# U.S. Department of Education

# Washington, DC 20202

# Predominantly Black Institutions Program – Formula Grants

# FY 2016 Project Abstracts

## Table of Contents

3DC – TRINITY WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

3P031P160001

4GA – ALBANY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

4P031P160002

6GA – CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY

6P031P160003

7GA – OCONEE FALL LINE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

7P031P160004

8LA – BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

8P031P160005

9LA - SOUTH LOUISIANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

9P031P160006

10MS - HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

10P031P160007

12NC – EDGECOMBE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

12P031P160008

13NY – YORK COLLEGE OF CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

13P031P160009

14MI – MARYGROVE COLLEGE

14P031P160011

15NY – METROPOLITAN COLLEGE OF NEW YORK

15P031P160012

****

### DC – TRINITY WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

## P031P160001

Trinity will use this grant for three allowable activities: to purchase laboratory equipment and related technological equipment for science laboratories and nursing laboratories; to enlarge the number of Black Americans entering the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) professions and Nursing, fields in which Black Americans are under-represented; and to strengthen academic programs in the sciences and Nursing by providing modern equipment to support teaching, learning and research. 

Census data and data on student enrollments nationwide clearly indicate that Black Americans are underrepresented in the STEM disciplines and in Nursing. Sixty-Seven percent of the students at Trinity are Black American; more than half are residents of the District of Columbia, and Trinity educates more D.C. residents than any private university in the nation. More than 80 percent of Trinity’s first-time, full-time freshmen receive Pell Grants, and the median family income is just $25,000. 

Trinity has a strong history of success in the sciences, and a more recent history of creating a pipeline for local D.C. residents who want to become nurses. In 2016 Trinity will open the new Trinity Academic Center, a $35 million laboratory and classroom building with state-of-the-art labs for the sciences and Nursing. 

While Trinity has fully funded the construction costs of this new facility, Trinity needs additional grant support to procure the laboratory instrumentation, equipment and technologies that are essential to prepare contemporary students to be ready to enter graduate school and the science and Nursing professions. For Black American students in STEM and Nursing to be competitive, they must have access to the same kinds of microscopes, imaging technologies, Biology and Chemistry instrumentation, Nursing Simulation manikins and medical dosage simulators, and other kinds of science and healthcare technologies that will ensure their competence and competitive posture when seeking graduate school acceptance and job offers in these fields. 

The instrumentation and related laboratory equipment and technologies that Trinity requests through the Predominantly Black Institutions program will have positive outcomes that align with the PBI performance indicators. Trinity will assess the effectiveness of this program through increased enrollment of Black American students in the sciences and Nursing; improved persistence from first to second year, which is the critical marker for completion; improved degree completion in a timely way; higher first-time pass rates on the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) for nurses; and even greater success in securing professional positions and advanced degrees for the Black American students who graduate from Trinity with degrees in the sciences and Nursing.  

### GA – ALBANY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

## P031P160002

**Enhancing Online Learning and Services**

Albany Technical College (ATC) is a public postsecondary institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is located in southwest Georgia, one of the most economically disadvantaged regions in the state. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, Albany Technical College provides education and training opportunities through 35 associate degrees and 47 diploma programs in a seven-county service delivery area (SDA). The main campus is located in Albany with adult learning centers distributed throughout the SDA. With a total unduplicated enrollment of 5,131 for Academic Year 2015, 50.5 percent of the students were full-time and 49.5 percent of the students were part-time. Approximately 78.7 percent of students received financial aid through PELL grants and 53.7 percent receiving Georgia’s HOPE Grant or Scholarship. Seventy-nine percent of the student body is African American. When viewed as a whole, the SDA is a region of Georgia that is primarily African-American, with higher rates of unemployment and poverty, and lower educational attainment than other regions of Georgia and the United States.  However, Albany Technical College has made great strides in addressing these barriers by providing technical education and training support for the evolving workforce development needs of Southwest Georgia. 

Albany Technical College seeks Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) funding to strengthen and enhance online learning and student support services. The goals of the project are to 

1. strengthen the design and delivery of online courses; 

2. provide faculty professional development workshops on best practices in online course pedagogy; and 

3. provide online student support services and self-service tools such as tutoring, academic advising, financial aid services, library resources, and other services afforded to on-campus students. 

The project is designed to improve the quality of learning and promote a more engaging and interactive environment through redesign of online courses in order to make student success a priority. We also aim to improve online course retention and completion by assisting students with online student support services and self-service tools. Finally, the project intends to increase faculty involvement in online instruction and better prepare them to teach online. 

Albany Technical College’s project is fully aligned with the purposes of the PBI Formula program which are to strengthen Albany Technical College to carry out its activity of *Enhance Online Learning and Services*and to improve education outcomes for low-income students; particularly African American students. In addition, Albany Technical College’s project proposes to implement a strategy supported by two studies for which there is Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness. Simonds, Thomas, Brock, B. (2014) conducted a study of the relationship between age and preference and the study revealed older adults preferred tutorials and video lectures; whereas younger adults liked interactive assignments.  Potter (2013) focused on the readiness assessment for online students as a variable in retention and student achievement. The research from both studies could impact Albany Technical College’s Predominantly Black Institutions Formula project as it addresses the same issues in online learning.

### GA – CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY

## P031P160003

Clayton State University is a predominately black institution committed to “cultivating an environment of engaged, experience-based learning, enriched by active community services, that prepares students of diverse ages and backgrounds to succeed in their lives and careers” (Clayton State University Mission Statement, 2016). Located in the south Atlanta metro area, Clayton State’s diverse student body represents every region of the United States and some 50 foreign countries and reflects a mixture of ethic backgrounds and socio-economic strata. 

**Laker Bridge to Completion Program**

This institution-wide collaborative proposal from Clayton State University seeks to increase retention rates and six-year graduation rates for underrepresented Black American students, particularly those in the underrepresented degree programs at Clayton State University, by providing coordinated support beginning with a summer bridge program and continuing through senior year. The proposed strategies involve:

1) the creation of a matching **Endowment Fund**to provide scholarships to students; 

2) expanding a **Bridge Program**to support students who meet admissions requirements but fall into the potentially at-risk category; 

3) establishing a **Cross-Content Academic Success Program**to support students in writing and high D/Fail/Withdraw courses through tutoring; 

4) expansion of a **Financial Counseling Program**; 

5) **Career Readiness**to prepare students for internships and careers once they graduate; 

6) a structured **Faculty Development Program**on inclusive teaching and the inclusion of high impact practices in under-represented degrees;

7) establish **Black Student Mentor Program**that partners students with community mentors; and 

8) an expansion of **Interactive Self-Paced Online Courses**to provide students with more flexible options for completing their course work. The proposed strategies that are included in the grant narrative are proven techniques that have shown to increase student success and retention and six-year graduation rates at other predominantly black institutions throughout the country. 

Through the **Laker Bridge to Completion Program**, these techniques will be implemented in a coordinated manner across Clayton State University to reverse the declining retention of Black American students in underrepresented degree programs and increase retention and graduation rates for students regardless of degree program. While this proposed effort is significant, we believe it can be accomplished with Institution-wide collaboration and relationships with community partners and local school districts.

### GA – OCONEE FALL LINE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

## P031P160004

Oconee Fall Line Technical College is a public two-year technical college in Georgia offering Technical Certificates of Credit, Diplomas, and Associate of Applied Science Degrees. Oconee Fall Line Technical College is a member of the Technical College System of Georgia a system of technical colleges across the state focused on workforce development. The Predominantly Black Institution funding will enable us to continue this process and focus on our large student population of black students, especially males, in programs that have significant job opportunities. 

The Predominantly Black Institutions funding will enable Oconee Fall Line Technical College to offer more services and instruction to our underrepresented minority student population, especially black males. Some of the Predominantly Black Institutions funded projects include increase security, Information Technology equipment, new program equipment, and outreach and enrollment materials.

### LA – BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

## P031P160005

Title III, Predominantly Black Institutions: Centralizing African American Resources Grant Program Baton Rouge Community College is an open admission, public, two-year institution serving seven parishes in south Louisiana. The college enrolls approximately 7,740 students, 41.9 percent of who are first-generations, low-income; high-need African American students who face multiple barriers in enrolling, persisting and completing postsecondary education. Baton Rouge Community College has identified four barriers to success for African American students:

1. Significant numbers of academically underprepared African American students enter the College and are placed into developmental education courses;

2. First-generation college students, especially high need African American students, lack the skills and support to negotiate college processes, select appropriate coursework and majors, and manage college requirements which results in high attrition;

3. Low retention rates of African American students especially in STEM programs; and

4. Low graduation rates of African American students especially in STEM programs.

Baton Rouge Community College Predominantly Black Institutions project goals support building capacity to improve knowledge and access to student supportive services for African American students in addition to increasing their enrollment and successful completion especially in STEM majors. The three main goals/success measures are:

1. Increase the retention and completion rates for degree and certificate programs among Baton Rouge Community College’s African American students; 

2. Decrease the number of African American students in developmental courses and increase the developmental course completion rate among African American students;

3. Increase the number of African American students majoring in STEM degree and certificate programs.

Baton Rouge Community College has designed a comprehensive, collaborative and integrated institutional project through the establishment of the African American Resource Office to focus on and serve more low- and middle-income African American students who fall into the first generation, financially challenged category. The major activities will provide tools that are anchored in best practices impacting student success. The major activities are a degree tracker/audit system coupled with intrusive advising; implementation of early warning procedures used by faculty, students and staff; bridge-type academic boot camps; and the development of an internal referral process between African American Resource Office and the enrollment, counseling and advising, and academic support offices within the College.

Through the Predominantly Black Institutions program, African American Resource Office will allow Baton Rouge Community College to implement specific academic, advisement, and institutional support services identified as best practices through research of predominantly black and other higher education institutions. In addition, the use of technology will allow the majority of grants funds to be spent on services and activities.

### LA - SOUTH LOUISIANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

## P031P160006

South Louisiana Community College is a public two-year commuter college located in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees, technical diplomas, and industry-based certificates in programs in approximately 30 different fields to include health professions, computer technology, liberal arts, and business administration. South Louisiana Community College is one of 13 colleges in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS). The college has eight campuses throughout the Acadiana Region which includes the following parishes: Acadian, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion. South Louisiana Community College is committed to preparing high quality graduates that have the “Know and Know How” to succeed in and contribute to our region’s economy. 

South Louisiana Community College will utilize the new award funding of $**549,028**for fiscal year 2016 to establish the PBI Program services and activities geared towards improving the educational outcomes of African American students in the Acadiana Region. The Predominantly Black Institutions program proposes to increase enrollment, persistence, retention, transfer, and college completion rates of African American students.

The program goals will be aligned with the mission of the PBI program: 

· Increasing the enrollment of African American students. 

· Increasing course completion rates with passing grades of C or better in remedial courses. 

· Increasing the number of African American students who graduate with a two-year college degree within two to three years, and/or transfer to a four-year institution. 

· Providing professional development and training opportunities for PBI staff, advisory council, and South Louisiana Community College faculty, staff, and administrators. 

· Increasing the academic and career success of African American students attending South Louisiana Community College. Establishing the PBI Program will enable South Louisiana Community College to provide services and activities that will provide every opportunity to support, encourage, and promote student success. Empowering students through services provided by this initiative will assist program participants in obtaining their educational and career goals. This program will also help participants matriculate through college, succeed academically, connect to available resources, graduate, and become gainfully employed. 

South Louisiana Community College is committed to providing each participant with access to quality educational programs and lifelong learning. This commitment includes eliminating socio-economic, financial, and academic barriers to postsecondary educational opportunities. As the most geographically diverse system of higher education in the state, Louisiana's Community and Technical Colleges have locations in rural and urban areas across the state. Our colleges are as diverse as the communities in which they serve. Students receive a quality education at an affordable price in nurturing, and rigorous environments that help to prepare them for rewarding careers.   

### MS - HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

## P031P160007

When educational institutions fall short of providing the tools needed to overcome the realities of poverty and survival in disadvantaged communities, minority students may perceive it as a lack of acceptance or simply an inability to meet their needs. Ramifications of these negative perceptions are more profound at institutions in areas with high minority populations and high poverty rates, such as the 22.4 percent poverty rate in the five counties in the Hinds Community College (HCC) service area; southwest central Mississippi. Hinds Community College has a clear understanding that the overwhelming majority of the students served are students of color from low-income families, likely the first in their families to go to college, and most likely to need help paying for college. These students are more likely to be graduates of underserved or underperforming schools that didn’t adequately prepare them for college. Yet, Hinds Community College is convinced that with appropriate student supports, “the best and the brightest” students are among our ranks, when others might label them as “not college material.” 

Hinds Community College proposes to continue the Minority Male Leadership Initiative (M2M) on the Jackson Campus – Academic/Technical Center (JATC). Jackson Campus – Academic/Technical Center provides technical training in culinary arts, early childhood development, business and office technology, environmental technology, welding and drafting and design, in addition to academic coursework that will prepare the target population for successful transfer to a senior institution. Also among the students to be served will be students enrolled concurrently in GED preparation and skills training leading to certificates and degrees. Most of the AA degree students at the Hinds Community College Jackson Campus –Academic/Technical Center are first-time degree seeking students. To combat the issues of alienation and the absence of role models in their social environments the students join the Minority Male Leadership Initiative (M2M) in order to have a positive male role model or mentor in their lives and access supplemental supports for their college goals. 

Hinds Community College will address improvements in the institution’s instructional programs through a Center of Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) and enhanced pedagogical training emulating emerging trends. The Center of Innovative Teaching and Learning will ensure a unified, centralized and comprehensive teacher preparation and development plan for six-campuses, including hybrid and online instruction. A TechNest learning laboratory on the Jackson Campus – Academic/Technical Center campus will assist students in using new technologies in independent and group study. The Fab Lab training space will support the STEM focused instruction. Ultimately, the implementation of a Center of Innovative Teaching and Learning, the student-centered TechNest and Fab Lab training space will improve the academic achievements of African-American students. 

Underlying and supporting all aspects of the PBI Formula grant program activities will be a strategic and comprehensive system of wrap-around student support services. Hinds Community College will seek to resolve gaps in student persistence and completion caused by inadequate child care, food insecurities, housing, transportation, financial needs and other barriers in partnership with Single Stop USA’s "one-stop" model of a student support services. This strategy provides access to critical public and private resources such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/food stamps, health insurance, unemployment benefits, childcare, Women with Infant Children, Social Security benefits assistance, legal services/referrals, free tax prep services, financial counseling, and emergency funds.

### NC – EDGECOMBE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

## P031P160008

**Providing Students the Edge**

Edgecombe Community College is a two-year public institution located in the eastern part of North Carolina in Edgecombe County. The county is rural with a majority of the land used for farming. Edgecombe Community College (ECC) is one of the 58 colleges that make up the North Carolina Community College System. Edgecombe Community College main campus comprises 11 buildings. Edgecombe Community College also operates a campus in Rocky Mount that covers one city block and comprises three buildings. 

In fall 2014, student enrollment was 2,117 students, 67 percent of whom were minority students. Of this 67 percent minority population, 30 percent were black males and 70 percent are black females. ***The proposed Title III Activity***is designed to increase retention and completion rates, of students, who have an EFC of zero, are minority, and are first generation, high-risk students through the following best practices:

1) Community Outreach;

2) Intrusive Advising;

3) Structured Scheduling;

4) Developmental Math and English course redesign;

5) the creation of Success Centers on each campus; and

6)  6) the creation of a black male initiative to target and improve black male retention and completion. 

Expected Outcomes: Major yearly outcomes will be the following:  1) The developmental student success rate in college-level math courses will improve by seven percent annually; 2) The First Year Progression rates will improve by five percent annually; and 3) the curriculum completion rates will improve by five percent annually.

### NY – YORK COLLEGE OF CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

## P031P160009

York College is a public, four-year commuter college enrolling approximately 8,511 students. York is a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, the nation’s largest urban public university. Located in Queens, New York, one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the nation, York has 93 percent minority students, including 43 percent African-American, 22 percent Hispanic and 27 percent Asian and one percent Native Alaskan. Over half of York’s students come from low-income families (under $30,000 a year), and 48 percent are first-generation college students. York College has designed a comprehensive, integrated institutional approach to the PBI program, with two major goals and six specific activities to carry out the goals over five years. 

The project goals/objectives are to:

1. Improve retention rates of African-American students 

2. Improve six-year graduation rates of African-American students 

Each goal is based on research, best practices, and successful programs at other Predominantly Black Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities institutions and York’s annual performance goals set by President Dr. Marcia V. Keizs, with specific targets and measures: one-year retention rate of full-time freshmen, six-year graduation rate of full-time, first-time freshmen, total enrollment, mean SAT score of regularly admitted first-time freshmen, and student satisfaction with academic support, student services, and computer technology. 

The project goals will be supported by specific activities to be conducted over five years. 

Although they are described as separate services, the activities are crucial to African-American student achievement and inter-connected to overall project success. The successful fulfillment of the project goals will enable York to increase the number of African-American students who are retained, graduate and enter the professional and technological workforce or who seek advanced degrees in STEM and other academic areas. The six project activities proposed by York College address five of the PBI authorized activities. 

1. Provide support and resources for students in teacher education programs to prepare and pass their licensing exams. *(PBI 1)*

2. Provide support for students preparing for licensing exams and graduate schools. *(PBI 9)*

3. Establish a faculty fellowship program to enhance professional preparation and support for study away-study abroad programs. *(PBI 6 and 7)*

4. Create new undergraduate and graduate degree programs to increase student professional opportunities and meet the regional community needs*. (PBI 1 and 7)*

5. Promote and increase articulation and dual joint degree programs with community colleges. *(PBI 7)*

6. Create and institute an instructional support program to improve student academic performance in gateway courses. *(PBI 9 and 15)*

### MI – MARYGROVE COLLEGE

## P031P160011

**Improving Student Retention Rates at Marygrove College**

Funding from the U.S. Department of Education Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Formula 

Grant will support efforts to increase academic success, and retention and graduation rates at 

Marygrove College. The college is located in Northwest Detroit, Michigan and serves a student 

population that is 68 percent Black–American, 49 percent first-generation college students and 72 percent low income. The Predominantly Black Institutions Formula Grant will be used to support activities under the two initiatives outlined below: 

Initiative 1: Student Success through Technology: A majority of the students at the college come 

from low-income households that have limited, if any, access to the technology necessary to 

support higher-education coursework. Through this initiative, the college will increase the 

academic success of low- and middle-income Black-American students by improving access to 

technology on campus. Hardware, software, and related infrastructure will be developed and 

upgraded for all relevant technology platforms and services. Wi-Fi service will be made 

available throughout campus. 

The grant will also enable the college to offer an expanded student portal on its Web site. An 

online portal makes it easier for students to access important information, such as course 

registration materials, financial aid awards and class assignments from both on- and off-campus 

locations. The student portal will aid in retention and graduation rates by providing students 

with clearer, more accessible information on degree requirements, academic progress, grades and 

scheduling. 

Initiative 2: Comprehensive Individualized Retention Plans (Marygrove-Plan) for At-Risk Students: This initiative will enable the college to provide targeted populations with additional support and services. The Marygrove Plan (Marygrove-Plan) will support Black-American, low- and middle income, first-generation college students. The Marygrove-Plan is a holistic individualized academic and support plan developed for each student by a team that includes members from the Student Success Center, Career Services, Faculty, Financial Aid, and Mental Health Counseling. The goal is to improve retention and graduation rates by focusing on the student from multiple perspectives from the very beginning of his/her college experience.

### NY – METROPOLITAN COLLEGE OF NEW YORK

## P031P160012

Metropolitan College of New York is a vibrant and unique learning institution with enrollment of 1,195 in fall 2015. At the undergraduate level, Metropolitan College of New York most characteristically attracts academically under-prepared, New York City adult, minority female students who are working full-time, attending class full-time, and balancing family obligations with work and study. Since its founding in 1964, the college has been committed to open access for those traditionally excluded from higher education. Our primary student body consists of low-income, minority students with high academic need. 

Metropolitan College of New York Predominantly Black Institutions Project will help the College advance its Strategic Plan: *Strategic Vision 2020*to realize targeted objectives within four overarching college goals: 

· Improve Retention and Graduation Rates 

· Launch a Satisfactory Academic Progress Success Program 

· Develop an Early Alert System to support At-Risk students 

· Strengthen Career Development Support 

· Provide Counseling Support Services 

· Build a new Bronx Extension Center into a Full Branch Campus 

· Offer a full suite of Academic Support Services in Bronx 

· Fully Equip a Bronx Learning Commons (Library and Tutoring Center) 

· Offer a full suite of student support and financial aid services in Bronx 

· Improve Academic Achievement 

· Offer Technology Tutoring and Support to help students succeed 

· Improve Fiscal Stability 

· Build  Endowment for the Future 

This award will help Metropolitan College of New York leverage two new facilities (into which the college is moving in 2016) to provide the quality, intensity and frequency of support services our students need and deserve.  Metropolitan College of New York believes that over the course of this project, our efforts will boost retention rates to 60 percent and six-year graduation rates to 45 percent, helping more low-income and Black American students persist in their education and graduate with a degree.

9/26/2016

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