,048 (Fall Semester 2009-10), mostly from nearby regional towns, but also 

students residing off Island studying via the distance learning. All of the students are Spanish 

speaking; 62 percent are first-generation college students, and approximately 93 percent are 

living below the federal poverty level (based on an average family size of four). Although the 

Ponce Campus has had much success, it has detected areas that need strengthening for continued 

growth. The campus doesn’t attend retention in an articulated and integrated manner, faculty 

need to update both online and on-campus courses using Web 2.0 technologies to better reach 

out and retain GenerationY students, who often arrive to the campus lacking academic and 

university-life skills. Of particular concern are students from the Teacher Education Program 

who have been underperforming on the general knowledge sections of the Teacher Certification 

exams. 

To address these weaknesses, the campus has designed the following activities:

1. The Center for Retention Research & Training will be created to integrate and articulate 

all Campus activities related to retention. 

2. The use of specialized Retention Management Software, as well as a retention strategies

training and materials development will be developed as part of this activity. 

3. In addition, training of faculty and support personnel in new technologies will result in 

production of podcasts and synchronous Web-based sessions for integration into existing 

courses, delivery of tutorials, remedial instruction, review materials, and materials to 

assist students in adapting to university life.
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P031S110006 

University of the Incarnate Word, TX

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with a total 

enrollment of 7,166 students, making us the fourth-largest private university in Texas. At 

University of the Incarnate Word, 53 percent of all students are Hispanic, 73 percent of students 

are undergraduates, and the university is accredited to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral 

degrees. 

The purpose of this Title V Project is to increase the retention and persistence to graduation of 

Hispanic and other low-income students at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). The 

Comprehensive Development Plan and design of the project activities are based on surveys, 

institutional assessments, research of the academic literature, and input from students, faculty, 

and administrators. This process was started in fall 2006 and draws directly from the 

university’s 2007-2012 Strategic Plan and the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) that focuses on 

student engagement. 

Based on the institutional weaknesses identified in the Comprehensive Development Plan, this 

project will focus on the problem of low retention and low persistence to graduation of Hispanic 

and low-income students. This problem is related to: (1) Weak Connections to Academic 

Support Infrastructure; and (2) Underdevelopment of Two Key Support Services - Academic 

Advising and Writing Assistance. Related to the Comprehensive Development Plan, University 

of the Incarnate Word established four project goals each supported by a measureable objective 

to be accomplished by 2015. 

The University of the Incarnate Word will implement two project activities. Under the first 

activity, the University of the Incarnate Word will establish and institutionalize Directions and 

Connections (DCC), a central hub that will educate faculty, administrators, and students on the 

appropriate role of advising and the campus resources available to assist students succeed to 

graduation. The Directions and Connections will conduct workshops and provide online 

resources for students that develop the skills and knowledge students need to become more 

confident in navigating the University of the Incarnate Word support system. For faculty and 

staff, the Directions and Connections will provide on-going training in developmental advising. 

This will include providing an understanding of University of the Incarnate Word’s support 

structure and how to assess each student’s needs to connect them to the right place. Under 

activity two, University of the Incarnate Word will establish and institutionalize the Writing and 

Learning Center. The Writing and Learning Center will be led by a full-time director who will 

develop an innovative writing support program for undergraduates and training sessions for 

faculty. The director will be assisted by part-time, trained writing tutors who must meet strict 

selection criteria. The Writing and Learning Center will also include computers with writing 

support software for students that will be available whenever the center is open. 

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