**University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL**

**Title: University of Illinois at Chicago’s AANAPI Citizens who are Culturally Responsive, Engaged, Dynamic, Informed, and Thoughtful (ACCEREDIT) Project**

The University of Illinois at Chicago proposes ACCREDIT, the AANAPI Citizens who are

Culturally Responsive, Engaged, Dynamic, Informed, and Thoughtful Program to increase

AANAPI student retention and graduation, increase their academic and personal life skills

success, and strengthen AANAPI students’ community relationships and civic engagement

addressing **Competitive Priority 1: to foster knowledge and promote the development of**

**skills that prepare students to be informed, thoughtful and productive individuals and**

**citizens**.

ACCREDIT implements **1) Culturally-Responsive Academic Support**by expanding The

Asian American Resource and Cultural Center’s physical space to house new academic support

services for AANAPI students. Two new full-time staff will oversee educational advising and

tutoring in the new space and be phased in permanently by end of the grant; **2) Culturally responsive Life Skills Education**includes offering First-Year Experience Seminars in Life

Skills and in Career Pathways, a Financial Wellness Program, and a Career Development

Program; **3) Culturally-responsive Community Engaged Experiential Learning**supports

Global Asian Studies to develop community collaborations locally, nationally, and globally to

offer curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students to build social and political

awareness and civic responsibility. These three culturally-responsive strategies aim to achieve

the ultimate impact, which is **to increase the number of UIC graduates who have a stronger**

**understanding of AANAPI identity, are more equipped for life and career, and who are**

**civically engaged community members locally, nationally, and globally.**

**San Franscisco Community College District, San Francisco, CA**

**Project Title: Transforming Language Access to Empower Students (Project TRANSLATES)**

**Population served:**Students with limited or no English proficiency (LEP) and English language learners (ELLs), especially first-generation and/or low-income AAPI students who need additional supports to navigate at the college. The project will also serve students with other barriers to understanding complex information regarding how to access critical information about student services and college processes. 

**Project Goal:**Provide students with the best, most complete, and most accurate information to help them navigate requirements, procedures, and opportunities at CCSF, particularly for students with limited English proficiency. 

**Project Objective 1.**Scale up the availability of translation and on-demand interpretation technology throughout the District in key student services. 

**Project Objective 2.**Train employees on the use of on-demand interpretation technology. 

**Project Objective 3.**Evaluate the broader deployment of the translation and on-demand interpretation technology beyond DSPS. 

**Expected outcomes:**

• LEP students are better able to navigate College requirements, procedures, and opportunities. 

• LEP students report high levels of satisfaction with the LanguageLine app and attribute their ability to navigate the College more easily to its availability. 

• LEP students report that they feel the College recognizes and cares about their needs as a result of having access to LanguageLine. 

• Employees within student service areas/offices report high levels of satisfaction with LanguageLine as a tool for helping LEP students. 

• Providing technical information in students’ first language becomes the norm. 

**Contributions for research, policy, practice:**The project will share its findings through the California Community Colleges network of 115 colleges that come together for conferences related to topics such as student success, research, and accreditation.

**University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), Lowell, MA**

**Title: Asian American Center for Excellence & Engagement**

University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), located in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a national research university committed to preparing students for work in the real world—solving real problems and helping real people—by providing an affordable, high-quality education. It is the second-largest public institution in the state, offering more than 100 undergraduate majors across 6 colleges, and ranks in the top 200 research universities in the United States. Asian Americans comprise 20.9% of Lowell’s total population of 110,000; the city is home to the second largest Cambodian community in the country. More than 12.1% of UML’s credit-bearing students are Asian American, primarily Southeast Asian. Many of UML’s Southeast Asian students come from low-income backgrounds, and their families struggle with significant hardships and trauma. Consistent with data regarding the poverty and income levels of the Asian American population in Massachusetts and the Lowell area, there is a high demand for financial aid and support among Asian American students at UML. Students also evince a need for greater “sense of belonging,” career mentoring, and holistic support (including overall well-being). Retention rates for Asian American and Pacific Islander first-time, full-time students from Lowell are consistently lower than for White students from Lowell. 

To improve the academic outcomes of and learning environments for Asian American students, UML proposes a set of interrelated activities: 

 The development of an Asian American Center for Excellence and Engagement (AACEE) and “Asian American Student Success Cohort” program to increase a sense of belonging and connectedness to the university; address personal coaching, support and referral needs; and foster a community of learning and mutual success among Asian American & Pacific Islander students through mentoring and leadership opportunities. 

 Personalized support, assistance, and advocacy to better navigate university processes and meet financial aid demands and deadlines, and to advance financial access and literacy—in conjunction with targeted programs on career readiness—to ensure better follow through at critical steps/junctures in students’ college lives 

 Advancing institutional capacity by improving the awareness and understanding of faculty and staff related to Asian American students and families (with particularly focus on Southeast Asian Americans); engaging with community organizations/activities; improving data collection and reporting related to AAPI populations; and developing academic curriculum relevant to the cultural heritage of Asian American students. 

 Initiatives focused on increased connections between UML, Middlesex Community College, and community organizations, including collection of cultural heritage materials, high-impact learning opportunities with community organizations, and community-based workshops on building personal financial understanding and responsibility. 

This project meets Competitive Preference Priority 1, “Fostering knowledge and promoting the development of skills that prepare students to be informed, thoughtful, and productive individuals and citizens,” focusing on personal financial literacy and knowledge of higher education financing and repayment.