# Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program

# FY 2016 Project Abstracts of New Awards

## Introduction

In fiscal year 2016, the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program did not hold a grant competition.  This was due to limited funding. Instead, the Department funded down the FY 2015 slate of grant applications.  With our available funds, we were able to fund 30 additional applications. Here are the abstracts of the projects for those awards.  

## Table of Contents

**Cooperative Development Grants**

# Individual Development Grants

### College of Sequoias

### P031S31160077

### CA

Fresno Pacific University (FPU), a private four-year liberal arts university, and College of the Sequoias (COS), a two-year community college, are both located in the heart of California's San Joaquin Valley, a four-county poverty pocket with a Hispanic population of over 50 percent. Both schools have experienced major growth in high-need students, and a significant increase in college-ready underserved minorities who have declared majors in science or math (fields which have shortfalls in educated professionals on the local and national levels). The rising cost of attending a California university is causing more of these students to choose local colleges such as COS and FPU, but unfortunately, many of them will not attain a degree in these majors due to lack of adequate support, preparation, and advice. Building on the successes and lessons learned from previous grant support, we will create the STEM REALM (Retention, Excellence and Adapted Learning Modalities) to increase university transfer and degree attainment of these students.

The program will create a STEM Academy to consist of the following activities:

**Activity 1 -Improve Student Success and persistence**

**Component 1:**Summer STEM Extended Orientation - An existing orientation, which has proven effective at preparing students for college level work will be modified to a hybrid of online and in-person activities. Shifting the content to online and off-hour activities will enable students to utilize summer school sessions to address preparedness in higher math and college-level science courses such as pre-calculus and chemistry. Students who jeopardize their on-time completion by failing a course can re-take it in summer.

**Component 2:**Increased access/persistence to STEM courses (online and live) will be guaranteed to students who complete the STEM Orientation. Increased summer offerings in basic chemistry and in math courses will allow STEM students to start their first regular semester at the highest level possible. Ongoing priority registration for STEM Academy students at COS combined with reserving seats in critical STEM classes will facilitate a shorter time to graduation.

**Component 3:** Intrusive advising, academic coaching, mentoring and academic support will help students develop realistic student education plans and stay on track. Students will also receive career counseling and assistance obtaining summer research opportunities. Professional development activities will include community service. A focus of this will be to increase persistence in a STEM major.

**Component 4:** A Scholarship of Teaching and Learning component will be conducted jointly by both schools to incorporate online educational technology. It will focus on developing or acquiring online courses and online course support materials to foster academic success and get students ready for core courses sooner. We will explore use of online tutoring Computer-Aided Instructional Programs such as ALEKS will be investigated for inclusion. Research will be shared with colleagues during a Teaching Symposium and online content will be incorporated into STEM classes.

**Activity 2 - Management and Evaluation**

The management and evaluation of all activities to provide fiscal oversight and to track progress of all objectives. Sustainability of the program components will be guaranteed though increased enrollment in STEM and gradual institutional assumption of the personnel salaries where necessary.

### University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus

### P031S160068

### PR

**Activity Title: Expanding Undergraduate Students Education, Opportunities and Options in Clinical and Translational Research**

This activity includes two components and will serve 593 undergraduate students (UgS), total enrollment of 2,688, at partner institutions, through: (1) Creation of Center for Research Education and Science Communication Opportunities (CRESCO); and (2) Development of a Training Program UgS -Research Education towards Opportunities (RETO), for UgS and undergraduate faculty (UgF)- Mentorship Offering Training Opportunities for Research (MOTOR); hands-on-experiences for UgS, and UgF Intensive Development and Experiences in Advancement of Research and Increased Opportunities (IDEARIO); and the enhancement of the Clinical and Translational Research/Education Infrastructure. The expected outcomes (baselines=0) include: (a) increase and improve partner institutions’ technological and research infrastructure and resources for CTR by 100 percent; (b) establish a robust CRESCO (physical and online) and a Community Medical Image Lab; (c) 700 UgS used CRESCO; (d) increase to 200 the number of UgS and to 90 the number of UgF with the knowledge, skills and capabilities in CTR; (e) increase to 112 the number of UgS using development e-Portfolio as an assessment tool of their progress and achievement in CTR; (f) development of nine online tutorials and three online courses in CTRE; (g) increase to 150 the number of UgS using online tutorials in CTR as a learning tool; (h) increase to 16 the number of UgS and the number of UgF participating in hands-on-experiences in CTRE projects presenting RCDP; (i) increase to 90 the number of UgS empowering their capabilities in CRTE through peer- and faculty- mentoring; (j) increase to 12 the number of CTMT members writing grants proposal and/or peer-review articles in CTRE; (k) increase to 90 the number of UgF using instructional technology (e-portfolio, e-mentoring, on-line courses and/or tutorials) and integrating information literacy skills in their CTRE courses; (l) increase to 36 the number of GS and UgF participating as peer mentors and faculty mentor; (m) increase to 36 the number of CTMT members writing abstracts in CTRE.

### San Mateo County College Community District

### P031S160245

### CA

**The Expanding Student Opportunity (iESO!) Adelante Project**

The iESO! Adelante Project will address the unacceptably low transfer rates at Canada College and the low baccalaureate completion rates at SF State for Hispanic and other high-need students. Through this grant, both institutions will address the systematic issues that directly impact transfer and completion of Hispanic and other high-need students. At Canada College, high assessment into developmental courses, under-used academic support services and ineffective transfer programming has continued to plague Hispanic and high-need students. At SF State the lack of after­ transfer support programs and lack of transfer pathways has negatively impacted Hispanic and high-need completers.

This iESO! Adelante Project will develop extensive and comprehensive use of peer mentors to:  1) encourage entering students to participate in academic preparation programs; 2) encourage them to use academic support services; 3) guide them along developed transfer pathways; and 4) support them before and after-transfer. 

The iESO! Adelante Project will also create and develop a staff and faculty professional development program called "Roadblock Summits" to develop the pathways and create a transfer hybrid course that will be available at both campuses to complete the transfer education process and alleviate the bottleneck at SF State that is hindering program completion. An external evaluator (working with both campuses' Offices of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness) will assess project effectiveness as it relates to proposed activities, objectives, goals and institutionalization of successful practices.

**Activity:**  The iESO! Adelante Project

**Component One:** START STRONG-Get Connected To Your Support (GCTYS)

1.  Student mentors will encourage increased participation in assessment preparation programs and academic support programs. (Math Jam & Word Jam)

**Component Two:** STAY STRONG-Get Connected To Your Pathway (GCTYP)

Student mentors encourage participation in developed transfer pathways Faculty and Staff "Roadblock Summits" to develop transfer pathways

**Component Three:**FINISH STRONG-Get Connected To SF State (GCTSFS)

Student mentors from SF State will encourage participation pre-transfer and after transfer support programs.

Develop Transfer Support Programs (Student Education Plan, Transfer Pathways

Canada College respectfully requests a five-year grant, beginning on October 1, 2015, totaling $3,209,892 ($623,368 for year 1). Grant funds will be used to increase post­ secondary success and completion, and improve productivity.

### Palomar College

### P031S160113

### CA

**Increasing HLI Student Participation, Persistence and Completion in STEM Education**

Palomar College and the California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) are public postsecondary institutions located in North San Diego County.  Palomar serves over 36,000 students annually of which 55 percent are ethnic and racial minorities and 39 percent are Latino. CSUSM serves 10,738 students of which 44 percent are ethnic and racial minorities and 39 percent are Latino.

Palomar and CSUSM seek to increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income (HLI) students who complete their studies in a STEM field.  Through an extensive needs analysis, the institutions developed a five-year comprehensive plan to do this.  The Palomar-CSUSM  Planning Group has identified the following STEM improvement goals: (1) Increase the participation of HLI students in n STEM programs by developing a STEM Educational and Career Awareness program. (2) Improve Palomar HLI student success and persistence in STEM programs by implementing structured STEM pathways including a STEM Core curriculum. (3) Improve HLI student success by enhancing their engagement in the learning process and increasing their participation in academic and nonacademic support services.  (4) Increase the number of HLI students who successfully complete their r math and ESL requirements within the first three semesters of entry. (5) Improve HLI student success by strengthening program and curriculum through collaborative faculty initiatives and improved instructional and learning resources. (6) Improve HLI student success by implementing strategic, sustained, and systematic professional development opportunities focused on innovative curriculum and pedagogy in the classroom.

The Planning Group considered a variety of options to achieve the plan's goals and objectives. The group proposes to implement three interwoven strategies:

Focus on the Student. This strategy strengthens the STEM educational pathway from access, to persistence, to completion.  Attention is placed on orienting students to STEM careers and educational opportunities and enrolling them in structured pathways that provide a coordinated set of course sequences and advising, clearly defined instructional programs that are easy to navigate, and proactive ongoing support that facilitates student engagement. A STEM Core program is developed that prepares remedial math students for STEM majors’ coursework within one year of entry to Palomar.

Focus on the Curriculum and Programs. This strategy emphasizes the scaling up of curriculum and programs designed to improve student completion of math and ESL competencies. It includes efforts to align curriculum and STEM programs through interdisciplinary and cross-institutional faculty collaborations (high school, community college, and university).

Focus on the Faculty.  This strategy addresses what happens in the classroom through a strategic, ongoing, and systematic professional development program.   STEM Communities of Practice (COPs) will be implemented where Palomar and CSUSM faculty engage throughout the year to learn, implement, and evaluate innovative STEM curriculum and pedagogy.

Milestone and future outcomes to be used in the evaluation are identified.  These outcomes focus on HLI students and include the percentage students participating in a STEM field, the percentage of students persisting from semester to semester and successfully completing their STEM courses, the percentage of students earning a degree, certificate or transferring to a four­ year university, the percentage of students earning a bachelor's degree, and the decrease in the time to degree for STEM students.

### Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico

### P031S160179

### PR

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus (PCUPRA) requests funding for the implementation of the project Study Tools for Undergraduates: Discover and Explore New Technological Services (STUDENTS), as the lead applicant in a cooperative grant with the University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo (UPRA), in response to the U.S. Department of Education's FY 2015 Application for Grants under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (CFDA 84.013S). Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2 are addressed.

Both universities are Hispanic Serving Institutions located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Through the implementation of the proposed project the institutions seek to increase the number and proportion of high-need students who are academically prepared for, enroll in, or complete on time college, other postsecondary education, or other career and technical education. PCUPRA and UPRA made a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses and problems in their respective institutions and based on it created activities to address the problems identified in the resulting Comprehensive Development Plan.

The problems that will be addressed with the project are: Many unprepared students needing remedial preparation in basic skills; Lack of readily available assistance options for remedial education; Lack of financial stability among the student body; outdated teaching methods and Lack of implementation of innovative technological teaching methods. The proposed activities in response to the problems are: Center for Student Services and Academic Support (SSC); online instructional modules; Tutoring Program for Students; Learning Skills Workshops for Students; Teaching Skills Workshops for Faculty; Class offerings using clicker technology and financial support services for students.

First Year Budget: $650,000

### University Enterprises Corporation at California State University, San Bernardino

### P031S160209

### CA

**Title V:  Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program**

**Here To Career:  Improving Student Success In Digital Media Disciplines**

This cooperative proposal is put forward by California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), Norco College, and San Bernardino Valley College. This proposal was developed by the Title V Planning Committee which includes administrators, faculty, and students from each of the cooperative institutions. If awarded, the project would fund approximately $3,250,000 over five years.

California State University, San Bernardino, a four-year and graduate university,  Norco College, a public two-year college in the Riverside Community College District, and, San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), a public two-year college in the San Bernardino Community College District are neighboring Hispanic-Serving  Institutions in southern California's Inland Empire region. The populations served by CSUSB, Norco and SBVC are concentrated in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties-an area that has seen tremendous growth with the outward expansion of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The two counties are now home to more than four million people, including large proportions of Latino and low income residents, more than 45 percent of whom are Latino and nearly 40 percent speak a language other than English at home.

CSUSB, Norco and SBVC have entered into a joint effort to serve Hispanic and low-income residents by providing access to education; support for  their academic success, and opportunity to obtain skills leading to involvement in the rapidly growing field of digital media, that is-the production of digital media incorporating sound, visual content, motion, animation, and interactive design. Our "Here to Career" project has the following goals:

**GOAL 1:** Enhance student career readiness in the rapidly growing area of digital media. To address weaknesses associated with inadequate student access to programs offering current career opportunity and to address inadequate provisions for professional development in career and technical fields, we propose implementing problem based learning and hybrid/online components into specified digital media courses. Additionally, we propose enhanced, paid internships for students in order to provide them will specific, career-relevant digital media skills. These targeted, high-impact practices are designed to enhance academic community involvement and improve student success.

**GOAL 2.** Increase access, transfer readiness and transfer student success in digital media programs through outreach to Hispanics and low-income students. To address disproportionate rates of enrollment and success and severely limited resources, we propose targeted transfer advisement. This advisement will be accomplished both by a staff member serving Norco and SBVC students in specified digital media disciplines and by peer mentors who will help acquaint potential transfer students with the CSUSB academic community and resources.

**GOAL 3**. Expand limited institutional resources to help Hispanic and low income students. To address inadequate funds for program start-up and inadequacy of specialized program resources, we propose web/mobile security course development at SBVC and the creation of the CSUSB Center for Digital Media, which will serve as a resource center for students and faculty to work collaboratively on interdisciplinary and/or cross-campus projects initiated in their courses.

### The University Corporation, California State University-Northridge 

### P031S160246

### CA

**Developing California’s Workforce:**

**Creating Pathways for Latino Transfer Students in High Demand Careers**

The purpose of this cooperative arrangement is to increase the preparation of Latino and low­ income students from two Los Angeles-based  community colleges (College of the Canyons and Los Angeles Pierce College) so that they can successfully transfer to California State University, Northridge (CSUN), be prepared for upper division course work, and graduate in high-demand careers. We propose to provide academic support to increase the number of Latino students who successfully transfer from these two-year institutions to CSUN and provide ongoing academic and mentoring support to increase completion rates, particularly in the following areas: Animation, Graphic Arts/Multimedia Design, Accounting, Business Administration, Marketing, Nursing, and Manufacturing Systems Engineering.

Our new students from Latino and low-income communities bring cultural and linguistic capital and diverse experiences that enrich our campus life and programs. Often the first members of their family to attend college, these students may require additional assistance with English and math skills and social and economic support networks to adjust to higher education. These needs require that our institutions adjust our systems for academic support, student services, and communication. This project proposes to provide research-based best practices to support Latino and low-income transfer students, engage them in new career options, and help them succeed. It is anticipated that our external evaluation, conducted continuously throughout the project, will inform us of specific, successful strategies that can be applied to the larger campus community to institutionalize success for future students.

CSUN, College of the Canyons, and LA Pierce College are in a unique geographical location and share a similar student population with similar needs. All three share institutional strengths, including new leadership and facilities; strong, shared governance; a focus on student needs; and highly qualified faculty. All three campuses are fiscally sound -- despite cuts in state support for public education -- and are looking towards alternatives for financing programs. All three are accredited and have earned high praise for their work from accrediting agencies. The greatest challenge and opportunity for our cooperative are changing student demographics and student needs. The high enrollment of Latino and low-income students’ at all three campuses strengthens our community, but also stresses our abilities to provide effective English and math remediation, financial resources, and outreach support for those who are new to college life and expectations. 

Through this project we will apply best practices that include tutoring, mentoring, textbook lending, and more meaningful faculty engagement to increase the ability of students to successfully transfer from two community college partners to CSUN, where they may excel and complete their studies in high-demand career areas. Major strategies that will be utilized at all three campuses to support these students include high school outreach, development of learning/support communities, peer tutoring and mentoring, faculty and student exchange opportunities, and the development of Associate Degree Transfer plans between campuses.

### Yakima Community College 

### P031S160093

### WA

**Yakima Valley Community College Title V 2015-20 Proposal Equitable Access to Learning (EQUAL)**

Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC) is challenged to increase access to and success in post-secondary education for a largely under-prepared population in an 800 square mile service rural service district in south-central Washington State. More than 90 percent of entering students place into developmental coursework, and only about 25 percent complete a credential within four years. Because YVCC must expend considerable resources serving under-prepared students and retention to college-level coursework is low, YVCC's college-level course offerings are restricted, with many courses only offered on the Yakima Campus.

The EQUAL proposal focuses on a single Activity to meet the Absolute and Competitive Preference Priorities: Equitable Access to Learning (EQUAL).  This activity includes accelerating college readiness, expanding opportunities to earn college level cred it’s, and improving student services and college facilities to support student success at the Grandview Campus.  Strategies to accelerate college readiness include outreach to high schools to encourage preparation; learning communities combining pre-college skills development courses with college-level courses; and Accelerated Learning Programs in developmental Math and English. College-level offerings will be increased via quality eLearning courses; expansion of Spanish for Heritage Learners and science courses at the Grandview Campus; and new programs of study in Interpreting and Translation. Student services and facilities at the Grandview Campus will be expanded to include a math tutoring center; student access to a digital classroom; more advising hours; expanded financial literacy programming both in workshops and for class credits; and an endowment.

### Mendocino-Lake Community College District Inc. 

### P031S160177

### CA

#FYI - First Year Institute - Mendocino College, a two-year community college established in 1973, serves one of the most isolated regions in California. In 2013, more than 35 percent of all high school graduates in the district (which includes Lake and Mendocino counties) enrolled at Mendocino College (Mendocino College MIS Reports). The average student population at Mendocino College is 6,204 with 30.09 percent identified as Hispanic, making Mendocino College a Hispanic Serving Eligible Institution as of 2013. Supported by involving all areas of the college, MC will implement research-based strategies to develop a college culture that promotes, expedites, and values student success among Hispanic and high-need students. 

### San Diego City College

### P031S160107

### CA 

San Diego City College (City) is one of three two-year community colleges that make up the San Diego Community College District. Three-fourths of its 16,370 students are minorities, and the Latino enrollment is 7,858, 48 percent of the total. More than 60 percent of all students are low in­ come, and over a third are the first in their families to attend college. Three-fourths are part-time, and about 80 percent are academically underprepared.

In City's designated service area, only 59 percent of Latino adults have completed high school and a mere 12.8 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher. Median Latino household income is

$39,048 (25 percent below the national average), and more than a quarter (27.3 percent) of Latino families live in poverty (American Community Survey, 2013).

City's six-year average for fall-to-fall retention is only 43 percent, compared to 54 percent for the District. Average cohort completion rates during the past six years have been only 54.2 percent for City's underprepared students, the bulk of the student body, compared to 64.7 percent for the prepared. Low persistence translates to lost enrollment-related revenues-on top of large state funding cuts over the last eight years. The funding drop has prevented City from expanding successful instructional techniques, such as Basic Skills course compression and Learning Communities, or providing much needed professional development.

To address these problems, City proposes a Title V activity with the following emphases:

Key course redesign: Basic Skills Math and English, ESL (called ESOL at City), Personal Growth (freshman seminars), and selected general education courses. Compression of courses in developmental sequence. Development of Learning Communities and infusion of engaging practices into instruction. Extensive faculty and staff professional development in high impact pedagogies and in understanding and working with diverse students.

Development of peer support for at-risk students: training of Peer Mentors to provide personal support and academic guidance, focusing on entering Latinos; expansion of Supplemental Instruction

Creation of supportive spaces: Four Cultural Competency Centers, where instructors can gather for professional development and where students, especially Latinos, can access personal and academic support, exchange ideas, work collaboratively, form study groups, and have a centralized meeting space.

By the end of the grant period, City expects to see the following changes: success in completing Basic Skills and ESOL requirements  and enrolling in and passing college-level English and math improving by at least five percentage points over baseline (improving student out­ comes at lower costs through an accelerated curriculum); higher success rates (C or better) in historically-difficult  courses increasing by at least five percentage points over baseline; at least 250 students enrolling in a smaller success program; and improved retention rates, which will translate into additional enrollment-related revenues.

Overall grant request for the five years: $2,625,000.

### Bergen Community College

### P031S160134

### NJ

**Pathway Scholars Program**

**Persisting through College-Level Courses with Intention & Confidence**

Learning-enhancement  and proactive advising strategies will be integrated through the Pathway Scholars Program (PSP) to support high-need Hispanic and low-income students as they transition from developmental to college-level courses.

Among these students, withdrawal and failure rates in college-level gateway courses exceed 30 percent in some instances. A barrier to graduation, gateway courses contribute to high attrition one semester or two following developmental education: while 66 percent now return for a 3rd semester and enroll in introductory courses, an outcome much improved due to the Title-V-funded 1-2-3 Connect, more than half do not complete and leave before their 5th semester.

PSP, a second phase of 1-2-3 Connect, addresses this concern, consistent with the grant program's 2015 Absolute Priority and Competitive Preference Priority 1.  It will serve 3,500+ students transitioning from developmental coursework, 1,970 of whom with intensive services (one fourth or more from Hispanic/Latino groups).

Activities will deepen students' learning engagement (alignment of 10 gateway courses into four pathways; reform in course content, delivery, and learning assistance; paid summer projects) and energize their overall experience (attentive advising, college/life coaching, and peer-mentoring; expansive online resources and community; performance reward system). Staff and 50 gateway instructors will work together as stewards of student success, and participate in rigorous, data­ driven assessments, to inspire upward of 62 percent of students to return for a fifth semester.

Beyond numbers, the dual aim of PSP is to usher a college culture that is intently and creatively focused on empowering student growth and development inside and beyond the classroom.

### Universidad del Sagrado Corazon

### P031S160142

### PR

Active Learning to Empower Students and Increase Retention and Graduation Universidad del Sagrado Corazon (USC), located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in response to the increasingly common challenge of decreased enrollment and low retention and graduation rates among Hispanic Serving Institutions, proposes an innovative, strong theory, priority-based and student-centered four-prong project: "Active Learning to Empower Students and Increase Retention and Graduation". This activity is organized in four components: 1) Creation of transformative learning environments; 2) Reshaping teaching and learning; 3) Integration of co-work and learning incubator spaces, and technologically upgraded classrooms; and 4) Revamping the student learning outcomes assessment system. The four components will provide USC with the means to help more Hispanic students enroll, persist and graduate in six years or less, through the assistance of faculty and student services and support services personnel. Among the expected outcomes are: engaged faculty and students to develop deep learning and academic success, supported by strengthened student services personnel and resources; students who mastered their social, academic and professional competencies; increased retention and graduation rates; technological innovations, pedagogical enhancements and out-of-the-classroom experiential learning through state-of-the-art co-work and learning incubator spaces and technologically upgraded classrooms; and faculty with strong capacity to define students' learning goals, tasks and success criteria; and a student learning outcomes assessment system provides timely feedback and reinforcement to both students and faculty in all relevant areas.

### Chabot-Las Positas Community College District-Chabot College

### P031S160212

### CA

**Reducing Time to Completion: A Holistic and Strategic Approach to and Addressing Student Needs and Interests**

Chabot College is a fully-accredited, public, urban two-year Hispanic-Serving Institution (38 percent Hispanic) serving 13,323 students located in Hayward, California in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is part of an exceptionally multicultural region, serving one of the ten most diverse counties in the United States. Chabot's student enrollment consists of 82 percent minority/non-white students. About 59 percent of Chabot students are the first in their family to even attend college and among Latinos it is 71 percent, the large majority of whom are also low-income (91 percent) The majority (89 percent) of students place in either developmental English or mathematics. These attributes lead to low success, persistence and completion rates.

The project is based on Chabot's Strategic Plan Goal: Increase the number of students that achieve their educational goal within a reasonable time by clarifying pathways and providing more information and support. The College will implement a number of institution­ wide activities that support Latino and other low-income student achievement throughout the life of their college careers as they move from Entry to Engagement to Achievement.

The Title V Activity is comprised of four major components: 1) Establish a Latino­ friendly, one-stop resource center for students and their families, El Centro, with a coordinated intake process that connects students to resources needed to accelerate and complete; 2) Strengthen key student transition points and barriers that impede timely completion with an  additional focus on math; 3) Establish an Ethnic Studies pathway and connect it and other pathways to Learning Community and First-Year Experience (FYE) Programs; and 4) Provide professional development that supports culturally relevant teaching and learning.

The Title V Activity addresses the Absolute Priority and both Competitive Preference Priorities. The Logic Model that was used in the planning and development of Title V Strategies demonstrates high alignment with U.S. Department of Education's HSI Program GPRAs.

Specifically, Chabot seeks to increase enrollment, full-time enrollment, persistence, degree/certificate graduation, and transfer rates. In addition, Chabot is targeting Hispanic and/or other low-income students and will measure the effectiveness of the project based on increased outcomes with these degree-seeking student populations: 1) Hispanic students; 2) Hispanic students who are also low-income; and 3) other low-income students.

The five-year expected outcomes seek to:

· Increase the percentage of first-time students who are degree-seeking Hispanic and/or low-income students

· Increase the percentage of degree-seeking Hispanic and/or low-income students who are enrolled full-time

· Increase the fall-to-fall persistence of first-time degree-seeking Hispanic and/or low­ income students at least 50 percent of first-time, degree-seeking Hispanic and/or low-income Math Jam students will reassess at a higher math level

· Increase the percentage of degree-seeking Hispanic and/or low-income basic skills students who succeed in developmental Math courses

· Increase the percentage of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking Hispanic and/or low­ income students who graduate with a degree/certificate or transfer to a four-year institution within three years.

### Lone Star College-Tomball

### P031S160060

### TX

Established in 1971, Lone Star College-Tomball (LSC-Tomball) is one of six colleges in the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, with a total student headcount of 16,961.  The rate at which Hispanic students complete, graduate, and transfer is inequitable to the overall percentage of enrolled Hispanic students.  While Hispanic students are completing course at rates of 80-89 percent, the success rate is much lower.  Success rates for Developmental Math, Developmental English are 49 percent and 70 percent, respectively, for face-to-face instruction and much lower for online or hybrid courses.  Success rates for College Algebra, 52 percent, and English Composition and Rhetoric, 62 percent, reinforce the need for support.

The college seeks to address three significant problems.  First, FTIC students do not have the requisite skills to successfully persist to degree attainment.  Second, there is a lack of opportunities for professional development for faculty and staff that increase awareness of the diverse needs of the Hispanic and low income student population and prepare faculty with teaching strategies that lead to student success.  Finally, decreases in revenues combined with increasing need for services prohibit LSC-Tomball from making necessary changes to improve success rates and overcome institutional deficiencies.

LSC-Tomball seeks to: (1) enhance the First-Year Experience (FYE) course by embedding grit and growth mindset theory into the curriculum; (2) enhance outreach initiatives to the Hispanic community (increase enrollment/matriculation  activities and referral to services); create alternative course designs that move students quickly into college-level coursework and promote faster completion of degree and transfer programs; (4) create a technology-enhanced multidisciplinary academic support center (i-MASC) to improve retention and sense of belonging and direction for underserved students; and (5) to provide faculty and staff with   professional development opportunities and resources that promote student success and cultural competency.

These strategies will be organized under CLASS:  Center for Leadership, Academic, and Student Success.  CLASS includes establishing a program endowment and the transfer of significant pieces of CLASS to the college over the life of the grant so that activities can continue once the grant ends.

### Norwalk Community College

### P031S160119

### CT

**The Student Success Collaborative: Transforming Student Pathways To Credentials and Beyond**

Norwalk Community College (NCC) is among the largest of Connecticut’s 12 community colleges, with an annual enrollment of over 9,000 students. 39 percent of NCC's incoming students are Hispanic, 60 percent are minority, and over 60 percent are first-generation college students.

NCC's service areas are among the most inequitable counties in the country, where 17 percent of Hispanic families live in poverty, compared with only 2.4 percent of white families. NCC is the cornerstone of efforts to combat poverty in Fairfield County.

Despite NCC's strong reputation for academic quality and the high levels of commitment of NCCs faculty and staff to student success, NCC's graduation rates remain well below national averages. The challenges students face begin when they enter NCC and continue throughout their time at the college. For example, in the first semester, 15 percent of students will complete none of their classes. After one year, only 61 percent of students will remain at the College.

The proposed project, "The Student Success Collaborative:  Transforming Student Pathways to Credentials and Beyond" focuses on infusing academic support throughout the curriculum from orientation to graduation. 

The activity focuses on three integrated components that are critical to improving the success of Hispanic and other at-risk populations at NCC. These are:   1. Redesign of Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR); 2.  Embedding academic support in 18 gateway courses; and 3. Establishing Learning Communities. Through these activities, NCC will meet the goals of:  a) increasing retention; b) increasing student achievement; and c) increasing graduation rates.

### Research Foundation of CUNY o/b/o John Jay College

### P031S160176

### NY

**Developing the Foundations of Post-Graduate Success: Engaging Hispanic Students in Experiential Learning and Integrated Academic and Career Planning**

This project seeks to improve persistence and post-graduate preparation of Hispanic students at John Jay College of the City University of New York, one of the largest Hispanic- Serving Institutions in the northeastern United States. The planned activities, supporting academic skills building, goal-oriented planning and research experiences target students during the developmentally critical sophomore year.

The activities take a holistic approach to student development and address the intellectual, social, and personal growth of Hispanic students. Initiative I focuses on four core objectives. It will develop curriculum for sophomore signature courses that supports academic skills building and planning behaviors, and create the faculty development structure for teaching and mentoring sophomores. By creating online student-driven, integrated academic and career planning resources, Initiative I will also contribute to the academic progress and retention of sophomores. Finally, it will establish a workshop series and a peer success coaching program, which will help sophomores identify their goals and strengths, and guide them through the process of applying for academic and professional opportunities.

Initiative II focuses on  creating 200-level general education courses in the sciences to scaffold technical skill building for sophomores, and developing new science majors to provide expanded opportunities to our students in emerging STEM fields. Curricular materials for these courses will be published online, thus lowering the cost of access for students. Initiative II will also provide new opportunities to participate in mentored undergraduate research as a form of experiential learning. This activity will pair students with faculty and peer mentors, thus providing them with both the academic and social connections essential to improved retention and post-graduate success.

### California State University, Dominguez Hills

### P031S160236

### CA

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), proposes Project Accelerate, an institutional capacity-building project with an overall goal to improve CSU DH's capacity to serve Hispanic and other high-need students. To achieve this goal, Project Accelerate will develop and integrate three primary activities into the fabric of the university: academic support services; developing a coordinated, comprehensive advising suite of services; and developing and implementing high-quality online or hybrid learning opportunities. This approach will accelerate and deepen the benefits students receive from high impact practices and contribute to student learning, persistence and overall success while decreasing time to degree. Activities include:

**Activity 1**: Academic Support Services:  Implement a Summer Bridge program for college ready students (already in place for remedial students), peer coaching, intrusive advising and supplemental instruction (SI)/peer led team learning (PLTL). New activities such as the Stanford belongingness and growth mindset interventions, University 101 Freshmen Dream Seminars, and Designing Your Life modules for juniors, are anticipated to be a multiplying effect to the already established high impact practices.

**Activity 2:**   Develop a coordinated, comprehensive Online Advising Suite and train faculty and staff in new protocols.  An Online Advising Suite interface will be built consisting of a robust array of advising and counseling services efficiently using available technology; advising services and processes will be coordinated without gaps or overlaps in the system; and faculty and professional advisors will be trained in using the system.

**Activity 3.** Develop and implement high-quality online, flipped classroom or hybrid learning opportunities and provide faculty development in best practices. A significant number of tenure-track and tenured faculty will be trained on the best practice pedagogy and have the opportunity to make course changes using active-learning/flipped-learning curriculum/hybrid learning. Upon completion of the project, this faculty will serve as trainers to other faculty via the Faculty Development Center.

In addition to standard formative and summative evaluation methods, a path analysis will be employed to provide a holistic perspective on the impact of multiple interventions on individual students or groups of students with similar characteristics.

Project Accelerate activities will address the Absolute Priority to increase the number and proportion of high-need students who are academically prepared for, enroll in or complete college on time, other postsecondary education, or other career and technical education. It also meets the Competitive Preference Priorities: 1) Provide tutoring, counseling and student services to improve academic success through a summer Bridge program, comprehensive and tailored academic advising and coaching with a Faculty Advising Fellows Academy component, mandatory SJ/PLTL, Toro Peer Coaching, University 101 Dream Seminars for freshmen, and Design your Life modules for Transfer Juniors; and 2) Support the development and implementation of hybrid and online credit-bearing courses through implementation of active learning classrooms, flipped learning and faculty development.

CSUDH is a comprehensive public university in Los Angeles County is a minority­ majority campus and designated Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). It leads the state in awarding credentials to African-American teachers as well as STEM teacher credentials while attracting many first-generation college students.  In fall 2014, CSUDH enrolled 14,687 students; 87.1 percent represent an ethnicity other than white and 58 percent are Hispanic.

### Estrella Mountain Community College

### P031S160090

### AZ

**Proposal Title:  Placement, Pathways, and Prevention: Harnessing Acceleration to Reduce Barriers to Timely Completion**

**Grant Type: Individual Development Grant**

Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) is part of the Maricopa County Community College District. Approximately 69 percent of students, new to the college, placed into one or more developmental education courses. Only 40 percent of students placing and enrolling into developmental math in their first semester completed a college level math course within two years. Just 16 percent completed college mathematics or higher (MAT 142+) during this same period. Lack of timely developmental course success, and low overall completion rates, places many students at a higher risk of not graduating. To address these challenges, EMCC submits this application for a Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program grant (CFDA Number 84.031S).

Placement, Pathways, and Prevention is designed to increase the number of EMCC students who place into college level courses and decrease the time students take to progress through developmental courses and succeed in college level courses. This project will utilize placement test preparation, OERs, and course acceleration options as strategic components. Over the life of the grant, the project is designed to achieve the following goals: (1) reduce the number of students placed into developmental education; (2) accelerate the time students take to successfully complete developmental and related college level courses; (3) increase timely graduation rates for Hispanic and all students; and (4) increase the endowment by $400,000 to support student scholarships. This project will enable the college to improve overall degree completion rates by significantly increasing the number of students placing into college level courses and advancing student progress through the developmental education sequence.

### RFCUNY d/b/a-Stella and Charles Guttman Community College

### P031S160092

### NY

Stella and Charles Guttman Community College (GCC) is a new community college in New York City that opened in fall 2012. The GCC is the first college founded by the City University of New York (CUNY) in over forty years and was established specifically to improve the success rate seen in community colleges nationally in attaining student learning and achievement. CUNY's goal was to build a college based on innovative, high-impact, and evidence-based practices that lead to student success. The College will admit its fourth cohort in fall 2015 leading to approximately 1200 students on its way to a target enrollment of 5,000 in 2025.

Serving a majority Hispanic (55 percent), under-prepared urban population, GCC's primary objective is to increase the number of students, especially those often not effectively served in higher education, to engage with learning, persist in their programs of study, and attain a degree in a timely manner. Our first three years of graduation rate data show the GCC educational model to be successful.

Nevertheless, we face serious challenges going forward with respect to persistence and completion rates for our most academically high-need students (the lower two-thirds of students based on high school GPA upon entry). Hence GCC proposes Project GLEAM: Guttman's Learning, Engagement, and Advising Model. Project GLEAM will enable us to improve and integrate our comprehensive academic support model ("universal" and "optional" features of academic support) to increase the persistence and success of our most academically at-risk students. The proposed project will:

Develop and implement an integrative, universal model of differentiated instruction and academic support.

Create a physical and virtual academic support space, a Learning Lab, and deliver optional support to all Guttman students, but in particular its high academic need and very high academic need students (in middle and lower text, respectively).

Create and build a technology infrastructure for supporting student engagement that will enable Guttman to analyze effective practice and provide proactive advising and academic support as the College is scaled to 5,000 students.

Project GLEAM is an institution-wide endeavor which aims to achieve the following objectives:

· Increase our fall-to-fall retention rate from the first to second year to 80 percent by 2020.

· Increase the percentage of high-need (middle and lower text entry-level CAA) students who graduate within three years from 26 percent to 30 percent by 2020.

· Increase transfer students first semester persistence to 97 percent by 2020; and increase average first semester cred it attainment by three credits (over baseline).

· Engage 100 percent of faculty teaching in the First Year Curriculum in professional development for differentiated instruction by 2017.

· Integrate and deploy advising support technology and systematize GCC's advising practices by 2017.

· Use learning analytics to identify effective academic support interventions by 2018; integrate proactive use of these effective practices for 100 percent of identified students by 2020.

The power of GLEAM's approach is the way its activities work in conce1i. When deliberately and systematically implemented, Project GLEAM will create a culture of academic support and learning for all GCC stakeholders, leading to increased persistence and timely degree completion of our Hispanic and high-need student population.

### Cuyamaca College

### P031S160149

### CA

Established in 1978, Cuyamaca College is one of two colleges in the Grossmont- Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD), which serves the eastern region of San Diego County, California. The East County shares 40 miles of international border with Mexico, includes suburban communities as well as rural areas, and is as large as the state of Rhode Island. Cuyamaca College serves a diverse student body of 8,470.

Cuyamaca College has a high rate (88.1 percent) of high-need Hispanic students who are underprepared for college.  Significant achievement gaps exist in persistence, remedial progress and goal completion.  The completion rate of Hispanic students is 38.7 percent, significantly lower than the completion rate of other students (48.9 percent).

Based on a two-year detailed analysis of data, a thorough review of best practices and the collective determination of faculty and staff, Cuyamaca College has developed a sustainable Comprehensive Development Plan to increase the academic success of Hispanic students.  The College will implement The Pathway Academy, an activity consisting of three strategies:

Accelerated English, Math and ESL pathways to completion;

Expansion of student support services for high-need  Hispanic students;

Professional development for all faculty and staff (including part-time).

The impact of The Pathway Academy will be an increased number and proportion of high-need students who are academically prepared for, enroll in, and complete college in a timely manner.  Measurable outcomes will be increased rates of persistence, course success, remedial progress and degree completion.  A total of $2,571,809.00 is requested to implement The Pathway Academy, which will strengthen academic programs, institutional management and fiscal stability at Cuyamaca College.

### University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

### P031S160247

### PR

**Proposed Project "Pathways to Success: RUMbos para el Exito"**

The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM) is a public Land-Sea-Space grant university established in 1911 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. It is one of the three main campuses of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), the state university system. UPRM serves a 99 percent Hispanic and mostly low-income population. In the academic year 2014-2015 enrollment at UPRM was 11,590 full time students; 838 of which were enrolled in graduate programs. From the overall enrollment, 51.52 percent were males and 48.47 percent were females. Analysis of institutional data on variables such as retention, graduation rates, failure in gateway courses, and pre-university knowledge and skills and review of research on effective interventions suggested the need to intervene to enhance retention and persistence. In 1993 Tinto identified that institutional actions that had proven to improve student retention and persistence are: first year transition assistance, early contact and community building, academic involvement and support, and academic monitoring and early warning. UPRM lacks all of those programs. Also, in order to improve. The academic achievement in gateway courses it is necessary to stimulate the experimentation with best practices and the adoption and institutionalization of those practices. 

The proposal presents two activities.

**Activity One:** UPRM is lacking: early alert systems, career development orientation, study coaches, extramural education experiences and enhanced learning environments and teaching techniques for gateway courses. The best framework for integration of all the components of the program for success was one cohesive umbrella, "The Center for Success: RUMbo EX. The Center for Student Success will coordinate and disseminate information about the tutoring services on campus, offer student coaches services in Mathematics and Sciences, coordinate the transition program for first year students "PORTICO," develop a software for goal setting and monitoring and time management and study habits skills, implement the Early Alert Warning System and promote the development and access to modules on specific topics such as how to organize ideas to answer open ended questions, and the experimentation and adoption of best practices for teaching gateway courses.

**Activity Two:**UPRM proposes the creation of four technology-enhanced experimental classrooms; two in Sanchez Hidalgo Building and two in Carlos Chardon Building. These classrooms will have flexible layouts and the technology for innovative teaching and for distance education as well as courses that integrate present and distant students. Experiments with techniques to teach Mathematical Sciences, English, Humanities and Physics among other disciplines will be conducted in those classrooms.

### Los Angeles Harbor College

### P031S160232

### CA

**Harbor Advantage to Harbor Success (An Individual Development Project)**

Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) is a comprehensive, two-year college offering transfer, vocational, and community services programs. Located near the Port of Los Angeles, the college's service area is ethnically and economically diverse, with a majority-minority population. Significant employment opportunities for individuals with college educations exist; however, educational attainment is surprisingly low. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and governed by a Board of Trustees, Harbor College works energetically to prepare students for transfer and careers; however, low persistence and completion rates prevent student goal attainment. LAHC serves a steadily growing number of Hispanic students­ currently at 53.9 percent--that is projected to increase over the next ten years.

**Activity:** Harbor Advantage to Harbor Success (HA2HS) -$2,625,000 over five years

This Activity is comprised of four components, each proposing strategies designed to expand Harbor College's capacity to increase the number of students who complete transfer, degree, and certificate programs and to serve students by strengthening online academic and student services programs.

**Component One:** Harbor Advantage: A prescriptive approach to student success that guarantees new incoming students a full-schedule of classes in their first year, including math, English, a success course, and a general education course in their chosen interest/career pathway.

Harbor Advantage includes pre-assessment boot camps, faculty mentors, early alert interventions, and other support services such as tutoring and financial and cultural awareness training for faculty, staff, and students in order to decrease equity gaps. Assessment, orientation, and an educational plan are required prior to registration. Harbor Advantage will expand to include online and part-time students.

**Component Two:** Harbor Success: A second-year approach to student success that focuses on course completion, transfer, career exploration through internships, and success strategies for identified second-year gatekeeper courses. Other support services include university visits, tutoring, faculty mentors, and expanded financial and cultural awareness training for faculty/staff and students. Harbor Success will include online and part-time students.

**Component Three:** Distance Learning Experience: Strengthening and expanding Harbor College's capacity to increase student success through online tutoring, orientation, counseling, library resources, and professional development for faculty and staff to expand use of, and create efficiencies in n, the use of technology in teaching and serving students.

**Component Four:** The establishment of a Student Success Endowment to ensure Harbor College students can successfully complete their programs of study by accessing scholarships and other financial resources.

Key measures of success include:  a) increased progression and success in completing 24 units in an academic year, including required math and English; b) increased academic programs and online services for part-time and distant learners; c) developed, revised, updated, and articulated online courses; and d) faculty professional development.

Project Management and Evaluation Harbor will have an on-going planning and evaluation process consistent with the management and evaluation plans detailed in the project. Annual external evaluations are included in n the budget for years 2-5.

**Competitive Preference Priorities:**

This proposal addresses the Absolute Priorities and Competitive Preference Priority One and Two.

### Lone Star College-North Harris

### P031S160059

### TX

Lone Star College-North Harris (LSC-NH) was established in 1972 as North Harris Community College. Since then, it has served as the anchor college for the six-campus Lone Star College system serving the northern regions of the Houston Metropolitan area. LSC-NH has a headcount of more than 27,000. Currently, 36.8 percent of students are Hispanic, 76.7 percent are minority, 50.6 percent receive financial aid, and more than half are first-time in college and/or first-generation students.

The college is situated in the most urban and economically disadvantaged communities within the Lone Star College System. Because of its open door policy and the composition of the service area surrounding the college, LSC-NH enrolls a large number of educationally and economically disadvantaged students. Many students arrive at LSC-NH without the skills necessary for academic success. Data reveal that almost 60 percent of the student population needs developmental (remedial) instruction in English, Reading or Mathematics. Many of these students feel out of place in college and are unaware of how to access available resources that could improve their grades, build their success skills, connect their degree plan to their career goals, and improve their overall chance of post-secondary success. As a result, many students start college already on the path toward dropping out (remediation-low GPA-probation-drop out).

Like the student population, the faculty at Lone Star College-North Harris comes from diverse backgrounds. While some faculty has been teaching for more than a decade, the college's high ratio of adjunct professors means that a large number of instructors have limited classroom experience. Regardless of their experience level, all faculty at LSC-NH must work to better address the unique and changing needs of the academically needy 21st century learners on campus.

In an effort to best-serve the current student population, LSC-NH is proposing a comprehensive project called Mi Casa Es Su CASA (connect to the Campus Community; Acclimate and Adapt to the Rigors of Academic Life; succeed and Self-Improve for the Duration; and Achieve and Compete in College and Beyond). The proposed project has  single activity: Increase the persistence, completion and transfer rates of Hispanic and underserved students by:  1) Improving student engagement and preparedness through increased student awareness of and access to LSC­ NH resources and opportunities; and 2) Improving student success rates by providing best-fit instruction to the LSC-NH student population.

This activity focuses on guiding students through each of the four CASA phases through the introduction of three initiatives. The first two initiatives – iMalls (information technology enhances.  Multidisciplinary Academic Learning Lounges (Center for Academic Success and Transition – are designed to connect students to LSC-NH resources and improve student engagement.  The third initiative – Project MATCH. (Meaningfully Aligned Targeted Curriculum/Courses for Hispanic and underserve students) -will help ensure instructional delivery and professional development are student-centered and in line with needs of underserved 21st century learners.

### Inter-American University of Puerto Rico Bayaman Campus

### P031S160165

### PR

**Project Title:  Fostering Innovation, Quality, and Access in STEM Education**

Introduction/Service Area: Inter American University of PR - Bayamon Campus (IAUPR-BC) is a private, nonprofit, four-year, HSI located on the fringes of the San Juan metro area. IAUPR­BC serves residents from Bayamon and neighboring cities/towns, an economically distressed area with high levels of poverty and low educational attainment. Thirty-five percent of residents Jive in poverty and only 76 percent of adults are high school graduates (10 percentage points lower than the United States). IAUPR-BC's fall 2014 enrollment was 4,826 (4,402 undergraduate students); 99.9 percent were Hispanic and 84 percent were Pell grant eligible.

Institutional Problems:  IAUPR-BC is designated as the STEM campus for the entire IAUPR system (nine campuses). We continue seeking ways to enhance institutional capability to prepare and support our students to succeed in the 21st century workforce. STEM occupations, especially in engineering, are a pathway to a promising future, one that can lift our students out of their socioeconomic distress. But despite bright prospects for engineering/STEM majors in Puerto Rico and beyond, IAUPR-BC must overcome serious issues before it can provide its students access to employment within promising STEM occupations. Our primary problems center around several key areas: gaps in academic programming and academic support services, inadequate engineering and science laboratory facilities and instrumentation, and inability to provide accessible (online) educational options to meet .student needs.

Proposed   Solutions: IAUPR-BC's significant problems will be strategically addressed through this Title V Activity, which is guided by a well-designed logic model designed to facilitate both planning and implementation of the project. We intend to create up-to-date, relevant, and engaging programs of study and effective approaches to improve student academic success by developing the following:

A new Bachelor of Science degree program in Architectural Engineering (AE) - will expand educational options for students to facilitate upward socioeconomic mobility;

New engineering/science labs with industry-standard equipment; updating equipment in existing engineering Jabs to support proposed AE program and STEM programming;

Proactive academic support system specifically geared to meet student needs and support students at risk of failure: includes STEM tutoring, academic advising, freshman seminars, and undergraduate research;

Online science/engineering courses - will expand access to STEM curricula. Proposed Budget: The five-year budget for this Title V project is $2,624,958.

**Palo Alto College**

### P031S160174

### TX

Palo Alto College, one of the five Alamo Colleges, has been a pillar of the south San Antonio community since it began offering classes in 1985 with an enrollment of 23l students. Its opening was the realization of a community dream to build an institution of higher learning in the south side of San Antonio -a historically impoverished, educationally underserved, and predominantly Hispanic community. Now in its 30th year, the college has an enrollment of 8,376 students and continues to provide high-quality education in San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the nation with one of the largest, fast-growing Hispanic populations. However, workers make 11 percent below the nationwide average with a per capita income of only $22,619. Only 24.6 percent of the population ages 25 and above have a bachelor's degree or higher. Reflecting these figures, Palo Alto students face many barriers to achievement: 42 percent are economically disadvantaged, 49 percent receive financial aid, and 78 percent require remediation. Ever perseverant, Palo Alto College students see themselves as hard workers striving to improve their families and communities; with the proper support, Palo Alto College can be a catalyst for improvements in their educational and economic standing.  Thus, Project Impacto  proposes to establish college wide best practices and support systems that enable high-need students to successfully enter, persist, and complete an associate's degree program by:

Strengthening high impact practices for continuing students to improve student persistence and completion.

Establishing a Student Advocacy Center at Palo Alto College to improve overall rates of student success.

Increasing professional development opportunities for faculty and staff that will improve student engagement, teaching, and learning.

### University Enterprises Corporation at CSUSB

### P031S160239

### CA

**CSUSB's Coyote First STEP (Student Transition Enhancement Program) Abstract**

Need for remediation in math and English at the college-level is a costly and widespread problem in the United States.  The problem is particularly pronounced at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB).  CSUSB is a public, comprehensive four-year institution of higher education.  Since its inception in 1965, CSUSB has grown to an enrollment of more than I 8,000 students.  The fall 2014 student enrollment includes 54.9 percent Hispanic; 17.1 percent White; 6.6 percent African American; 5.9 percent Asian/Pacific Islander; 0.2 percent Native American. Seventy percent of those who graduate are the first in their families to do so. A significant number-more than 50 percent--of incoming first time freshmen each year require remediation in Mathematics, English, or both.  Mathematics remediation, in particular, poses a significant challenge to our students' ability to attain their baccalaureate degree, and to our institution in terms of provision of numerous and costly developmental courses and support services. Furthermore, the majority of those students requiring math remediation are Latinas (approx. 63 percent are Hispanic females).

This proposal describes the unique, intensive residential early start program that has been created.  Coyote First STEP (CFS) is a comprehensive program of both academic and co­ curricular experiences that is designed to reduce the need for remediation at enrollment and to provide the necessary socialization and psycho-social support structures proven to help Hispanic and other high-need students succeed in their postsecondary education. The project has the following goals and measureable objectives.

**Project Goal 1**: Reduce the need for and number of developmental math courses incoming freshman require, and increase the success rate in GE math.

Objectives

1.1 Reduction in the number of remedial courses students need at enrollment by one level, at minimum; thus, shortening the time to completion of GE math.

1.2 Decrease GE math enrollment bottleneck to no more than five percent students unable to enroll in fall sections of Math I I O/I 15.

1.3 Increase the pass rate for students' first attempt at GE math by 10 percent by year 5.

1.4 Eliminate the achievement gap in time-to-degree for freshmen who test below college-level in math on the ELM as compared to non-remedial students.

**Project Goal 2:**  Improve institutional identification, sense of belonging, understanding of college life, and academic mastery skills among incoming freshman with developmental education needs to improve retention and time to degree.

Objectives

2.1 Enhance identification and engagement among students with developmental needs through participation in co-curricular summer and academic year activities and support.

2.2  Increase sense of self-efficacy as a college student among CFS participants.

2.3  Enhance sense of empowerment among CFS participants.

2.4  Eliminate the achievement gap in year-to-year retention for freshmen who test below college-level in math on the ELM as compared to non-remedial students.

### Lee College District

### P031S160051

### TX

Lee College, a comprehensive community college in Harris County, Texas, proposes a Title V project with two goals: increase student success by improving the persistence of ail students, particularly male students and increase the capacity of the college to support students to the point of program completion or transfer. After a two-year comprehensive development process that involved teams of faculty, staff, administrators and students, the college community identified these two goals and associated measurable objectives as part of a Completion by  Design focus on progress and completion.

Through two activities, wraparound services and engagement to completion, the college will reach its goals. The wraparound services include a case management strategy for counselors and advisors, case management with Student Ambassadors and a Call Center, and enhanced technology to support student progress through the system. To engage the students to completion, the college will put an emphasis on transition to improve career knowledge and transfer possibilities. It will provide use the services of a consultant to maximize the utility of the student enterprise software, PeopleSoft. Finally, it will increase the possibilities for professional development for both full-time and part-time faculty, student services staff and the entire college community to support students to completion, especially in online delivery courses.

Overall, the budget of $2,625,000 reflects the two goals, the two activities that arise from these goals and the two competitive priorities of increasing academic success and increasing success in online classes throughout the college system. All of this emphasis on success is designed to lead to additional completion by first-generation college students, low income students, and students from underrepresented groups.

**El Paso Community College**

### P031S160105

### TX

Positioned along the United States / Mexico border, El Paso County Community College (EPCC) enrolls approximately 30,000 students from the surrounding communities, allowing us the opportunity to serve a predominately first-generation, Hispanic population with a low socio­ economic status. The proposed project directly addresses the Title V purpose of expanding opportunities for and improving the academic attainment of Hispanic students.

This Early Alert Case Management Program will provide high need students with academic and other support services to increase their ability to adjust and remain in college through program completion. Many of these students are deficient in basic academic and college social skills necessary to be successful. This project will provide the case management; educational activities and student tracking that will allow early and effective intervention. The primary goal is to increase the percentage of FTIC students that successfully complete a degree or certificate and are able to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year institution. The major program objectives are to increase the retention rate (Fall to Fall enrollment) by 10 percent for FTIC students seeking degrees or certificates starting Fall 2015 through year five of the grant and increase the graduation rate of FTIC students by 6 percent seeking degrees or certificates within three years of enrollment.

These objectives will be attained through implementation of the Early Alert Case Management Program targeting all FTIC students by fall 2016. This effort will be implemented by program staff trained and assigned exclusively to the Early Alert Program. They will utilize open communication, integration, and cooperation between support services and the different departments at EPCC. Utilizing electronic software such as DropGuard® and Civitas will enable the early identification of FTIC students who are in danger of terminating their educational pursuit, and allow these students to receive timely intrusive and effective intervention.

### Research Foundation on behalf of Borough of Manhattan Community College

### P031S160147

### NY

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is one of twenty-four units comprising the City University of New York. Located in one of the fastest growing regions in the City of New York (Tribeca), BMCC serves more than 26,000 students in its credit programs making it the largest undergraduate campus in the City of New York. Nearly 90 percent of BMCC's student population is comprised of minorities and groups historically underrepresented in collegiate programs.

Need Statement:

Fragmented student support services, limited academic advisement and insufficient career pathways are critical issues which serve to diminish the quality of BMCC's academic programs and its efforts to foster student success. The college's one-year retention rate among students enrolled in learning communities (such as ASAP and its Freshman Learning Academies) has improved significantly (84 percent). However, in sharp contrast, the college's one-year retention rate for the general student population has shown only slight improvement and now stands at 64 percent. Without a strong network of support services, students often become lost in the academic maze and are likely to withdraw from their studies. This is particularly true among Latino students, who often find themselves at a disadvantage because of limited career information and cultural differences.

Proposed Solution:

To address this problem, BMCC has developed a single comprehensive activity intended to improve student retention beyond the first-year of study. The Title V Beacon Project is a departure from standard practice found among most community colleges in which learning communities are limited to only a small segment of the student body and offered for only the first year. The use of extended learning communities involving the expansion and integration of existing support services over a three-year period, is based on current research and builds on CUNY's highly successful ASAP initiative. The proposed Title V Beacon Project will allow the college to impact a significant portion of its student body through; a modest investment in personnel; the training of faculty on the use of digital portfolios; realignment of support services; and the of use of a dedicated IT Portal in which students are provided with a single, customized entry point to critical information. Combined, these reforms will introduce systems and services which will increase the persistence and retention of Latino and low-income students.

The proposed project seeks to address both of the U.S. Department of Educations' competitive priority areas:

1) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success, including innovative and customized instruction courses designed to help retain and move students rapidly into core courses and through program completion.

2) Projects that are designed to support the development and implementation of high-quality online or hybrid credit-bearing and accessible learning opportunities that reduce the cost of higher education, reduce time to degree completion, or allow students to progress at their own pace.

Over the five-year life of the Title V grant BMCC will:

· Increase the number of students enrolled annually in learning communities by 2,400 (from 400 to 2,800)

· Improve first-year retention (from 64.0 to 79 percent).

· Increase the college's three-year graduation rate by 4.5 percent (from 15.0 percent to 19.5 percent).

· Improve student satisfaction with existing support services by 10 percent as measured by survey results.

· Expand the number of digital portfolio enhanced courses from l 0 to no less than 1 10 courses.

### Northeastern Illinois University

### P031S160171

### IL

**A Comprehensive System Of Support: Increasing Retention Into The Third Year**

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a comprehensive public state university in Chicago; it serves 12,000 commuter students. The most diverse university in the Midwest (U.S. News and World Report), NEIU is one of two four-year public Hispanic Serving Institutions in the Midwest. NEIU proposes to implement a Comprehensive System of Support to increase retention into the third year for FTFT freshman cohorts. Objectives include: (1) increase the percentage of first-year students who pass gateway courses, (2) increase the percentage of first­ year Hispanic students who pass gateway courses, (3) increase the fall-to-fall retention rate for first­year students from 60.3 percent to 72.0 percent, (4) increase the fall-to-fall retention rate for first-year Hispanic students from 56.6 percent to 67.0 percent, (5) increase retention of first-year cohort students from year I to year 3 from 44.9 percent to 55.0 percent, and  (6) increase retention of first-year cohort Hispanic students from year 1 to year 3 from 43.6 percent to 54.0 percent.

A high percentage of first-time first-year students at NEIU do not meet ACT benchmarks indicating college readiness: 55 percent are ranked in the bottom half of their graduating class and 19 percent are in the bottom quartile; 27 percent had high school GPAs below 2.5; and eight percent had GPAs below 2.0. Although NEIU has begun to address some of these issues, its capacity to fully meet student needs is limited. A large percentage of incoming freshmen are placed into remedial courses.  Many of those students, particularly those with several developmental courses, do not remain at NEIU. In 2012, 1,040 first time freshmen enrolled at NEIU. Of these, 789, or 76 percent enrolled in remedial courses. The majority of students placed in remedial courses need remediation in both English and math.  Within two years, of the 789 first time freshmen enrolled in remedial courses, 508 students had not received credit for a single gateway course. Completing remedial and gateway math and English courses are a significant barrier to entering a major for over 75 percent of FTFT students. Persistence for the cohort entering in fall 2012 was 44 percent for Hispanic students compared to 55 percent for their White, non-Hispanic peers. A contributing factor is that many of these students do not have clear academic goals. Of the 610 students persisting into the second year, only 228 (37 percent) had declared a major or pre-major by the end of the year. Because NEIU relies on students to seek out help, of NEIU's 2014 FTFT freshman cohort of 1,664, only 274 (16 percent) used tutoring services. Traditional student services systems, with their service schedules, appointments and locations in different buildings do not meet the needs of high-risk students.

The proposed project addresses the issues outlined and the Absolute Priority. Components  include: (1) making the three-credit First-Year Experience course mandatory for all new students in their first semester; (2) through advising services, assisting all first-year students in development of a personal degree map, learning how to use online tools to chart their educational progress and promoting the choice of a major or a meta-major using online degree maps, and continuing advising for second-year students who have not selected a major; (3) EMERGE summer bridge program with one core course and credit for high-need students; (4) stretched courses with credits in math and English during the first year as an alternative to non-credit developmental courses; (5) increased referrals to the Learning Support Center through an Early Alert System and advisor referrals; and (6) assistance programs to ensure that enrolled students complete registration for the coming semester and financial aid application for the coming year. The project addresses both Competitive Preference Priorities.

01/30/2017

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