Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees highlights the programs and initiatives provided 

by OUP grantees nationwide.

To view this publication online, visit the Office of University Partnerships website at www.oup.org. 

To request a hardcopy version of this publication, please call the University Partnerships Clearinghouse at 

(800) 245–2691 and choose option 3 from the voice menu. You may request publications by e-mail at 

oup@oup.org.

All OUP publications are free of charge.


Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / iii 

OUP Programs AND 

Grantees 

Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................1

Chapter 1. Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions 

 Assisting Communities Program.............................................5

Chapter 2. Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting 

 Communities Program...........................................................15

Chapter 3. Historically Black Colleges and 

 Universities Program.............................................................37

Chapter 4. Tribal Colleges and Universities Program............65

Chapter 5. Universities Rebuilding America Partnerships.....77

Chapter 6. Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants.................95

Chapter 7. Early Doctoral Student Research Grants ............109

Introduction / 1 

Introduction

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) play a unique and increasingly 

powerful role in revitalizing at-risk communities throughout the nation. 

Since 1994, many of these colleges and universities have found a willing 

and committed partner in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD). 

Through six separate grant programs administered by HUD’s Office of 

University Partnerships (OUP), scores of colleges and universities receive 

the support they need to reach out to their communities. Over the past 

decade, these IHEs have become actively engaged in celebrating their 

communities’ assets while, at the same time, working with local partners 

to address the challenges that local residents face. The result has been an 

impressive list of accomplishments, many of which are documented in this 

publication.

Characteristics of OUP Grantees

Whether they are located in dense urban settings or remote rural villages, 

OUP grantees have several important things in common.

First and foremost, they are strong academic institutions that work hard 

to ensure that students of every ethnic and socioeconomic background 

have equal access to quality higher education. Most OUP grantees have 

an institutional mission to serve members of minority groups, including 

African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and 

Native Hawaiians. These IHEs are committed to reaching out to prospective students when those students are in elementary and secondary school. 

This early intervention ensures that even the youngest community members 

obtain the motivation and skills they need to pursue and succeed in higher 

education.

Second, OUP grantees are committed to using their academic resources, 

the expertise of their faculty, and the energy of their students to help the 

residents of local communities make their neighborhoods better places 

to live. These colleges and universities have made a commitment to their 
2 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

neighborhoods because they realize that they are part 

of the surrounding community—and that the health of the 

community affects the health of the institution.

Third, OUP grantees understand the importance of working as partners—rather than omniscient experts—when 

they step outside their campuses and into their communities. These IHEs do not equate their community engagement with a chance to show that they have all the answers. 

Rather, they understand that their mission is to provide 

the tools that local stakeholders need to find answers for 

themselves and to design programs that are more likely to 

succeed because they have local buy-in and ownership.

Finally, OUP grantees are helping HUD fulfill its own 

mission, which involves helping the nation’s communities 

meet their development needs, spurring economic growth 

in distressed neighborhoods, providing housing assistance 

for the poor, helping rehabilitate and develop moderate 

and low-cost housing, and enforcing the nation’s fair housing laws. OUP supports the community development work 

of IHEs by: 

n	 Providing funding opportunities that allow colleges and 

universities to implement community activities, revitalize 

neighborhoods, address economic development and 

housing issues, and encourage partnerships.

n	 Creating a dialogue between colleges and universities 

and their communities that will lead to strong 

partnerships.

n	 Helping colleges and universities produce the next 

generation of urban scholars and professionals who are 

focused on housing and community development issues.

Overview of OUP Grant Programs

OUP currently offers six grant programs to support community development, facility development, and academic 

research activities. 

Community Development. Three OUP programs are 

designed to help grantees expand their role and effectiveness in addressing community development needs in their 

localities, including neighborhood revitalization, housing, 

and economic development. These programs are:

n	 Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting 

Communities (AN/NHIAC). 

n	 Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities 

(HSIAC). 

n	 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

Facility Development. IHEs participating in the Tribal 

Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) use OUP funds 

to build, expand, renovate, and equip their facilities and 

to provide needed services in the community.

Academic Research. Two OUP programs award grants 

to students who are currently enrolled in accredited doctoral programs. These grants support research studies that 

could impact federal problem solving and policymaking 

and that are relevant to HUD’s policy priorities and annual 

goals and objectives. OUP’s academic research programs 

award two types of grants:

n	 Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants (DDRG). These 

grants are awarded to current doctoral students who are 

sponsored by an accredited IHE.

n	 Early Doctoral Student Research Grants (EDSRG). These 

grants are awarded to pre-candidacy doctoral students 

who are sponsored by an accredited IHE.

Gulf Coast Assistance. In addition to these ongoing 

grant programs, HUD also administered a special Universities Rebuilding America Partnership (URAP) grant program 

in FY 2006 in response to the devastation caused along 

the Gulf Coast by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in summer 

2005. The initiative included two grant programs:

n	 URAP-Community Design. IHEs granting degrees in 

architecture, urban planning and design, or construction 

used these grants to help affected communities rebuild 

after the hurricanes.

n	 URAP-HBCU. These grants supported HBCUs in their 

efforts to provide sustained services to communities 

affected by the hurricanes.

About This Publication

This publication is designed to provide an overview of the 

important work that colleges and universities are carrying 

out through all of the OUP grant programs. By offering a 

brief description of the grantees’ 2006 and 2007 grant 

programs, this document has a dual purpose:
Introduction / 3 

n	 To acquaint prospective grantees with OUP grant 

programs, their eligibility requirements, and approved 

activities. 

n	 To give all readers a clear picture of the types of 

activities in which OUP grantees are engaged, the longterm partnerships that are created with the help of grant 

funds, and the impact that grant activities are having on 

the stability and well-being of communities throughout 

the nation.

Finally, this publication also provides important contact 

information that readers can use to learn more about 

Office of University Partnerships and its grant programs:

n	 Introductions to each grant program include contact 

information for the OUP staff person who can provide 

additional information about that program.

n	 Each college and university that appears in this 

publication has provided contact information that 

readers can use to gain more information about and 

insight into how specific grant activities were designed 

and implemented.

Readers are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to 

learn more about OUP programs and about grantees that 

are successfully blending resources from HUD, local communities, and their own IHEs to revitalize their communities 

and help their neighbors and constituents build a brighter 

future.

Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 5 

Alaska Native/Native 

Hawaiian Institutions 

Assisting Communities 

Program

E

xpanding minds, communities, and horizons. This is what institutions 

of higher education (IHEs) do every day. They educate tomorrow’s 

workforce and leaders. And they partner with neighbors to build 

stronger communities with greater opportunities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) 

Office of University Partnerships (OUP) created the Alaska Native/Native 

Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) program to 

help Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian IHEs expand their role and 

effectiveness in carrying out all of these missions by 

strengthening their educational offerings and building 

stronger communities.

Through this program, nonprofit Alaska Native and 

Native Hawaiian IHEs can apply for 3-year grants for 

a variety of community development projects, including 

neighborhood revitalization, housing, and economic 

development principally for low- and moderate-income 

persons. 

Nonprofit Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian IHEs 

that are fully accredited by a national or regional 

accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department 

of Education may apply for AN/NHIAC program 

grants. In addition:

n	 For Alaska Native institutions to qualify, 20 percent 

of undergraduate enrollees must be Alaska Native 

students. 2006 and 2007 Alaska Native and

Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities

Program Grantees

AK HI

Legend

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AN/NHIAC 2006 Grantees

AN/NHIAC 2007 Grantees

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CHAPTER 1
6 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

n	 For Native Hawaiian institutions to qualify, 10 percent 

of undergraduate enrollees must be Native Hawaiian 

students.

Applicants’ projects must benefit primarily low- and 

moderate-income persons, help prevent or eliminate slums 

or blight, or meet an urgent community development need. 

AN/NHIAC grantees have used their program funds to 

implement a broad range of community development 

activities including:

n	 Develop microbusinesses.

n	 Establish job-training programs.

n	 Support afterschool programs such as tutoring and 

mentoring.

n	 Renovate or construct dormitories, classrooms, libraries 

and other buildings.

n	 Offer preventive health services.

n	 Provide literacy skills training.

n	 Provide onsite training for local government employees.

n	 Support special economic development activities and 

facilitate economic development by providing technical 

and financial assistance for establishing, stabilizing, and 

expanding microenterprises and e-commerce, including 

minority enterprises.

n	 Offer constructions trades/technology courses.

n	 Develop interactive training DVDs for tribal, local, and 

regional governments.

n	 Construct community learning centers.

For more information about OUP’s AN/NHIAC program, 

visit www.oup.org or contact:

Sherone Ivey

Deputy Assistant Secretary

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–4200

E-mail: sherone.e.ivey@hud.gov

2006 and 2007 Alaska Native and

Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities 

Program Grantees

AK HI

Legend

� AN/NHIAC Grantees Since 2000

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Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 7 

University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

Interior-Aleutians Campus

P.O. Box 757880

Fairbanks, AK 99775

www.uaf.edu/iac

Grant received: 

2006 AN/AHIAC––$799,995

Contact information:

Linda S. Brown

Manager, Development 

Title III Strengthening Institutions 

 Program

Interior-Aleutians Campus

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Phone: 907–474–7887

Fax: 907–474–5208

E-mail: fnlsb1@uaf.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), 

Interior-Aleutians Campus (I-AC) used its AN/NHIAC grant to assist Native communities by increasing employability, preparing Native students for decent jobs, 

developing a skilled local workforce, promoting economic development, reducing unemployment and poverty, and playing a pivotal role in providing housing 

for low- and moderate-income residents. The college provided Construction Trades 

Technology (CTT) coursework free of charge, which allowed students to acquire 

UAF and National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) 

accreditation. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: I-AC worked with its housing authority partners in seven target villages that have a demand for construction 

trades education and a need for new construction of homes for local residents that 

earn 80 percent or less of median area income. I-AC provided instructors’ travel-tosite costs and books—engaging students in more than 500 hours of classroom and 

hands-on instruction during the fall and spring semesters. Since the grant began, 

59 CTT classes have been offered and 43 students have received CTT certificates. 

Many of these students are now working on their associate degrees. Partner housing 

authorities provided funding for building materials and material transportation costs 

and paid students a wage for work accomplished during the practicum projects. 

Successful students were employed by the partner at the conclusion of the practicum 

period to complete the construction project. Thirty-one students have received support from the grant, 15 Alaska Native villages have hosted classes, 487 students 

have enrolled in classes, and 20 new instructors were certified to teach. The practicum for this project occurred in the same village as the classroom work and culminated with the certificate program during the summer building season. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Interior Regional Housing 

Authority, Tanacross Village Council, Louden Tribal Council, and the Aleutian 

Housing Authority. 

College departments involved: Construction Trades Technology.

Top: Student Stanley Edwin of Ft. Yukon, 

Alaska, installs electrical service in Galena. 

Bottom: Electrical I students and their 

instructor celebrate the completion of their 

intensive 7-week course in Galena.
8 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Top: Shorty Salzbrun, Reyne Athanas, 

and Terry Reeve prepare for the Alaska 

Marketplace. 

Bottom: A native craftsman creates a 

bear boat at the YPCC.

University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

Kuskokwim Campus

P.O. Box 757880

Fairbanks, AL 99775

www.bethel.uaf.edu

Grant received:

2006 AN/NHIAC––$799,867

Contact information:

Reyne Athanas

Kuskokwim Campus

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Phone: 907–543–4538

Fax: 907–543–4539

E-mail: Reyne_Athanas@bethel.uaf.edu 

Projects planned/accomplished: Through its Strong Cultures Build Strong 

Futures project, the Kuskokwim Campus (KuC) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in collaboration with Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center (YPCC) and nine 

regional partners, integrated the uniqueness and strengths of the Yup’ik Eskimo 

culture with technological and business training to develop economic sustainability 

for low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals. Working with partners, the YPCC 

has accomplished beneficial results for small businesses and eco-friendly enterprises. The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) has an annual competition, Alaska 

Marketplace, which is open to everyone in Alaska. In 2008 the college sponsored 

a workshop for people with innovative ideas, which attracted 12 participants, 7 of 

whom became finalists. A second workshop was held to complete the final proposals. All finalists from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta were invited to participate. Eleven 

came and submitted completed proposals, and seven from the group received from 

$1,000 to $57,000 for their projects. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Keeping Traditions Alive is a 

vehicle to preserve and promote the Native culture of the region. Many residents 

have a variety of arts and cultural skills that simply need to be refined so that 

they can use their talents to supplement their income. The YP Cultural Center has 

offered a variety of master classes during the past 3 years in the following areas: 

sea grass cutting and drying, with basket making; fur hat making; fur mitten making; quspuk, traditional Native clothing; men’s and women’s dance fans; Crooked 

Knife and Ulu making; doll making/toy making; and jewelry making. The class 

size varies from 8 to 20, and many of the students sell their crafts at the Saturday 

Markets. Forty-five to 65 vendors appear at the 18 Saturday Markets held throughout the year. Approximately 350 to 500 people attend the markets. Activities for 

2008–2009 included: AFN Alaska Marketplace Workshops; blogging and web 

page development; and a variety of cultural and craft activities (Bethel Dog Show, 

a weekly Yup’ik dance class, three community plays, a summer youth art camp, 

and a 7-day Festival of Arts and Academics).

Partnerships planned/accomplished: UAF KuC is collaborating with the 

Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation; Association of Village Council Presidents, 

Inc.; Bethel Council on the Arts; the Art Guild of the YK; the city of Bethel; Cultural 

Center Museum & Gift Shop; United Utilities, Inc.; Marine Advisory Board; and 

Orutsaramuit Native Council.

College departments involved: Office of Sponsored Programs.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 9 

University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

Northwest Campus

P.O. Box 757880

Fairbanks, AK 99775 

www.uaf.edu/iac

Grant received:

2006 AN/AHIAC––$797,690

Contact information: 

Dr. Lee Haugen

Northwest Campus

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Phone: 907–443–8401

Fax: 907–443–5602

E-mail: nfllh@uaf.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), 

Northwest Campus (NWC) used its AN/NHIAC grant to “Raise the Roof for 

Tomorrow’s Jobs.”

Originally, the grant proposed to replace the roof on an existing Northern Alaska 

Career and Technical Center (NACTEC) dormitory located at Nome-Beltz High 

School. The Center provides regional high school students with the resources and 

skills necessary to prepare them for skilled employment or to pursue postsecondary 

education. Shortly after project funds were awarded, NACTEC applied for and 

received a state of Alaska, Department of Commerce, Community and Economic 

Development grant for $3 million to build a new dorm facility costing $3.8 million. 

This provided the funding necessary to assist NACTEC with its budget shortfall and 

for NWC to refocus the use of its funds to purchase specific building-related materials to complete the new dorm facility. In September 2008, partners and dignitaries gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the newly built dorm called 

NACTEC House. The facility houses 26 students, 5 house parents, a communal 

kitchen, a library, a game room, and a dining room. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The new facility ensures lowincome adults—who travel from villages throughout the Bering Strait Region to 

attend workforce training in Nome—will have safe, affordable housing while 

attending classes. Thirty local adults were trained for jobs in the building trades 

while the NACTEC dorm was being constructed. A total of 275 students attended 

NACTEC sessions in 2006–07, and 294 students attended in 2007–08, of which 

95 percent were Alaska Native.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The project was accomplished 

through partnerships developed by the NWC with the city of Nome, Bering Strait 

School District, NACTEC, and Nome Public Schools.

College departments involved: UAF Facilities Services Division of Design 

and Construction.

Top: Ribbon cutting at the September 

2008 dedication of NACTEC House. 

Bottom: NACTEC House accommodates 

26 students and 5 house parents.
10 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Top: New construction at Ilisagvik College.

Bottom: Ilisagvik College serves residents 

of Alaska’s North Slope Borough.

Ilisagvik College

P.O. Box 749

Barrow, AK 99723

www.ilisagvik.cc

Grant received:

2007 AN/NHIAC––$799,989

Contact information:

Mae Hank 

Program Manager

Phone: 907−368−3333

E-mail: mae.hank@ilisagvik.cc

Birgit Meany 

Principal Investigator

Phone: 907−852−1818 

E-mail: birgit.meany@ilisagvik.cc

Projects planned/accomplished: Ilisagvik College is using the AN/NHIAC 

grant to provide the 8 communities of the North Slope Borough and its 7,257 residents with a solid foundation that will enable them to become self-sufficient in state 

and national affairs, local government, economic development, preserving heritage and culture, and combating unemployment. The three-part project, based on 

priority training needs, will provide onsite training in classes that are necessary 

for the staff of these governmental organizations; create and produce desk manuals that will assist in the day-to-day operations of each village organization in the 

areas of accounting, human resources, grants, governance, and compliance; and 

create interactive training DVDs that will cover core subjects common to the three 

organizations: tribal, local, and regional.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Because the logistics of the 

North Slope make onsite training costly and challenging, these trainings and 

materials will have a significant effect on the road to self-sufficiency for the organizations and residents of the target villages. Interactive training DVDs will also 

contribute to the goal of improving employee retention numbers. However, initial 

onsite training in the villages will have the most significant impact on immediate 

improvement of employee performance and retention. The DVDs will provide excellent refresher training, which will enable the employees to maintain a consistent 

learning basis, followed by a system that will function as an onsite help desk. The 

multicourse curriculum, policy and procedure documents, and interactive training 

DVDs will help build and strengthen each community governmental organization 

and promote greater self-sufficiency. Organizations will increase their capacity to 

maneuver the maze of bureaucracy; address local, state, and national issues; and 

articulate the needs and desires of the residents. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Native Village of Point Hope, Point 

Lay, Wainwright, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Anaktuvik Pass and Barter Island—city of 

Point Hope, Tikigaq Corporation, Cully Corporation, Olgoonik Corporation, 

Atqasuk Corporation, Kuukpik Corporation, Nunamuit Corporation, and Kaktovik 

Corporation.

College departments involved: Ilisagvik College’s departments of Workforce 

Development, Grants, Accounting, and Instruction.

.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 11 

University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

Bristol Bay Campus

P.O. Box 757880

Fairbanks, AK 99775

www.uaf.edu/bbc

Grant received: 

2007 AN/NHIAC––$799,500

Contact information:

Deborah McLean 

Phone: 907−474–1851 

Fax: 907−842–5109

E-mail: rfdlm@uaf.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bristol 

Bay Campus is using its AN/NHIAC grant to implement the Sowing the Seeds: 

Reaping Community Benefits in Bristol Bay project, which will provide vocational 

educational training programs for rural Alaska Natives and increase employment 

opportunities and small business development options in rural communities. This 

project will impact 338 individuals through vocational and entrepreneurial training 

throughout the Bristol Bay region. It is based on the comprehensive village economic development plans, which give priority to training and jobs in welding, construction, computer training, and small business development. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The target population includes 

residents of the 32 villages in the Bristol Bay region. The program will offer a combination of onsite village-based construction trades training and off-site training to 

increase the target population’s employability. A welding simulator was purchased 

in 2008, and seven students have since received hands-on training in rigging, 

soldering, cutting, and other welding skills. Twenty-two students from communities 

through the Bristol Bay region have attended these classes. Offering an onsite floor 

systems, wall and ceiling framing, roof framing, and windows and exterior doors 

carpentry class for the community of New Stuyahok culminated in students building a storage shed for the community. The Bristol Bay program will also increase 

business opportunities for local residents in rural, isolated villages by developing 

distance delivery methods or onsite delivery of business-related computer training. 

A partnership with Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation will develop a 

technical assistance team to work with entrepreneurs to help develop small businesses in tourism/fisheries, traditional/cultural retail arts and crafts, and other 

small business and entrepreneurial endeavors. The team will also provide business counseling and best business practices training for individuals and help small 

groups apply for small business grants. Local residents from rural Bristol Bay communities received small business-related trainings in business development, tourism, 

establishment of bed and breakfasts, the small business of fisheries, and other rural 

small business training as a result of a university partnership with the Southwest 

Alaska Municipal Council. The campus also offered traditional carving, beading, 

skin sewing, and basket weaving for 47 students from communities in the region.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Bristol Bay Economic Development 

Corporation, Bristol Bay Borough, Bristol Bay Native Association, Sport Fishing 

Lodges, Lake and Peninsula School District, Ekwok Village, Bristol Bay Borough, 

Bristol Bay Borough School District, Bristol Bay Housing Authority, and Bristol Bay 

Economic Development Corporation.

College departments involved: English, Mathematics, Business, and 

Computer Sciences.

Top: A student practices soldering as part of 

the welder’s helper training at Bristol Bay. 

Bottom: Bristol Bay residents participate in 

traditional Alaska Native crafts training.
12 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

University of Alaska

Fairbanks, Chukchi Campus

604 Third Street

Kotzebue, AK 99752

www.chukchi.alaska.edu

Grant received:

2007 AN/NHIAC––$799,955

Contact information:

Lincoln Saito 

Phone: 907−442–3500, ext. 105

Fax: 907−442–2322

E-mail: znlys@uaf.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Alaska Fairbanks, Chukchi 

Campus is using its AN/NHIAC grant to assist Native communities in Alaska’s 

Northwest Arctic by increasing employability, preparing Native students for decent 

jobs, developing a skilled local workforce, promoting economic development, 

reducing unemployment and poverty, and playing a role in providing housing for 

low- to moderate-income residents. The Chukchi Campus and its partners are training the local workforce in construction trades (carpentry, electrical, and plumbing). 

The project will employ the students during the practicum period as they construct 

and renovate private homes designated and approved for construction by Indian 

Housing Plans; and as they construct, renovate, and maintain the electrical and 

plumbing in local homes and public buildings.

Community impact planned/accomplished: As a result of this grant-funded 

program, communities in the northwest Arctic will experience reduced unemployment and reduced poverty through an increase in the number of skilled workers 

qualified for local and non-local construction jobs. Carpentry students began training in October 2008 at the Alaska Technical Center in Kotzebue, Alaska, a grant 

partner. In both the carpentry and the electrical/plumbing programs, students 

attend training for 2 weeks a month then return to their homes in the villages for 

the remaining 2 weeks. This successful method of bringing villagers in to Kotzebue 

for training was modeled after a program used to train counselors for the local 

health corporation. The program begins late in the fall so participants can harvest 

caribou, fish, and berries before leaving home. The subsistence lifestyle is a very 

important part of village life. With 2 weeks off each month, participants can continue to care for families in the villages. This approach to training resulted in an 

80-percent retention rate for Chukchi, the Alaska Technical Center, and the Northwest Inupiaq Housing Authority partner training programs in 2006 and 2007. 

Two electrical students, Jody Sours and Alfred Nanaouk, both from Kotzebue, have 

worked on six residential units in Noorvik as part of their practicum experience. 

Denny McConnell, owner of grant partner Northwest Electric, Inc., has been instrumental in working with the students on local electrical jobs. The residential units in 

Noorvik are built by another grant partner, Northwest Inupiaq Housing Authority. 

In January 2009 students accompanied Mr. McConnell as he traveled to the 

village of Selawik to continue their practicum at the new health clinic.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Northwest Inupiaq Housing 

Authority, Northwest Electric Inc., and Alaska Technical Center. The Native Village 

of Kotzebue and the U.S. National Park Service are planning on using carpentry 

participants on local projects in spring 2009. 

College departments involved: Construction Trades Technology.

Top: Carpentry students work on framing 

activities at the Alaska Technical Center. 

Bottom: An electrical student at the 

Alaska Technical Center.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 13 

University of Hawaii–Kapiolani

Community College

2350 Dole Street

Sakamaki D-200

Honolulu, HI 96822

http://kapiolani.hawaii.edu/ 

 page/home

Grant received: 

2007 AN/HIAC––$799,922

Contact information:

Robert Franco 

Phone: 808−734−9514 

Fax: 808−734−9162

E-mail: bfranco@hawaii.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Hawaii–Kapiolani 

Community College used its AN/NHIAC grant to renovate existing space to create 

a learning center at Palolo Homes, 306 public housing units with 1,087 low- to 

very low-income residents. The Palolo Learning Center held its grand opening in 

December 2008. The 5,000-square-foot center includes a larger computer learning 

center; music and performance area; a digital media lab where Palolo teens will 

produce multilingual literacy resources for Hawaiian, southeast Asian, Samoan, 

Tongan, and Micronesian children and their families; a public health nurse station; 

a classroom for developmental English and career training in educational paraprofessional, certified nurse’s aide, and long-term care aide; and space for college 

and career advising and community meetings.

Community impact planned/accomplished: With the completion of the 

Palolo Learning Center, the college will develop and deliver more centralized, 

structured, and comprehensive services and programs to the Palolo Homes community in a space that is accessible to the disabled and the elderly. Three hundred 

service-learning students will enhance their career development as they provide 

programs and services to the community. Literacy Skills for Children 3–11 and 

Parents will increase children’s grade-level reading skills by 20 percent by the 

end of the third grade and will transition three parents into the college’s Paraprofessional Teacher Training degree program. Education, Computer Opportunities 

for Students will train more than 100 children and adolescents and more than 

100 adults and elders in computer and Internet use. Outreach-Transition Services, Career Pathways for Residents 18–55 will provide financial aid and program 

advising, scholarship programs, and career pathways in science, technology, 

engineering, education, health, hospitality and culinary, and business. Health 

Promotion/Disease Prevention will improve public health services accessible to 

target area residents. Family Caregiver Training and Active Aging Programs will

train 10 families to better support their elder members, and 3 Palolo residents will 

transition to the college and complete the home healthcare training certificate.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Mutual Housing Association of Hawaii, Palolo Tenants Association, Kellogg Foundation, the mayor of the city and 

county of Honolulu, Living Streams Christian Fellowship, Samoan Christian Church, 

the Bahai Church, St. Patrick’s and St. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, University Baptist Church, Palolo Elementary, Head Start, Jarrett Middle School, Honolulu 

Community Action Program, Mutual Assistance Association Center, Kaimuki Adult 

School, Kaimuki High School, Central Pacific Bank, Kaimuki Business Association, 

the East Honolulu Rotary, and the Palolo Lions.

College departments involved: Service-Learning; Health Science; Liberal 

Arts; Science, Technology, and Engineering; Teacher Preparation; Culinary Arts; 

Hospitality and Tourism; Business; and Education. 

Top: Kapiolani Community College servicelearning team. Student leaders (L to R): 

Nicole Medeiros, Kathryn Roberts, Michi 

Atkinson, Allan Kaliekilo, and Shannon 

Phoenix. Outreach Coordinator Melisa 

Orozco (far right).

Bottom: Residents from Hawaii, Samoa, 

and Micronesia perform at the Palolo 

Center’s grand opening.
14 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

NM

CO

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ID

University of Hawaii–Leeward

Community College

2530 Dole Street

Sakamaki D-200

Honolulu, HI 96822

www.lcc.hawaii.edu

Grant received:

2007 AN/AHIAC––$581,325

Contact information:

Michael Pecsok 

Phone: 808−455–0269 

Fax: 808−455–0471

E-mail: mpecsok@hawaii.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Hawaii–Leeward Community College is using its AN/NHIAC grant to expand the capacity of its partner, 

the Wai‘anae Coast Digital Media Halau, to educate and train more than 130 

primarily low-income youth from across the Wai‘anae Coast to develop the personal confidence, artistic talent, and rounded intellect needed to successfully complete 

high school and be successful in higher education programs and in their professional careers. Through its proposed Digital Bridge project, Leeward and its partners will renovate an existing facility at Wai‘anae High School (WHS), develop an 

animation arts curriculum designed to prepare students for an array of careers and 

higher education programs, and provide a bridge to college by piloting English 

and math classes that engage students in a format more applicable to 

their professional interests and development.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The Digital Bridge program 

will address core causes of poverty and low income by helping students/residents 

to prepare for work in sectors of Hawaii’s new economy, including technology 

sectors that pay a higher wage than traditional hospitality industries associated 

with tourism. The project will:

n	 Renovate a 2,500-square-foot building facility at WHS to create a modern 

teaching facility with designated classroom space, offices, and production 

studios needed to support the growth of the animation program. The college 

is currently reviewing bid proposals for the renovation project. Projected 

completion is the end of summer 2009.

n	 Develop an integrated and project-based animation arts curriculum that is 

designed to enhance the capacity of program partners to prepare 130 targeted 

students for an array of careers and higher education programs that draw on 

their talents and skills. 

n	 Provide a bridge to college for students by providing English and math classes 

that engage them in a more meaningful way with the expectation that they will 

achieve the same learning outcomes more effectively and efficiently. The pilot 

program to bridge high school students into the college’s program will begin in 

fall 2009.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Hawaii State Department of Education, Searider Productions Program, and Wai‘anae High School. Partnerships are 

also being sought with union and trade groups to secure donations and pro bono 

work for renovation project.

College departments involved: Digital Media and Media Arts.

Buildings on the Leeward Community 

College campus.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 15 

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Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 15 

(2)

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2006 and 2007 Hispanic Serving Institutions

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Hispanic-Serving 

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Communities Program

As active members of their local communities, Hispanic-Serving

Institutions (HSIs) understand the unique and often serious 

challenges their neighbors face. As institutions of higher learning, HSIs have the expertise and educational resources to help residents, 

community-based organizations, and local governments meet those 

challenges.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Office 

of University Partnerships (OUP) created the Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

Assisting Communities (HSIAC) program to help HSIs 

become key partners in local revitalization efforts. 

The program provides 3-year grants to HSIs for a wide 

range of housing and community development projects 

to improve the quality of life in their communities.

HSIAC applicants must be nonprofit institutions of 

higher education granting 2- or 4-year degrees that 

are accredited by a national or regional accrediting 

agency recognized by the U.S. Department of 

Education that meet the following criteria:

n	 At least 25 percent of enrolled full-time 

undergraduate students are Hispanic.

n	 At least 50 percent of the Hispanic students are 

low-income individuals.

CHAPTER 2
16 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

(2 )

TX

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2006 and 2007 Hispanic Serving Institutions

Assisting Communities Grantees

Eligible activities under OUP’s HSIAC program are the 

same as those under the Community Development Block 

Grant program. HSIAC projects must benefit primarily lowand moderate-income persons, help prevent or eliminate 

slums or blight, or meet an urgent community development 

need. Grantees have used their funds to:

n	 Develop a building trades training program.

n	 Revitalize neighborhood housing for low- and 

moderate-income persons.

n	 Provide literacy and financial literacy programs to 

community residents.

n	 Provide business and technology training to 

entrepreneurs.

n	 Develop childhood education centers.

n	 Provide summer programs and camps for low- and 

moderate-income children.

For more information about HUD’s HSIAC program, visit 

www.oup.org or contact:

Madlyn Wohlman-Rodriguez

Grant Specialist

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–5939

E-mail: madlyn.wohlmanrodriguez@hud.gov
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 17 

Top: Exterior of the expanded Columbia 

Business Access Center. 

Bottom: Participants attend the Farm 

Laborer to Farm Owner workshop.

Columbia Basin College

Projects planned/accomplished: Columbia Basin College (CBC) used its 

HSIAC grant to improve the economic conditions in Pasco, Washington. Using 

the expertise of faculty and students, and in partnership with community organizations, CBC worked with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and small Latino businesses in Pasco to develop strategies to better market their products and services. 

In partnership with the Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau (TCVCB), CBC 

helped market the growing wine industry and cultural diversity of Pasco to attract 

more tourists and increase sales. CBC also offered a series of marketing seminars 

in English and Spanish to small Latino businesses. CBC expanded the Community 

Business and Training Resource Center, now called the Columbia Business Access 

Center, to provide more space for training rooms and marketing seminars. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: CBC has incorporated small 

business bilingual courses to assist prospective and seasoned entrepreneurs 

become familiar with business aspects and successful practices. These courses 

were developed and conducted with collaborative partners including the Tri-Cities 

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center, and the 

Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises. A total of 61 participants 

attended the classes. The project also collaborated with Northwest Farm Credit 

Services and the USDA Farm Services agency to host two very successful agricultural workshops targeting Latino farm workers interested in owning their own 

farms. Forty-three interested constituents attended the workshops in CBC’s newly 

expanded Columbia Business Access Center. Marketing faculty and students have 

provided 17 businesses in the community with comprehensive marketing plans, 

including image packaging, doorknockers, business cards, websites, in-store signage, brochures, sales presentations, cost controls, and production help. Fifty-eight 

people attended wine industry workshops and courses produced by CBC in collaboration with TCVCB. Through the combination of marketing small businesses, 

business courses, and wine courses, the HUD HSIAC project at Columbia Basin 

College served more than 170 individuals. 

The expansion of the Columbia Business Access Center was completed by 

October of 2007. The newly expanded facility boasts 2,380 square feet of 

additional space, including two large training rooms and additional restroom 

space. The training rooms have been used for the above mentioned courses, 

vocational classes, and by the community. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention 

Bureau, Small Business Development Center, and the Office of Minority and 

Women’s Business Enterprises.

College departments involved: Instruction and Diversity/Outreach.

2600 North 20th Avenue

Pasco, WA 99301

www.columbiabasin.edu/

 home/index.asp

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC––$600,000

Contact information:

Adán Suárez 

Phone: 509–542–4776

Fax: 509–546–0404

E-mail: asuarez@columbiabasin.edu
18 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Mesalands Community College

Top: A Mesalands College building trades 

student works on a Habitat for Humanity 

project. 

Bottom: Building trades students prepare 

a concrete foundation.

911 South 10th Street

Tucumcari, NM 88401

www.mesalands.edu

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC—$600,000

Contact information:

Dr. David Gallatin

Phone: 575–461–4413, ext. 114

E-mail: daveg@mesalands.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Mesalands Community College used 

its HSIAC grant to implement three activities, which would benefit the low- to 

moderate-income residents of Tucumcari, New Mexico: A building trades program 

to train students in housing construction, neighborhood revitalization support 

services to develop social and human capital among low-income housing clients, 

and entrepreneurship development and programs to support the Eastern New 

Mexico Art Space Center.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Mesalands Community 

College developed a building trades curriculum and a facility to train students in 

housing construction. The college’s Habitat for Humanity program in Tucumcari 

was organized and 70 students have been trained since 2006 in both the classroom and in hands-on, onsite job training. Students study layout, foundations, 

forming, framing, interior/exterior trim, roofing, computer-aided drawing, construction management basics, and communication/employability skills. The first project 

house will be complete in May 2009. The college also worked to develop social 

and human capital among low-income clients through financial literacy, basic life 

skills, and the development of civic engagement within the community. High school 

students attended Summer Entrepreneurship programs offered by the college. The 

Small Business Development Center (SBDC) promoted and supported a youth business plan competition as part of the governor’s economic summit. SBDC is working to develop a funding proposal for a residential youth ranch for unadoptable 

children. Through a third initiative, SBDC has worked closely with the Eastern New 

Mexico Art Space Center, an arts incubator project in downtown Tucumcari with 

displays of more than 60 local artists. The SBDC developed the arts incubator project, and provided an Entrepreneurship for Artists and Artisans field trip, which will 

offer a certificate program for artists, economic development training for community leaders and board members, and assistance to low- and middle-income community residents interested in starting their own business in the target area who make 

up 90 percent of the SBDC clients. SBDC worked closely with Main Street New 

Mexico to revitalize the downtown area and sponsored two community visioning 

sessions.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Small Business Development Center, 

city of Tucumcari, the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corporation, 

Habitat for Humanity, and Eastern New Mexico Art Space Center.

College departments involved: Small Business Development Center, 

Community Outreach Department, and the Building Trades Program.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 19 

Modesto Junior College

435 College Avenue

Modesto, CA 95350

www.mjc.edu

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC––$527,290

Contact information:

Marla Uliana 

Phone: 209–575–6985 

Fax: 209–575–6943

E-mail: ulianam@mjc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: With its 2006 HSIAC grant, Modesto Junior 

College (MJC) implemented a two-phase Civic Engagement in Action project. In 

Phase One, MJC, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the city of Turlock, 

moved two donated houses to two new Habitat-owned housing sites and then totally rehabilitated them for owner occupation. In Phase Two, MJC, in partnership 

with Habitat for Humanity, the city of Modesto, and other volunteers, revitalized 

the neighborhood surrounding Hope Village, Habitat for Humanity’s new 22-unit 

low-income housing development in the city of Modesto.

Community impact planned/accomplished: More than 150 MJC faculty, 

staff, and students volunteered on both phases of the project. Three families received direct homeownership assistance through Habitat for Humanity. Two homes 

in Turlock were donated to the project, moved to a suitable property, and completely renovated. Fifty families received fair housing counseling, 25 individuals 

received community leadership training, 2 city and school district bus stops were 

revitalized to make them safer, and more than 200 families received materials for 

do-it-yourself projects (including carpet squares, lighting, mirrors, piping insulation, 

cabinet doors, towel and soap dispensers, and towel rods). Phase Two provided 

needed neighborhood revitalization and a truly affordable, safe neighborhood 

for community residents. Ten homes underwent major revitalization to improve living conditions. Activities included roof and flashing replacement, exterior priming 

and painting, new windows, new heater vents, fencing installation or replacement, 

countertop installation, electrical upgrades, carpet installation, solar safety lighting, 

smoke detector installation, landscaping, and debris removal.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Habitat for Humanity and the cities of 

Modesto and Turlock. 

College departments involved: Community and Economic Development.

Top: MJC and Habitat for Humanity 

revitalized 10 homes in Modesto.

Bottom: MJC faculty, staff, and students 

worked with Habitat for Humanity to repair 

and revitalize homes.
20 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

Passaic County Community College

One College Boulevard

Paterson, NJ 07505

www.pccc.cc.nj.us

Grant received: 

2006 HSIAC––$597,035

Contact information:

Miryam (Gaby) Rinkerman

ESL Director

Community Technology Center 

E-mail: MRINKERMAN@pccc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Passaic County Community College (PCCC) 

used its HSIAC grant to support the New Skills for a Digital Economy program, 

which provides low-income Hispanic residents and businesses in Paterson, New 

Jersey, with the technology skills needed to succeed in today’s information-based 

economy. Through this project, PCCC implemented three activities: business and 

technology training for Hispanic businesses and entrepreneurs, an afterschool 

multimedia training program for Hispanic children, and English as a Second 

Language (ESL) and technology skills training program.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The Business/Technology 

Training for Hispanic Businesses and Entrepreneurs planned to provide monthly 

seminars on business and technology issues, including gaining access to capital, 

marketing, technology, and accounting principles. Since the beginning of this 

project, 95 Hispanic business owners and 418 entrepreneurs have participated 

in 96 workshops, far surpassing the original objective of providing 36 workshops 

to 60 participants. Led by the college’s business faculty, this activity has helped 

local businesses improve their overall business operations. The PCCC Technology 

Center expanded its successful After School Multimedia Skills Training program to 

include four local organizations and involve children, ages 11–13, in multimedia 

technology skills training, including digital graphic and animation design, interactive web design, and digital video authoring. So far, 165 (out of 185) children 

who have participated in this project have produced digital media projects, which 

have been showcased at Student Media Festivals at PCCC and can be viewed 

online by visiting www.silkcitymedia.blogspot.com. PCCC’s ESL faculty has worked 

closely with instructors from three community-based ESL providers to more effectively integrate technology into their community-based programs. This initiative has 

helped adult ESL learners obtain the technology and language skills needed to get 

a good job. A “best practices–technology-based” ESL for Citizenship Class has 

been developed and a Citizenship Resource Page with interactive downloadable 

materials has been produced: http://rinkerman.com/citizenship.aspx. This activity 

has directly benefited 9 community-based ESL instructors and nearly 400 adult 

ESL learners.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Paterson YMCA, Father English 

Center, ASPIRA, Garrett Morgan Academy, Father English Center, St. Paul’s CDC, 

Paterson Greater Opportunities Industrialization Center, 21st Century, Alexander 

Hamilton Academy, Paterson Planned Parenthood, Norman Weird School, the 

Paterson School District, UCEDC, William Paterson University SBDC, and the 

New Jersey Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 

College departments involved: Department of Business and Computer 

Information Systems, Teacher Education Department, ESL faculty, and the Media 

and Communications Department.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 21 

San Jacinto College North

5800 Uvalde Street

Houston, TX 77049

www.sjcd.edu

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC––$599,815

Contact information:

James Hall

Phone: 281–459–7103

Fax: 281–459–7609

E-mail: james.hall@sjcd.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: San Jacinto College North is in its third 

grant year. Its HSIAC grant is being utilized to implement the Empowering the 

Citizens of Galena Park project. The project focuses on four prevalent community 

issues: substandard housing, low income levels because of a lack of a skilled 

workforce, few locally owned businesses, and aging Anglo community leadership. 

These needs have been addressed by the project’s four primary activities: housing 

refurbishing, remodeling, and finance; training in the construction trades; small 

business entrepreneurship training; and leadership training.

Community impact planned/accomplished: In the housing renovation 

phase, more than 40 houses have been identified for remodeling and at least 

60 houses will be completed by the conclusion of the grant. In the small business 

entrepreneur phase, the project graduated four Galena Park residents who plan to 

open small businesses in the community. In the construction phase, more than 50 

persons have been trained in the construction trades and another 40 are currently 

enrolled in training. Classes are taught in English with English as a Second Language support teachers provided in partnership with Harris County Department of 

Education. Due to high demand, the program has started an additional cycle of 

air conditioning, plumbing, and electrical classes. In the leadership/community 

development phase, seven Galena Park residents graduated in the first class. 

There are currently 2 Leadership Academy classes with about 40 students enrolled. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: American Leadership Forum; 

Housing Corporation of Greater Houston; Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church 

and several community-based organizations; League of United Latin American 

Citizens; Galena Park Community Resource and Training Center; the North 

Channel Chamber of Commerce; Harris County Department of Education; the 

local Housing and Urban Development Department; San Jacinto College District 

Small Business Development Center; Associated Builders and Contractors of 

Houston, Inc.; the North Channel Area Chamber of Commerce; and the Career 

and Technology Education Program of Galena Park Independent School District.
22 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

Universidad del Este

P.O. Box 2010

Carolina, PR 00984

www.suagm.edu/suagm/

une2/default.aspx

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC—$600,000

Contact information:

Alberto Maldonado-Ruiz 

Phone: 787–257–7373 

Fax: 787–757–7383

E-mail: ue_amaldona@suagm.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Universidad del Este (UNE) used its 

HSIAC grant to construct and develop a Community Health Promotion Services 

Center at its main campus, which will provide healthcare to two very-low-income 

communities—Sabana Abajo and La Ceramica—adjacent to its main campus. 

The center will also serve the university’s medically indigent student population. 

The project will expand UNE’s role and effectiveness in addressing its community 

development needs, principally among low- and moderate-income individuals who 

lack access to health promotion services. If students and neighborhood residents 

are not able to prevent chronic illnesses, they imperil their chances for accessing, 

remaining, and completing a higher education degree, which will adversely impact their ability to achieve social and economic mobility and improve their occupational opportunities. The project will improve healthcare public services to help 

stabilize low-income communities and contribute to their sustainable development. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Once the Community health 

Promotion Center at UNE’s main campus is completed, it will begin providing 

direct services. Throughout the 3 years of the grant, the health center will provide 

at least 20 group orientations, health education, and health promotion and training activities to reach at least 1,500 low-income, medically indigent neighborhood individuals and at least 500 eligible students. In year 3, the program will 

provide individualized health promotion, referral, and followup services to at least 

150 target area individuals and to at least 100 eligible UNE students. Throughout 

the 3 years, UNE will complete a comprehensive evaluation process to measure 

the improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to health among 

participating residents and students. UNE will demonstrate the financial feasibility 

and sustainability of the UNE-HSIAC Community Health Promotion Service Center 

through documented partnerships with health reform insurers and medical services 

providers and through contracts with visiting private practitioners. UNE will facilitate the exposure of at least 200 UNE student practitioners to health promotion 

services delivery, and, in particular, to the health promotion needs of low-income 

urban communities.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Municipality of Carolina; Corporation 

for National and Community Service/AmeriCorps*VISTA; Universia, Inc.; the 

Puerto Rico Occupational Development and Human Resources Council; the 

Vocational Rehabilitation Administration of the Puerto Rico Labor Department; the 

Puerto Rico Office of Human Resources; and the Puerto Rico Governor’s Office of 

Youth Affairs. 

College departments involved: School of Health Sciences, Office of 

Assessment and Research.

Galena Park residents display their accounting certificates.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 23 

Universidad del Turabo

P.O. Box 3030

State Road 189, Km. 3.3

Gurabo, PR 00778

www.ut.pr

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC––$599,635

Contact information:

Betsy Vidal 

Phone: 787–743–7979 

Fax: 787–744–5394

E-mail: bvidal@suagm.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Universidad del Turabo (UT) used its 

HSIAC grant to promote new self-employment opportunities for low- and moderateincome families to increase economic self-sufficiency in the region. The project 

entailed the expansion of the UT Community Career Center to establish the 

Community Microenterprise Development and Incubator Center. The HSIAC 

initiative will expand the role and effectiveness of the university and its partners 

in addressing the community development needs of the eastern central region of 

Puerto Rico.

Community impact planned/accomplished: UT constructed the Community 

Microenterprise Development and Incubator Center to help low- and moderateincome persons move toward self-employment through the development of microenterprises and business and vocational training. The new center complements the 

adjacent UT Community Career Center and provides a technological microenterprise incubator center, a learning resource center, a vocational lab, a microenterprise technical assistance office, and a child educational facility. At least 250 

low- and moderate-income people will receive basic orientation counseling for 

business development, 32 will receive vocational training education, and 30 will 

obtain a certification in the management and establishment of their own business. 

A train-the-trainers program will certify 15 business consultant specialists who will 

provide ongoing services after the grant period. Technical assistance will include 

individual and group counseling, mentoring, and business development and will 

facilitate the startup, maintenance, expansion, and stabilization of target area 

microenterprises. At least 150 participants will receive technical assistance in 

years two and three. The Child Educational Center will serve the parents participating in the center programs and provide educational services to 12 children at the 

same time, serving at least 80 children in a 2-year period. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Corporation for National and 

Community Service, the Governor’s Office of Special Communities, the Small 

Business Development Center Network, Acción Social de Puerto Rico, American 

Association of Retired Persons, Women’s Network of the Puerto Rico Chamber 

of Commerce, Gurabo Municipality, Caguas Municipality, and Compañía de 

Comercio y Exportación. 

College departments involved: Upward Bound, Scholarship and Internship 

Office, Office of Retention and Student Development, School of Business 

Administration, the School of Education, the School of Sciences and Technology, 

and Student Support Services.
24 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

University of Puerto Rico at 

Humacao

100 Street 908 Road

Humacao, PR 00791

www.uprh.edu

Grant received: 

2006 HSIAC––$583,284

Contact information: 

Hilda Colon-Plumay 

Phone: 787–850–9343 

Fax: 787–852–4638

E-mail: hm_colon@webmail.uprh.edu

Top: An orientation for business development class at the Universidad del Turabo. 

Bottom: A jewelry-making workshop 

offered by the Community Microenterprise 

Development and Incubator Center.

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao 

(UPRH) is using its HSIAC grant to implement its Civic Engagement through the Arts 

(CETA) project. CETA is directed toward low- and moderate-income children and 

teenagers who reside in downtown urban Humacao. UPRH continued to provide 

arts- and culture-based services to children and teenagers from the community, as 

well as economic development workshops for local residents, afterschool arts programs, music programs, and much more. Planned rehabilitation of the two-story 

property adjacent to UPRH’s Casa Roig Museum to house a community-oriented 

center for arts instruction and performance has been delayed due to the amount of 

contaminants found in the building. Remediation must occur before the renovation 

can begin. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: UPRH’s afterschool art 

program is in its third year, providing arts and humanities activities that help 

improve learning and achievement in school to 26 children ages 7–12. Forty-eight 

children ages 5–17 attended the Ciudad Imaginaria summer workshop at which 

a group of architects and art teachers worked with three communities of different 

socioeconomic backgrounds to design imaginary cities. Each community presented 

an exhibit of all the prototype cities the children designed. UPRH continues to 

support the work of Centro de Enseñanza para la Familia, a faith-based group 

that provides a music program to deter delinquency among students who live in 

Humacao’s public housing projects. The group offers a beginner’s percussion 

class to train students who will eventually join the Centro de Enseñanza music 

band. Another program, Aventura Architectónica, offers children an opportunity 

to examine urbanism and architecture issues in downtown Humacao. Twenty-three 

low- and moderate-income residents participated in empowerment and economic 

development workshops sponsored by the Ceiba Housing and Economic Development Corporation. The workshops included information on fair housing, personal 

financial management and the development of small businesses as a way to 

develop economic opportunities for their families.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Center for Family Education (Centro 

de Enseñanza para la Familia), The Pastoral Social, Center for Civic Education & 

Citizen Action (Centro para la Educación en Civismo), Puerto Rico Department of 

Education, the town of Humacao, and the Ceiba Housing and Economic Development Corporation.

College departments involved: Department of Social Sciences, Office of 

Physical Resources, Department of Humanities, Office for Infrastructure, and the 

Department of Education.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 25 

University of Texas at 

San Antonio

Downtown Campus

501 West Durango

Monterrey Building 2.260

San Antonio, Texas 78207

www.utsa.edu

Grant received: 

2006 HSIAC––$599,984

Contact information:

Harriett Romo

Phone: 210–458–2549

Fax: 210–458–2516

E-mail: harriett.romo@utsa.edu

David Rodriguez

HSIAC Project Coordinator

Phone: 210–458–2849

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Texas (UTSA) at San 

Antonio used its 2006 HSIAC grant to foster family self-sufficiency by renovating 

the Jose Cardenas Child Development Center and providing information to increase homeownership and improve housing options. The project also partnered 

with the UTSA Institute for Economic Development to provide workshops on small 

business development to teen parents in the Edgewood School District. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Renovation of the 

4,500-square-foot Jose Cardenas Child Development Center in the Edgewood 

Independent School District included replacing the roof and providing a new air 

conditioning system. School district in-kind contributions included replacement of 

floors and carpet, redesigning existing walls and doors, painting, replacing ceiling tiles, and updating children’s furniture. UTSA architecture students competed to 

build a playground model to replace the existing, unsafe playground that would 

be both visually pleasing and contribute to child development. Parent Make-andTake Workshops were developed by UTSA students to educate parents about 

learning activities that can be used at home with 3–5 year olds. Activities focused 

on letter and sound recognition, rhyming, math skills, and reading comprehension. Funds from the HUD grant provided a UTSA Early Education student to assist at the center 19 hours a week. The student aided teachers in the classroom 

and helped with Head Start and special education students. UTSA students paid 

by the HUD grant, in collaboration with the UTSA Institute for Economic Development, provided the tools and information on potential small business development 

to teen parents by providing business advice in a consistent, efficient, and friendly 

manner. The HSIAC grant provided computer training at the Vista Verde Apartments that increases employment opportunities, improves academic performance, 

and enhances communication. HSIAC students conducted interviews with the community to find out specific needs of low-income, informal childcare and presented 

information to the city of San Antonio, making recommendations to promote the 

development of new programs for childcare providers. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Edgewood School District, the 

SAM Shelter, Parent/Child Incorporated, Annie E. Casey “Making Connections” 

Initiative, Casey Family Programs and Baptist Child and Family Services, the city 

of San Antonio Mayor’s Office Early Childhood Initiatives, HUD’s Neighborhood 

Networks Initiative, and Vista Verde Apartments.

College departments involved: Departments of Sociology, Psychology, 

and Adult and Higher Education; College of Architecture; Bicultural and Bilingual 

Studies; Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning; UTSA Child and Adolescent 

Policy Research Institute; UTSA Institute of Economic Development; UTSA Small 

Business Development Center; UTSA Division of Outreach Services; and the UTSA 

President’s Office.

Top: Parent assembles learning materials 

at a Make-and-Take literacy workshop. 

Bottom: A resident receives one-on-one 

computer instruction at Vista Verde 

Learning Center.
26 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

Urban College of Boston

Top: CCEO participants learn new 

computer skills. 

Bottom: CCEO offers early childhood 

education and business management 

courses to Latina residents of Boston 

and Lawrence.

178 Tremont Street

Boston, MA 02111

www.urbancollege.edu

Grant received:

2006 HSIAC––$527,290

Contact information:

Erin Knepler 

Phone: 617–348–6514

Fax: 617–423–4758

E-mail: knepler@urbancollege.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Urban College of Boston (UCB) used 

its HSIAC grant to launch the Child Care Economic Opportunity (CCEO) project, 

a model of microenterprise development focused on supporting new and existing 

family childcare providers in Latino communities in Boston and Lawrence, 

Massachusetts. In these large and economically disadvantaged communities, 

poverty rates are extremely high, academic achievement is low, there is limited 

access to safe affordable housing, and many basic resources—such as quality 

childcare—are lacking. The unique microenterprise character of family childcare 

allows the CCEO project to leverage broad potential impacts in all of these areas. 

The CCEO project will help low-income Latinas capture the economic opportunities inherent in childcare—while helping to expand the range of high-quality 

childcare resources available to Latino working poor families and supporting 

the housing and economic base of Latino communities—by establishing a 

support system for childcare entrepreneurs that is cost-effective and increasingly 

self-sustaining.

In the past year, UCB has supported 33 new family childcare providers in the 

2-year bilingual CCEO program and helped 19 others to expand their businesses. 

Classes offered include child growth and development, guidance and discipline, 

observing and recording, early childhood curriculum, special needs in childcare, 

and communication for entrepreneurs. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The CCEO project targets 

current and potential family childcare providers who are Hispanic, with services 

that will enable them to create, stabilize, or expand family childcare programs. 

A tested model of outreach and student support brings participants into college 

classrooms in Boston and Lawrence and supports their success in a focused 

college-level certificate program involving early childhood education and business management courses. Promoting successful entrepreneurship by low-income 

women as family childcare providers and increasing the available supply of childcare in the community supports both family and community economic growth. 

Homeownership, home repair, and energy- efficiency services will be available 

to participants to improve and help stabilize their homes, which also house their 

businesses. In December 2008, UCB received a gift of $100,000 from the Mabel 

Louise Riley Foundation to further the CCEO program. The grant will ensure that a 

robust financial literacy curriculum is added to the project in spring 2009.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Child Care Circuit, Inc., and Child 

Care Choices of Boston of Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.

College departments involved: Early Childhood Division and Academic 

Support Services.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 27 

Central Arizona College-Pinal 

County Community College District

8470 North Overfield Road

Coolidge, AZ 85228

www.centralaz.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HSIAC––$599,985

Contact information:

Mary Cecilia Gutierrez 

Phone: 520−494–6605 

Fax: 520−494–6606

E-mail: marycecilia.gutierrez@

 centralaz.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Central Arizona College-Pinal County 

Community College District is using its HSIAC grant to implement Project CACTI 

(Central Arizona Community Transformation Initiative), which can meet the career 

development needs of residents seeking to prosper in the region. The project will 

combine a comprehensive one-stop workforce development center and skill center, 

allowing for a seamless transition from job-training programs to job search and 

placement services. The target population is primarily unemployed and underemployed residents from wider Pinal County, its communities, and the Gila River 

Indian community. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Renovation of the One-Stop/

Skill Center supports the city’s effort to reduce the Southside neighborhood’s blight 

and decay. The renovated center will bring needed services to the Southside neighborhood target area, which has few community services, a high rate of poverty, 

and significant blight. Project CACTI will support several job-training programs 

that allow residents to gain valuable job skills and credentials in a short amount 

of time. The One-Stop/Skill Center will provide career development, job search, 

and job placement services. At the center, 320 individuals will complete life, soft, 

and study skills training. They will also receive fair housing and housing mobility 

counseling and support, and an estimated 35 program participants will purchase 

affordable housing during the 3-year project. During the 3-year HSIAC project, 

96 individuals will complete a Construction Trades Certificate program, which will 

give them the skills needed to gain employment in the area’s construction industry. 

The Construction Trades students will gain onsite construction experience by helping to build 32 homes constructed through the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program 

operated by the city of Casa Grande. The students will also help to build a community center for Seeds of Hope, a local Christian community development agency 

operating in the Westside, Casa Grande’s poorest neighborhood. The students’ 

labor will help to lower the construction costs of the self-help homes and community 

center. In addition, 75 construction workers will complete Skill Upgrade Modules. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Arizona Department of Economic 

Security, city of Casa Grande’s Housing and Revitalization Department, Central 

Arizona Association of Governments, Pinal County Housing Department, Seeds of 

Hope, and the Pinal Hispanic Council.

College departments involved: Healthcare faculty, Career and Technical 

Education, and Vocational Trades.
28 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

Top: The Oasis Center’s first graduates. 

Bottom: Renovation of the Oasis 

Community Center, which opened in 

September 2008.

California State University, 

Long Beach Foundation

1250 Bellflower Boulevard

Academic Services Building

Long Beach, CA 90840-2007

www.foundation.csulb.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$599,885

Contact information:

Carina Sass 

Phone: 562−985–7131 

Fax: 562−985−2129

E-mail: csass@csulb.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: California State University, Long Beach 

Foundation is using its HSIAC grant to: 

n	 Renovate a small modular building to create the Oasis Community Center, a 

computer and learning laboratory, general meeting and classroom, and a small 

administrative office, which opened on September 19, 2008. 

n	 Establish an administrative infrastructure to facilitate combined activities and 

services that address critical, dynamic, community-identified needs. 

n	 Coordinate with local schools, afterschool providers, and other partners 

to establish, expand, and enhance out-of-school academic and enrichment 

programs for youth at the Villages at Cabrillo, which serves homeless families. 

Examples include bringing a summer science camp to the Villages.

n	 Identify and address gaps or deficiencies in existing services and programs to 

strengthen families living at the Villages of Cabrillo. 

n	 Involve organization and faculty partners in a community/faculty learning 

community to develop and implement focused responses to critical, community 

needs through community-based learning, community-based research, and 

program development.

Community impact planned/accomplished: During the first year of the 

grant, opening of the Oasis Community Center provided teens, children, and 

adults with access to educational technology and support. Afterschool programs 

utilize the Oasis to expand their services to more children residing at the Villages 

of Cabrillo. Community and faith-based organizations will have more resources 

and improve the quality and seamlessness of services as residents move from 

emergency housing to transitional housing to permanent housing. Children and 

teens with mentors will improve their academic performance. Participants will gain 

life, parenting, and leadership skills that strengthen and stabilize their families. 

Residents involved in the development and running of a microenterprise will 

expand their economic opportunities. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Catholic Charities; Villages at 

Cabrillo; United States Veterans Initiative, Inc.; Cantwell Anderson, Inc.; 

Century Villages at Cabrillo; LBUSD/Hudson School; and PATH (designated 

service provider for the Family Commons at Cabrillo).

College departments involved: Center for Community Engagement, 

Center for Language and Minority Education and Research, College of Business 

Administration, and Department of Linguistics.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 29 

Heritage University

3240 Fort Road

Toppenish, WA 98948

www.heritage.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$600,000

Contact information:

Rick Gagnier 

Phone: 509–865–8500

Fax: 509–865–8559

E-mail: gagnier_r@heritage.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Heritage University is using its HSIAC grant 

in partnership with childcare providers, community members, the Washington 

Department of Early Learning, and the Yakama Indian Nation to improve economic 

conditions and educational attainment in Toppenish, Washington. Heritage will 

develop a public facility to serve as a training and resource center for childcare 

providers and as a childcare center for Toppenish residents. The facility will provide training on developing microenterprise home-based childcare businesses as 

well as early childhood instructional techniques. Heritage faculty will lead seminars 

on developing home-based childcare businesses and assist residents with obtaining 

Washington State licensure. Construction of a new early childhood training center 

is underway and will be ready for occupancy in the fall. The college has worked 

extensively with partners—an architect with early childhood building experience, 

the Heritage University Dean of Education, Educational Service District 105 Early 

Learning Department, Enterprise for Progress in the Community, Yakama Nation 

Childcare Center, the Yakima Valley Migrant Council, and the Yakima Area Gates 

Grant program—to develop the most effective room arrangements, essential program characteristics, and areawide training opportunities. Heritage also applied 

for and received a state of Washington grant for early childhood education that 

funds training and childcare support for 18 children in the center. The early childhood learning training process is temporarily using existing space while the new 

facility is under construction. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The Center for Early Learning, 

Training & Family Support will provide high-quality childcare to 30 children from 

low-income families. The center also will address the high area unemployment by 

creating jobs and will help address the low educational attainment of residents 

by providing training. The university will develop a customized set of training materials for childcare providers. A total of 120 community members will attend the 

general training seminars. Three-quarters (75 percent) of participants will adopt 

new early childhood education instructional techniques in their childcare centers, 

75 percent will develop a business plan for a childcare business, and 60 percent 

will open a childcare business. In addition to meeting urgent facility and training 

needs in the community of Toppenish, the center will also provide an appropriately equipped space for Heritage University education students to receive hands-on 

training and experience. The university is working with local agencies to provide 

daycare training to local daycare providers. The departments of Education and 

Business are actively developing a formal training program for this goal. This part 

of the program will be operational in August 2009.

Partnerships planned/accomplished Washington State Department of Early 

Learning, Educational Service District 105, Toppenish School District, EPIC, Yakima 

Valley Farm Workers, Community Learning Center, and the Yakima Migrant Council.

College departments involved: Department of Business, Department of 

Education, and Office of Field Services.

Top: Site of Heritage University’s 

Early Childhood Education Center. 

Bottom: Children and staff at the 

Early Childhood Education Center.
30 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

Los Angeles Trade-Technical 

College

400 West Washington 

 Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90015

www.lattc.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$599,979

Contact information:

Denise Fairchild 

Phone: 213−763–2520 

Fax: 213−763–2729

E-mail: denfaire@cdtech.org

Projects planned/accomplished: Los Angeles Trade-Technical College 

(LATTC) is using its HSIAC grant, in conjunction with the CDTech Center, to launch 

the Community Building/Stabilization Initiative (CBS). CBS will increase the participation of grassroots organizations in the Vernon-Central neighborhood of South 

Los Angeles in promoting economic and housing opportunities for women, youth, 

and families. The strategy revolves around developing education and training opportunities that directly engage three grassroots leadership groups in an integrated 

program of leadership, community development, and asset development.

Community impact planned/accomplished: CBS encompasses two related 

programs: the Emerging Leaders Program and the Asset Development Program. 

Emerging Leaders will strengthen the civic capacity of the Vernon-Central community by providing Santee High School students and grassroots leaders with skills 

training and career-development opportunities in leadership and community 

economic development. The program will train 1,000 youth and 60 promotoras, 

who will, in turn, generate 10,000 hours of community service and produce 

neighborhood revitalization strategies and programs. By organizing and building grassroots leadership, the program will help improve high school graduation 

and college transfer rates, increase campus and community safety, and address 

economic and housing needs of the community. The Asset Development Program 

directly addresses the economic challenges of the Vernon-Central neighborhood 

by connecting low-income families to the economic mainstream. The program will 

train low-income women and youth in asset-building strategies, including budgeting and savings, credit management, homeownership, and business development. 

At the end of the project, 360 students/residents will have participated in various 

asset-building workshops, resulting in 100 new savings accounts, 20 participants 

pre-qualified for microenterprise and home loans, and 3 new youth-developed microbusinesses. To address the particular challenges that the immigrant populations 

face in understanding and accessing local housing and economic resources and 

programs, CBS will demystify the process and build community confidence through 

community role models.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Bank of America, California Emerging Technology Fund, and Santee High School.

College departments involved: Community and Economic Development 

Department.

Top: LATTC provides technology training to 

Vernon-Central residents. 

Bottom: The Central Avenue Business 

Association executive committee meets for 

leadership training.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 31 

Los Angeles Valley College

Top: Money Management Awareness 

Program participants. 

Bottom: A Los Angeles Valley College 

financial literacy class.

5800 Fulton Avenue

Valley Glen, CA 91401

www.lavc.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HSIAC––$600,000

Contact information:

Deborah diCesare

Phone: 818−778–5522

Fax: 818−947−2620

E-mail: dicesad@lavc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Los Angeles Valley College is using its 

HSIAC grant to train individuals in financial literacy, homeownership, and entrepreneurial microenterprise enrichment through its Money Management Awareness 

Program (Valley MAP). Valley MAP targets low- to moderate-income residents of 

the Northeast San Fernando Valley, including the cities of Pacoima, North Hills, 

Sun Valley, North Hollywood, Panorama City, and Sylmar, with special focus on 

minorities and persons with limited English proficiency. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Valley MAP will create measurable increases in financial literacy; increased utilization of traditional banking 

institutions; increased homeownership; and the development, stabilization, and 

strengthening of microenterprise ownership and entrepreneurship. Of the 300 participants in Valley MAP, 100 will focus on future homeownership training and will 

develop a personal finance portfolio, and one person will purchase a renovated 

home or condominium. Of the 200 participants enrolled in the Entrepreneurial 

Micro-Enterprise Enrichment Project, 40 will start new entrepreneurial microenterprises, and 10 will stabilize and strengthen their existing businesses. To date, the 

college has completed one class and is enrolling for three upcoming classes. One 

of the next classes will be held at Los Angeles Family Housing, an organization 

that houses homeless families and individuals and provides classes and programs 

that promote emotional and financial stability. The class will be offered to the staff, 

who are primarily graduates of the Family Housing program. This, in turn, will 

help the staff to promote the class to clients and ensure their success in the class. 

The college has developed a partnership with Alliance for Economic Inclusion, 

the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporations (FDIC’s) national initiative to establish 

broad-based coalitions of financial institutions, community-based organizations 

and other partners to bring all unbanked and underserved populations into the 

financial mainstream. FDIC’s goal is to provide an alternative to high-cost and 

often predatory financial products for low- and moderate-income individuals and 

families. Locally, it is made up of banks, credit unions, community development 

agencies, the local HUD Office, and Los Angeles Valley College, which serves as 

the financial training component of this partnership. Junior Achievement Finance 

Park is a hands-on experience that primarily helps young people recognize, first 

hand, their responsibility to attain financial self-sufficiency. However, through this 

HUD grant, the college is able to allow access to this park by adults that need the 

same hands-on experience in a non-threatening environment.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Junior Achievement of Southern 

California, the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles, the Regional Workforce 

Collaborative of the San Fernando Valley, and San Fernando Gardens.

College departments involved: Job training office.
32 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

Midland College 

3600 North Garfield

Midland, TX 79705

www.midland.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$600,000

Contact information:

Alfredo Chaparro 

Phone: 432−685−4723 

Fax: 432−685−6412

E-mail: achaparro@midland.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Midland College (MC) is using its HSIAC 

grant to expand its role and effectiveness in addressing community development 

needs through its Cogdell Learning Center. The center’s Savings for Independence 

program will assist low- and moderate-income individuals in achieving long-term 

financial goals such as homeownership and business ownership by providing 

access to financial literacy education, entrepreneurship, and affordable housing. 

The program will achieve its goal by providing personal finance and asset-specific 

training and by matching the participant’s savings, up to $1,000, through an 

Individual Development Account (IDA) program. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The Savings for Independence 

Program will help individuals and families achieve long-term financial goals by 

providing personal finance classes, assisting participants in establishing a habit 

of saving, and matching the participant’s savings. When the participants save 

monthly and attend training, the program will match their savings with $2 to $4 for 

every dollar they save, up to $1,000 of the savings. To date, under the program: 

318 individuals have attended financial literacy workshops, 47 individuals have 

received financial literacy training and counseling, 34 individuals have participated in housing counseling and training, 66 individuals have received credit reports 

and credit counseling, 3 individuals have received technical assistance to establish 

their small businesses, 8 individuals have purchased their first home, and 8 individuals have purchased assets to start a small business. In addition, 66 IDAs have 

been opened, resulting in total savings of $32,536.22 and total matching funds of 

$86,940.87. One hundred and thirty-seven individuals attended a regional Asset 

Building Conference that Midland College sponsored in September 2008. Support 

for the conference came from the city of Midland, Center for Public Policy Priorities (Austin), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Dallas), Federal Reserve Bank 

of Dallas, Midland Affordable Housing Alliance, United Ways of Texas (Austin), 

United Way of Midland, and RAISE Texas (Austin). The Midland Asset Building 

Coalition was established as a direct outcome of the conference. Hundreds of lowto moderate-income households are increasing their knowledge about financial 

issues. Some households are beginning to increase their financial stability via the 

purchase of a first home. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Community National Bank, city of 

Midland Community Development Office, Casa de Amigos, Habitat for Humanity, 

and Midland Community Development Corporation. 

College departments involved: The Business and Economic Development 

Center, and service-learning students. 

Top: MC’s IDA program aided these 

first-time homebuyers. 

Bottom: A student volunteer teaches a 

financial education class.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 33 

Otero Junior College

1802 Colorado Avenue

La Junta, CO 81050

www.ojc.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$599,176

Contact information:

Gary Ashida 

Phone: 719−384−6841 

Fax: 719−384−6947

E-mail: gary.ashida@ojc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Otero Junior College (OJC) used its HSIAC 

grant to open the Business Innovation Center (BIC), which provides a business incubator with entrepreneurial training and local economic development assistance. 

The center will help residents achieve success in business startup, continuation, 

and expansion, while also providing homeownership counseling and assistance. 

Space within the BIC will be utilized in three ways: as a business incubator, as 

an economic development office, and as an office for the Tri-County Housing and 

Community Development Corporation (TCH&CDC). The city of Rocky Ford, in partnership with OJC will soon be opening a new business and arts incubator in Rocky 

Ford in a vacant Main Street building. The renovation aspect of the project will begin in early 2009, and the center is expected to open in July 2009. The floor plan 

for the building has been approved by the Rocky Ford City Council and OJC, and 

blueprints and architect approval are forthcoming. In an effort to build excitement 

and anticipation about this innovative endeavor, an “Almost-Under-Construction” 

reception was held in the building in November 2008, with community and 

college individuals attending. It is anticipated that this new center will become 

a venue for business, arts, and entertainment in the community.

Community impact planned/accomplished: BIC will provide indepth 

support for businesses, which is not currently available in Rocky Ford, while encouraging residents to pursue entrepreneurship opportunities. The startup of one 

successful business in this economically depressed community will have tremendous 

economic benefits. When the building renovation is complete, the business incubator will offer office space and organizational assistance to startup businesses. The 

arts incubator, a very new concept in the Southeastern Colorado area, will offer 

young and established artists a place to hone their artistic skills and offer courses 

on how to make their art a viable business entity. In addition, the center will offer 

entrepreneurship courses to the K–12 youth and adults of the community and surrounding areas. By locating an office in Rocky Ford, TCH&CDC will give residents 

access to information about affordable homeownership and home improvement 

resources. During the grant period, this program will provide housing counseling 

services to 240 people/families. A total of 40 people will purchase new homes 

while 30 more will build affordable housing units. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The city of Rocky Ford; Rocky Ford 

Growth and Progress, Inc.; the Rocky Ford School District; the Small Business 

Development Center; and Tri-County Housing and Community Development 

Corporation.

College departments involved: CISCO Networking Academy and the 

SCORE Center.

Top: Gary Ashida speaks with a group 

about the new Business and Arts Center. 

Bottom: Julie Worley speaks to 

community members at the 

“Almost-Under-Construction” reception.
34 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

San Antonio College

1300 San Pedro Avenue

San Antonio, TX 78212

www.accd.edu/sac/

sacmain/sac.htm

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC—$597,530

Contact Information:

Dr. Helen Vera, Chair

Services for Women & 

 Non-Traditional Students 

Phone: 210−733−2299

E-mail: mvera@mail.accd.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: San Antonio College (SAC) has begun 

construction on the Mi CASA (Career Advancement and Self-sufficiency Assistance) 

Center, a career development center for low- and moderate-income residents of 

the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the college. The center will be housed 

in an 1,800-square-foot addition to the Seguir Adelante Community Center. 

Construction of the addition began in August 2008, with completion estimated in 

fall 2009. When completed, the Mi CASA Center, with assistance from our project 

partners, will provide the target community with comprehensive career advancement and wraparound social services designed to lead to further training, college 

enrollment, and eventual self-sufficiency. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: In order to provide the intended services to the target population, the first priority for the Mi CASA Program 

was to reach out to the targeted community to promote its program and services 

by developing and distributing outreach print materials to community organizations, churches, daycare centers, businesses, schools, and neighborhood associations. To date, approximately 150 residents have enrolled in the program to 

help low- to moderate-income individuals and families become more self-sufficient. 

Comprehensive services to the community include career and workforce preparation, employability skills development, college preparation and enrollment, 

homebuyer education, financial literacy, and social service eligibility screening. 

A $100,000 grant from the Greater Texas Foundation to establish a Community 

College Scholars Program provides scholarships to 20 community members to 

attend SAC for 1 year. These students/residents, are being utilized to reach out 

into the targeted community to bring more participants into the center. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: San Antonio Alternative Housing 

Corporation provides onsite workshops in homebuyer education, financial literacy 

counseling, and downpayment assistance (up to $35,000) for first-time homebuyers. Alamo Workforce Solutions provides job search assistance. Randolph-Brooks 

Federal Credit Union sponsors monthly onsite banking basics and financial literacyworkshops and assistance with setting up savings accounts. San Antonio Food 

Bank offers onsite application assistance for food stamps, Medicaid, the Children’s 

Health Insurance Plan, TANF, and the Women’s Health Program, and workshops 

on nutrition. City of San Antonio Department of Community Initiatives Family Economic Success Program sponsors onsite workshops on the Individual Development 

Account savings match program and assistance with applications to open a savings account for a downpayment on a home or car, tuition for college or training, 

or starting/expanding a small business. The Salvation Army Hope Center provides 

referrals to the Mi CASA program from the program director and case managers.

College departments involved: SAC Department of Programs & Services 

for Women & Non-Traditional Students, SAC Service-Learning Program, and the 

Career Placement Center.

Top: Site of the future Mi CASA Center at 

San Antonio College. 

Bottom: Career and workforce development classes, as well as employability skills 

development, are available at Mi CASA.
Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 35 

Trinidad State Junior College

600 Prospect Street

Trinidad, CO 81082

www.trinidadstate.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$599,067

Contact information:

Kerry Gabrielson 

Phone: 719−846–5643 

Fax: 719−846–5667

E-mail: kerry.gabrielson@ 

 trinidadstate

Kayleen Dowell

Phone: 719−846−3829

Fax: 719−846−5489

E-mail: kayleen.dowell@

 trinidadstate.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC) used its 

HSIAC grant to rehabilitate a building in downtown Trinidad, Colorado, to house 

Las Animas, the county’s first Community Development Resource Center (CDRC). 

The 4,169-square-foot facility will create a one-stop shop for individuals looking 

to start their own business, create a business plan, discover affordable housing 

opportunities, receive housing and business counseling, or attend a workshop. 

The center will provide business resources to low- and moderate-income and minority residents seeking economic development assistance, housing assistance, and 

resource development assistance. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The CDRC will have positive 

impacts on the college and Trinidad and Las Animas County. The CDRC will bring 

together TSJC students, faculty, new programs, and existing resources to provide 

services to low- and moderate-income citizens in a highly visible location, while 

addressing the lack of business resources, low educational attainment, old housing 

stock, and high levels of poverty in the community. In addition, during this project, 

an advisory committee was formed and consists of community members representing low- to moderate- income families and representatives from the grant partners. 

Housing Resources partner withdrew from the project as a result of downsizing. 

Before this partner withdrew, however, it made available two single-family homes 

for sale to low- to moderate-income families, and provided downpayment assistance that enabled two families to purchase their own homes. An estimated 480 

individuals will receive business counseling and education services through the 

project. In addition, two small business incubators will be established. The business incubator selection committee has begun reviewing potential business incubator applicants. Finally, 16 individuals representing various nonprofits attended a 

grantwriting workshop in May 2008.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Trinidad Las Animas County Economic 

Development; TSJC Educational Foundation and Housing Resources, Inc.; and 

TSJC Educational Foundation is providing rent-free space for the CDRC. 

College departments involved: Business faculty, Engineering Technology, 

and the Service Learning Program. The business faculty is developing a program to 

involve business students in the CDRC and the business incubator. The Engineering 

Technology Department wired the offices and the conference rooms with state-ofthe-art information technology for use by the business incubator clients, nonprofits, 

faith-based organizations, and other members of the community.

Top: Renovation of the Johns Building included new bathrooms and ADA 

compliance.

Bottom: Interior of the Johns Building 

after renovation. 
36 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Granteess

NM

CO

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UT

AZ

ID

NM

CO

WY

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UT

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ID

NM

CO

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UT

AZ

ID

University Corporation at 

Monterey Bay

100 Campus Center 

 Building 201

Seaside, CA 93955

http://csumb.edu

Grant received:

2007 HSIAC––$599,880

Contact information:

Patricia Casey 

Phone: 831−582–4146 

Fax: 831−582–3305

E-mail: patricia_casey@csumb.edu.

Projects planned/accomplished: The University Corporation at Monterey Bay 

(UCMB) formerly known as the Foundation of California State University, Monterey 

Bay, is using its HSIAC grant to implement the second phase of its efforts to revitalize a Chinatown neighborhood. In Phase II of the project, UCMB will work with 

its community partners to create a one-stop, multiservice center for the homeless 

and strengthen local business capacity, create a green technology demonstration 

park, and create a community cultural center where long-term residents and property owners will be able to preserve their culture and tradition in the revitalized 

Chinatown.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The target area is the most 

blighted 24-block area of downtown Salinas. The Phase II initiative brings new 

resources, opportunities, and energy to a forgotten part of the downtown redevelopment zone. The Chinatown Homeless Action Team (CHAT), comprised of seven 

social service providers, has developed an interview survey to determine current 

services, accessed needs, and gaps in services. Three to six homeless individuals 

will be trained as part of the Green Jobs Corps in renewable energy and energy 

efficiency-related jobs and in natural construction techniques. The first Green Job 

Corps training team of 3 homeless persons began its 20-week training on November 10, 2008. Twenty-four Oral History students conducted 20 1-hour video taped 

interviews of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino Americans in fall 2008. Community members joined the class four times for education, training, and celebration. 

Faculty and students from California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) will be 

involved in the planning and design of the center beginning in winter 2009. The 

city of Salinas Redevelopment Agency received a $240,000 California Department of Transportation Planning Grant (January 2009–December 2010). Faculty 

and students from CalPoly will be involved in the planning and design of a lowincome housing project and the overall neighborhood motif. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Salinas Downtown Community Board, 

Neighborhood Safety Committee, Salinas Buddhist Temple, the Salinas Confucius 

Church, City of Salinas Redevelopment Agency, the Monterey County Department 

of Social and Employment Services, Franciscan Workers, John XXIII AIDS Ministry, 

the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo School of Urban Planning & Design and School of Architecture.

College departments involved: Business, Science and Environmental Policy, 

Visual and Public Art, Humanities and Communications, and World Languages 

and Cultures.

Top: Community planning for the 

Chinatown neighborhood.

Bottom: A Salinas Downtown Community 

Board meeting.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 37 

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Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 37 

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CHAPTER 3 Historically Black 

Colleges and 

Universities Program

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been 

important housing and community development partners with 

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 

since 1980 when President Jimmy Carter signed the first Executive order 

establishing a government-wide initiative to help HBCUs access federally 

funded programs.

HUD’s HBCU program is designed to help historically black colleges 

and universities expand their role and effectiveness in addressing community development needs in their localities, including 

neighborhood revitalization, housing, and economic 

development.

Only HBCUs as determined by the U.S. Department 

of Education are eligible to apply for funding under 

this program. All applicants must be accredited by a 

national or regional accrediting agency recognized by 

the Department of Education.

Activities proposed for funding must meet at least one 

of the following Community Development Block Grant 

national objectives:

n	 Benefit low- and moderate-income persons.

n	 Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or 

blight.

n	 Meet other community development needs where 

existing conditions pose a serious and immediate 
38 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

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2006 and 2007 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grantees

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threat to the health and welfare of the community and 

where other financial resources are not available to 

meet such needs.

HBCU grantees can use their funds to:

n	 Acquire real property.

n	 Clear and demolish property.

n	 Rehabilitate residential or commercial structures.

n	 Provide direct homeownership assistance.

n	 Provide eligible public service activities.

n	 Establish a community development corporation.

n	 Assist community-based development organization in 

neighborhood revitalization, economic development, 

or energy conservation projects.

For more information about HUD’s HBCU programs, visit 

www.oup.org or contact:

Ophelia H. Wilson

Grant Specialist

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–4390

E-mail: ophelia.wilson@hud.gov
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 39 

Top: AAMU’s Spring Fling included 

neighborhood cleanup and revitalization 

activities. 

Bottom: AAMU receives a HUD award.

Alabama A&M University

P.O. Box 411

Normal, AL 35762

www.aamu.edu

Grant received: 

2006 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Teresa M. Orok 

Phone: 256–372–5676 

Fax: 256–372–5030 

E-mail: teresa.orok@aamu.edu

Joseph A. Lee 

Phone: 256–288–0774 

Fax: 256–288–0676 

E-mail: joseph.lee@aamu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Alabama A&M University’s (AAMU’s) 

HBCU grant has greatly strengthened the university’s involvement and effectiveness 

in addressing problems in Edmonton Heights, located in the city of Huntsville 

adjacent to the campus. The grant was used to implement Phase II of the Edmonton Heights Neighborhood Revitalization Project. Specifically, the grant provided 

financial assistance to the AAMU Community Development Corporation (CDC) to 

assist it in carrying out revitalization efforts in the neighborhood, and economic 

and human resources to assist Edmonton Heights’ residents in strengthening and 

stabilizing their neighborhood by educating community leaders and forming a 

neighborhood association.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The grant involves two initiatives. Under the first, AAMU purchased and demolished two blighted residential 

structures. The AAMU CDC is reconstructing new homes on the lots and will sell 

them to low- to moderate-income families. Sale of the homes will provide revenue 

for the CDC to acquire and rehabilitate a third property after the grant period to 

further sustain the CDC. Also, the CDC has initiated an owner-occupied rehab 

(50-percent grant/50-percent low-interest loan) program to assist 10 homeowners in making repairs and renovations to their homes. Loan repayments will help 

sustain the rehab program after the grant period ends. Under the second initiative, AAMU faculty, students, and staff have increased their involvement in Edmonton Heights through several service-learning projects and planned neighborhood 

events. Leadership training workshops have built residents’ confidence and capacity to meet and work with city officials. Residents are forming block clubs to improve communication, to foster collective action, and to develop a neighborhood 

association. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Madison County Commission 

provided resources to demolish and remove two dilapidated residential units. The 

AAMU CDC designed and is administering the owner-occupied rehab program 

with assistance from Council Federal Credit Union. The Volunteer Center of Madison County has helped organize neighborhood events with the CDC and faculty 

and staff volunteers. The Huntsville Police Department has worked to stop drug 

sales and other crimes and is working with residents to establish a Neighborhood 

Watch program. Various city agencies have assisted in conducting leadership 

training classes for Edmonton Heights’ residents.

College departments involved: Departments of Community Planning and 

Urban Studies, Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Alabama Cooperative 

Extension Systems.
40 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Benedict College

1600 Harden Street

Columbia, SC 29204

www.benedict.edu

Grant received: 

2006 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

David Swinton 

Phone: 803–705–4390 

Fax: 803–255–1709

E-mail: swintond@benedict.edu

Top: A renovated home in the Read 

Street/Waverly neighborhood of Columbia.

Bottom: A financial literacy class in 

Benedict’s Individual Development Account 

program.

Projects planned/accomplished: Benedict College’s Project SUSTAIN 

(Sustainable Urban Services to Advance Independent Neighborhoods) has two 

components. The first is to use sustainable design standards to rehabilitate a 

vacant structure in the Read Street/Waverly neighborhood. Second, the college 

will convert the refurbished structure into the Community Education and Training 

Resources Center. Once restored, the center will offer resources and training information on energy conservation, homebuying, home maintenance, credit counseling, and other community-building topics. The center will also provide multipurpose 

space for community meetings. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Renovating and converting a 

dilapidated building into the energy-efficient Community Education and Training 

Resources Center will help spur sustainable development in the target neighborhood and surrounding community. The center also provides 20 computer workstations for use by area residents for training and educational purposes. The center 

has created a sustainable web portal which offers the community user-friendly 

access to relevant educational resources––workforce development training, financial literacy, and personal money-management courses. Homebuyer education, 

another key project component, enhances affordable homeownership opportunities 

for low- and moderate-income residents. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: A local partner, Engenuity, donated 

a hydrogen fuel cell that provides backup power to the facility and provides a 

working example of the diverse applications of renewable energy. Freddie Mac 

has contributed Credit Smart, a financial-literacy curriculum. The Benedict-Allen 

Community Development Corporation is recruiting and training prospective homebuyers from the area using both online curriculum and classroom sessions.

College departments involved: The departments of Social Work, 

Mathematics, and Computer Science; and the Community Health Program.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 41 

Top: Winners of a computer at the 

back-to-school block party sponsored by 

the college. 

Bottom: Youth from the Trinity Baptist 

afterschool program meet at the C.A. Fredd 

computer lab to explore career options.

C. A. Fredd Technical College of

Shelton State Community College

3401 Martin Luther King, Jr. 

 Boulevard

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

www.sheltonstate.edu

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$599,020

Contact information:

Dr. Cordell Wynn

Phone: 205–391–2617 

Fax: 205–391–2658

E-mail: cwynn@sheltonstate.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: C.A. Fredd Technical College implemented 

a neighborhood revitalization project in collaboration with the West Highland 

Neighbors, a local residents’ group in the west end of Tuscaloosa. The project was 

designed to develop sustainable solutions to identified problems through neighborhood involvement, organization, and leadership; empower residents to become 

employed through education, technical skill training, and job-placement programs; 

increase homeownership through a collaborative affordable housing program; and 

address barriers to the positive development of children and youth.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The college established a 

6-person team to conduct door-to-door surveys with 169 residents to assess their 

immediate needs. Working with the Tuscaloosa City Police Department, it facilitated workshops to establish Neighborhood Watch programs in several neighborhoods. More than 250 youth and families attended a back-to-school party hosted 

by the college, church groups, and A Few United Men (AFUM), a nonprofit youth 

organization. In the area of education, the college established two adult education 

classes in its Unity Center to assist students who need short-term remedial assistance to prepare for the General Educational Development test. The program has 

a 98-percent pass rate and all students who pass receive one free academic/

technical course (including textbook/fees) at the college. The college implemented an extensive program of seminars and counseling for first-time homebuyers. 

Eight individuals have completed the seminars and qualified to become homeowners. To improve academic achievement among community young people, the 

college sponsored five separate programs—including free tutorial and recreation 

programs—for more than 250 youth. Elementary, middle, and high school students 

attend tutorial and recreation programs twice a week and weekly progress reports 

are sent home to parents. AFUM has partnered with the Black Construction Organization to provide youth with job training in interior and exterior painting, minor 

plumbing repairs, bricklaying, and more.

Partners: The West Alabama Center for Workforce Development Trinity, Missionary Baptist Church, Cornerstone Full Gospel Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, 

and Bailey Tabernacle C.M.E. Church, AFUM, Tuscaloosa Interdenominational 

Ministerial Alliance, West Highland Neighbors, Tuscaloosa Housing Authority, 

Westside Community Development Corporation, Maude Whatley Health Services, Tuscaloosa City Planning Department, Tuscaloosa City Schools, Easter Seals, 

Community Service Programs of West Alabama, Benjamin Barnes Branch YMCA, 

McDonald Hughes Multi-Purpose Center, First Presbyterian Church, and Temporary 

Emergency Services

College departments involved: Adult Basic Education Program; the faculty, 

administration, and staff of both the C.A. Fredd Technical College Campus and the 

Martin Campus of Shelton State Community College. 
42 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Howard University

2400 Sixth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20059

www.howard.edu

Grant received: 

2006 HBCU––$586,027

Contact information: 

Dr. Ricardo Brown 

Associate Vice President 

 for Sponsored Programs

Phone: 202–806–5567 

Fax: 202–806–5523

E-mail: ora@howard.edu

Top: The charter graduating class of 

Northeast Resource Center’s job-training 

and placement program. 

Bottom: David Long, HUD Community 

Planning and Development Director, speaks 

at the grand opening of the Business 

Resource Center.

Projects planned/accomplished: Howard University used its HBCU grant for 

the Building on Partnerships project, which encompasses six community development activities in the District of Columbia and New Orleans: 

n	 Financial support for construction of a 12-unit affordable condominium project in 

Northwest Washington.

n	 Residential façade rehabilitation in Northeast Washington.

n	 A microloan program for new and existing businesses in the Shaw 

neighborhood.

n	 Remodeling a community learning center to create needed classroom space.

n	 Assisting the work of the Mary Church Terrell Home to create a community 

center and museum.

n	 Extending the current URAP-funded pilot training program for homeowners and 

contractors to learn about environmentally safe renovation in New Orleans’ 

Ninth Ward.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Grant-funded initiatives addressed a variety of housing and commercial challenges in Washington, DC, and 

New Orleans. Constructing 12 condominium units expanded the supply of affordable housing. The residential façade rehabilitation program helped revitalize 

a low- and moderate-income neighborhood in Northeast Washington, DC. The 

microloan program strengthened existing businesses in and attracted new businesses to the Shaw neighborhood. Remodeling a community learning center provided 

much-needed space for community classes for middle school youth, public housing 

residents, and small and microbusinesses. Expanding the scope of work of the 

Mary Church Terrell Home created a community center that conforms more 

precisely to its historic vernacular. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Manna, Inc., a local nonprofit, 

partnered with the university on the condominium construction project. Howard 

worked with the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization on 

the facade rehabilitation program. A partnership with Shaw Main Streets established a microloan program in the Shaw neighborhood. A partnership with Dillard 

University’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and other communityand faith-based partners focused on the environmentally safe training program for 

homeowners and contractors in New Orleans. 

College departments involved: Howard University Office of Research 

Administration, Howard University Community Association, and the Small Business 

Development Center. 
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 43 

Langston University

4205 North Lincoln Boulevard

Oklahoma City, OK 73105

www.lunet.edu

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$587,806

Contact information:

Linda Tillman 

Phone: 405–962–1632 

Fax: 405–962–1664

E-mail: lntillman@lunet.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Langston University used its HBCU grant to 

implement the Community Empowerment Outreach Program in Langston and within 

Oklahoma City’s Empowerment Zone (EZ). The program established a retail incubator in a 10,000-square-foot shopping plaza in Langston; expanded the capacity 

of the Langston Community Development Corporation to provide economic development services to the town of Langston; provided counseling services, as well as 

job readiness, job training, and job placement for low- to moderate-income individuals living in the Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community; and provided 

homeownership counseling, loss mitigation, and foreclosure counseling.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The Business Resource and Incubator Center (B.R.I.C.) established a new business incubator in a local shopping 

plaza and provided business training for retail tenants as well as potential and 

existing business owners within the targeted area. B.R.I.C. partnered with Tinker 

Federal Credit Union to provide two financial literacy classes entitled “Plastic 

Surgery:” Getting Out of Debt. Job-readiness and job-placement programs provide 

much-needed services for this targeted area, which houses nearly 1,200 families, 

many of whom relocated here after Hurricane Katrina. Most members of these 

families are unemployed. To date, 150 individuals have been placed in minimumwage to above-minimum-wage jobs ($5 to $15 per hour). Eighty-five percent of 

placed individuals have maintained consistent employment. This grant helped 

reduce foreclosures in the EZ area, where approximately 60 to 70 families face 

foreclosure each year. The grant also helped alleviate some of the impediments to 

fair housing by providing adequate homebuying training, homeownership counseling, and downpayment assistance to help reduce mortgage payments. Five 

housing counseling workshops have been completed. The fifth and final workshop 

was attended by 64 individuals. Six workshop graduates have purchased homes 

during the grant period.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Langston University Community 

Development Corporation; Oklahoma Capitol Chambers of Commerce; Oklahoma 

Small Business Development Center; Central Urban Development Corporation, 

Word Ministries, Inc.; Northeast Homeownership Consortium; Parks Estate 

North/Cashions Wildwood Neighborhood Association; Oklahoma City American 

Red Cross; and the Oklahoma City Planning Department. 

College departments involved: Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, 

Rural Business Development, and the School of Business. 
44 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Top: The university is renovating a 

200-year-old grist mill on its campus. 

Bottom: The grist mill will eventually 

become Morgan State’s visitors’ center.

Morgan State University

1700 East Cold Spring Lane

Baltimore, MD 21251

www.morgan.edu/home.asp

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information: 

Ellis Brown 

Phone: 443–885–3934 

Fax: 443–885–8291

E-mail: egbrown@moac.morgan.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Morgan State University’s HBCU grant will 

support three initiatives: 

n	 Partner with several local community organizations to create a neighborhood 

revitalization plan addressing community, education, economic, and housing 

development concerns for the target area in northeast Baltimore.

n	 Create a community green space by upgrading the Northwood Appold 

Community Academy’s playground and developing and operating an onsite 

computer center open to the entire community.

n	 Complete the first of a multistage rehabilitation and renovation of a 200-yearold gristmill on the university’s campus to develop the Morgan State University 

Visitors’ Center. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The neighborhood revitalization plan will provide a blueprint for community revitalization and stabilization 

addressing key issues including transportation, social and economic development, 

streetscapes, open spaces, land use, and housing. Morgan State University has 

involved local neighborhood associations in the development of the plan. Students, 

staff, and faculty from Morgan are involved in the site analysis and the development of the Geographic Information Systems database. All of the project partners 

will be involved in the articulation of the community vision and presenting the revitalization plan to the Baltimore Planning Commission for review and approval. 

Morgan State University predicts that over the 3-year grant period, an annual average of 160 children (ages 4–7) will use the Northwood Appold playground, and 

a monthly average of 150 people (all ages) will use the computer lab. The playground equipment was installed through a partnership with KaBOOM!, Inc., and 

Home Depot, utilizing a “community-build” model. The renovation and conversion 

of the old power plant will produce a university visitors’ center that reopens an historic treasure to the entire Baltimore area. The building evaluation has been completed and a request for proposals for the building stabilization is being written. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Northeast Development Alliance, 

the Northeast Community Organization, the city of Baltimore, and the state of 

Maryland. Morgan will partner with the Northwood Appold Community Academy 

to create a community green space and to operate the community computer center. 

Morgan has also partnered with the Baltimore Neighborhood Design Center. 

College departments involved: Community and Economic Development, 

School of Architecture and Planning, the Community Development Resource Center, 

Institute of Urban Research, National Transportation Center, Design and Construction Management Department, Department of Information Technology, and the 

Physical Plant Department. 
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 45 

Morris College

100 West College Street

Sumter, SC 29150

www.morris.edu/default.aspx

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information: 

Dr. Michael McCormick

Project Director

Phone: 803–934–3208

Fax: 803–773–3687

E-mail: mmccormick@morris.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: With its HBCU grant, Morris College 

was able to complete the Morris-North Sumter Empowerment Housing Project to 

provide more affordable housing and help revitalize a predominantly AfricanAmerican neighborhood in North Sumter adjacent to the college. Under this grant, 

the college has completed and sold one new home and will build at least two additional homes. It is also currently renovating one owner-occupied home and plans 

to renovate at least five additional owner-occupied homes. All sales of new homes 

and all renovations of owner-occupied homes are reserved for persons of low-tomoderate income.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The project will remove three 

dilapidated and boarded-up houses from the neighborhood. They will be replaced 

by new homes. These new homes will be sold at or near the cost of construction—

between $70,000 and $85,000—so that low- and moderate-income persons can 

purchase them. Renovation of the 6 owner-occupied homes will average $20,000 

per unit and will involve no cost to the owners. The project will also provide 

employment opportunities for low-income residents of North Sumter by requiring 

10 percent of any contract to be dedicated to the employment of neighborhood 

adults for a 3-year period. This requirement will have a projected economic value 

of at least $36,000 over 3 years.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Sumter County Community 

Development Corporation is contributing staff, facility, and downpayment assistance resources that support all project tasks. The city of Sumter is providing site 

demolition and debris removal resources that support the startup of the initiative. 

South Carolina Community Bank and the Carolina Homeowners Union are both 

offering staff resources for training seminars that teach prospective homebuyers 

how to be successful homeowners.

College departments involved: Business Administration, Service-Learning 

Programs, Business Support Services, Planning and Governmental Relations, and 

Business Affairs.

 

Top: A new home developed by Morris 

College in Sumter.

Bottom: Grand opening of the new 

home, which was sold at or near its 

construction cost.
46 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Norfolk State University 

700 Park Avenue 

Norfolk, Virginia 23504

www.nsu.edu

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Deirdre W. Sanderlin

Acting Executive Director

Phone: 757–823–2650

E-mail: dwsanderlin@nsu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Norfolk State University (NSU) used its 

HBCU grant to enhance revitalization initiatives in the city of Norfolk. NSU has 

made a commitment to its community with a base of operation at the Brambleton 

Community Outreach Center (BCOC) under the auspices of the Ethelyn R. Strong 

School of Social Work. Grant funds from HUD have enabled the outreach department to create programs to meet the needs of the community. The funding has been 

used to increase technology awareness for youth and adults, sponsor preparatory 

classes for General Educational Development (GED) certificates, hold life skills 

workshops for homeless veterans, and carry out other community activities. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: NSU extended BCOC operating hours and provided programs for youth, adults, and seniors. More than 30 

members are actively enrolled and meet weekly at the facility for computer, educational, and social activities. Sixty-five students enrolled in General Educational 

Development (GED) preparatory classes through HUD and NSU outreach programs during the 2008 academic year. More than 100 students from local schools 

participated in the 2008 Community Science and Technology Fair, part of a NSU 

effort to attract more low- and middle-income students to the fields of science and 

technology. Finally, the grant allowed NSU to provide transportation and educational workshops at Vetshouse, Inc., a 12-month program that provides transitional 

services to homeless veterans in the Hampton Roads area. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Association of Black Social Workers–

Hampton Roads; The Lions Club; Norfolk Public Schools; Opportunity, Inc.; Senior 

Services of Southeastern Virginia; The Stop Organization; Weight Watchers; and 

Vetshouse, Inc. partnered with the university on the educational and legal initiatives 

for homeless veterans.

College departments involved: Office of Admissions, School of Technology, 

Service Learning and Civic Engagement Program, Title III, School of Urban Affairs, 

and the Disability Services Department. 

Top: A GED preparation class offered by 

Norfolk State University. 

Bottom: Students participate in the 

Community Science and Technology Fair.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 47 

North Carolina Agricultural and 

Technical State University

1601 East Market Street

Greensboro, NC 27411

www.ncat.edu

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$597,538

Contact information:

Dr. Musibau A. Shofoluwe 

Phone: 336–256–0343, ext. 2244

Fax: 336–256–2493

E-mail: musibaus@ncat.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The North Carolina Agricultural and 

Technical State University (NCA&TSU) Housing, Economic Empowerment, and Job 

Growth Initiative is comprised of three activities that will increase homeownership 

among low- to moderate-income families, create and stabilize small and minorityowned businesses, offer vocational skills that improve employability, and provide 

direct assistance to grassroots and community organizations in Greensboro.

Community impact planned/accomplished: In December 2006, 

NCA&TSU secured a facility to house the Business & Entrepreneurship Skills Training (BEST) Center. To date, four minority-owned businesses have moved into the 

center. The business owners are graduates of the Minority Enterprise Training and 

Development (METAD) program, which was also sponsored by the HBCU award. 

In addition, 12 adults completed Phase I and II of the METAD program. Five of the 

graduates owned existing businesses prior to enrolling and reported an increase in 

their understanding of business practices and are better equipped to manage their 

businesses as a direct result of the training. The remaining seven graduates continue to receive counseling and have been paired with mentors to aide their efforts 

to establish a business. Currently, 12 new participants are enrolled in the METAD 

program. A Skilled Construction Trades Program (SCTP) was offered to adults in 

the target area who desired a new vocational skill. Ten participants completed 

at least 40 classroom hours and 32 hours in the construction lab. Since starting 

the program, two participants have used their new skills to obtain employment in 

construction. The Greensboro Housing Authority has begun hosting the “Welcome 

Home” homeownership program, with 33 clients completing the program’s enrollment process and orientation. Greensboro Lifeskills Center recruited 26 participants from the target area to take part in the parenting skills classes. The 6-week 

training program covers health concerns, public school issues, free education, life 

insurance for parents, mental health, and juvenile justice issues. Finally, the collaborative efforts of Joseph’s House, Inc., Guilford County Schools, the Department 

of Social Services, local churches, and other direct service providers assisting 

homeless young adults yielded a number of referrals to the Drop in Resource 

Center (DRC). Fifty-seven clients in the Transitional Housing Program and the DRC 

have received shelter, employment assistance, basic life skills training, counseling, 

budgeting, health screenings, and transportation assistance.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Joseph’s House, Inc., and Greensboro 

Department of Social Services. 

College departments involved: The Department of Construction Management 

and Occupational Safety and the Health and the Interdisciplinary Center for 

Entrepreneurship and E-Business in the School of Business and Economics. 

Top: Skilled Construction Trades Program 

students take their first exam. 

Bottom: Clifton McMullen lectures on 

basic construction principles in the SCTP.
48 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Southern University and 

A&M College

P.O. Box 9503, S.U. Branch

Baton Rouge, LA 70813

http://web.subr.edu

Grant received:

2006 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Alma Thornton 

Phone: 225–771–4249

Fax: 225–771–4716

E-mail: alma_thornton@subr.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Southern University and A&M College used 

its HBCU grant for the Southern University–Building Stronger Communities project to implement five separate activities: renovate three homes for low- to moderate-income (LMI) residents; establish 20 Adopt-a-Block programs to clean up and 

maintain LMI target neighborhoods; create a housing stabilization program for 

111 attendees that stressed homeowner retention and maintenance; implement a 

program for 111 LMI persons to increase homeownership; and provide training 

and technical assistance to five community partners on strategic planning, fundraising, and infrastructure development.

Community impact planned/accomplished: This project focused on East 

Baton Rouge Parish and increased target area residents’ access to homeownership; improved residential living conditions, reduced foreclosures, and developed 

cleaner, safer neighborhoods. Key community impacts include increased home 

values for LMI residents through the home renovation program, improved neighborhoods through beautification projects, and community collaborations that focused 

on recovering an elementary school playground and surrounding area following 

the devastation caused by Hurricane Gustav. HUD funds also helped the university 

and its partners create safe recreational areas for the entire community, incorporate service learning into the curriculum, expand the university’s role in meeting 

community needs, and establish homeownership assistance programs. Those programs led seven low- and moderate-income families to purchase their first homes 

during the first year of the program. The university was also able to assist community-based development organizations with grant writing, which brought them more 

than $1 million in additional funds. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Greater King David Baptist Church, 

the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps/VISTA program), and the Community Against Drugs and Violence successfully serve as outreach and recruitment teams for Southern University programs. Other government 

and community-based organizations work in their area of expertise to increase 

the capacity of the Building Stronger Communities team. These organizations or 

departments include Scotlandville Community Development Corporation (adopta-block and outreach); Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce (community 

vision and outreach); Young Realty Company (homeownership, retention, and 

maintenance training); and Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish Office of 

Community Development (housing renovation).

College departments involved: Center for Social Research, School of 

Architecture.

SU and A&M College students participate in 

a cleanup of a Baton Rouge neighborhood.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 49 

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT

PINE BLUFF

1200 North University Drive

Pine Bluff, AR 71601

www.uapb.edu

Grant received:

2006 HBCU––$429,609

Contact information:

Henry Golatt 

Director

Phone: 870–575–8030 

Fax: 870–575–4670

E-mail: golatth@uapb.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 

(UAPB) used its HBCU grant to strengthen the Economic Research and Development Center’s (UAPB-ERDC’s) role in the community. The project helped provide 

long-term revitalization of the University Park neighborhood and strengthened and 

expanded small businesses within the university’s business incubator.

Community impact planned/accomplished: UAPB-ERDC staffers assisted 

the Jefferson County CDC in strategic planning, reviewed re-zoning and engineering plans developed by McClellan Engineers, and provided support letters to 

Arkansas Development Finance Authority for fundraising efforts that support the 

development of single-family housing in University Park. UAPB-ERDC also assisted 

Targeting Our People’s Priorities With Service (TOPPS), Inc., and the Ivy Center 

with organizational development and helped Universe for Humanity receive state 

and federal 501(c)(3) status. Universe for Humanity helps young people develop 

skills in the building trades. UAPB-ERDC staff also served on the Lake Saracen 

Lakeshore Restoration Project committee. In the area of education, UAPB-ERDC 

provided $25,000 to continue the Family Community Development Corporation’s 

(FCDC’s) educational and cultural enrichment program, and provided two new 

computers for the FCDC computer lab. To date, the organization has provided 

assistance to 61 youth ages 5 to 12 in the areas of math, science, English, and 

phonics. As of June 2008, 50 adults have participated in FCDC adult programs, 

which include General Educational Development certification, basic literacy, and 

computer training. FCDC also provided drug rehabilitation services to 31 adults. 

UAPB-ERDC received a $25,000 grant from State Farm Insurance to support the 

development of an onsite resource library and media center for UAPB-Business 

Support Incubator (UAPB-BSI) tenants. It also received $15,000 from Wal-Mart 

Stores and $4,000 from Simmons First National Bank to support tenants enrolled 

in the BSI. Through direct, in-kind, and third-party support, UAPB has provided 

financial assistance to 16 UAPB-BSI tenants through rent subsidies or rent buydowns. The UAPB-BSI revolving loan program provides working capital and other 

“hard-to-find” funds to microbusinesses and other small businesses enrolled in 

the incubator program. Program funds are matched with funds from supporting 

organizations. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: State Department of Corrections, 

Game and Fish Commission; Pine Bluff Downtown Development; city of Pine Bluff; 

AARP Senior Workers; Dollarway School District; State Farm Insurance; Wal-Mart 

Stores; Simmons First National Bank; UAPB Department of Education; Southeast 

Arkansas Workforce Center; TOPPS, Inc.; city of Pine Bluff Office of the Mayor; 

Jefferson County Judge; Pine Bluff Fire and Police Departments; Pine Bluff Boys and 

Girls Club; Arkansas Minority Business Development Roundtable; and Pine Bluff 

Entrepreneurship Collaborative.

College departments involved: Economic Research and Development Center 

and the UAPB-Business Support Incubator.

Top: FCDC 2008 summer youth program 

banquet. 

Bottom: Marshall Kelly, a local entrepreneur, speaks to Business Support Incubator 

tenants.
50 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Benedict College

1600 Harden Street

Columbia, SC 29204

www.benedict.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information: 

David Swinton 

Phone: 803−705–4390 

Fax: 803−255–1709

E-mail: swintond@benedict.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Benedict College is using its HBCU grant 

to conduct the second phase of SUSTAIN II, a comprehensive community development effort to revitalize neighborhoods within the Columbia Empowerment Zone. 

During this phase, Benedict will implement the following three activities: 

n	 Assist a community-based organization (CBO) to construct four energy-efficient, 

single-family affordable housing units.

n	 Promote economic development within a distressed community by capitalizing 

and implementing a CBO microenterprise loan fund that will assist small and 

minority businesses. 

n	 Build the capacity of small and minority businesses through technical and 

management assistance.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The primary recipients of 

services are low- and moderate-income homebuyers and business owners. The project will construct four single-family, affordable, energy-efficient housing units and 

provide homebuyer training to at least 60 low- to moderate-income persons. It will 

also promote economic development within a distressed community by providing 

loan capital to small and minority businesses. The project will also promote business creation and expansion for low- and moderate-income persons by providing 

microenterprise loans to 10 business owners and creating five new jobs for lowincome persons through the microloan program. Benedict College will provide technical and management assistance to at least 30 small and minority business owners 

applying for microloans through the Benedict College Business Development Center, 

and it will increase the technical and management skills of approximately 60 business owners. Finally, HUD funds will allow the college to create five jobs for lowand moderate-income persons within the Columbia Empowerment Zone.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Richland County government is providing funding for affordable housing development to the Benedict-Allen Community 

Development Corporation (CDC). South Carolina Community Bank will supply the 

program staff with assistance in developing the loan policies and procedures and 

support during loan-servicing phase. The South Carolina Statewide Minority Business Development Center will provide initial counseling, government and privatesector contracting assistance, financial management, and help the project focus on 

new and emerging businesses. Agreements with other partners, including the South 

Carolina Women’s Business Center, Jobs Economic Development Authority, the 

South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, and the International Center 

for Assistance, have enriched the technical assistance package for each business 

owner. The U. S. Department of Treasury awarded the Benedict-Allen CDC a 

$100,000 grant to purchase technical assistance to implement the loan program.

College departments involved: School of Business. 

Top: A new energy-efficient home on 

Dixie Avenue that was constructed under 

Benedict’s SUSTAIN II program. 

Bottom: A housing counseling workshop 

at Benedict College.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 51 

Clinton Junior College

1029 Crawford Road

Rock Hill, SC 29730

www.clintonjuniorcollege.edu

Grant received:

2007 HBCU—$600,000 

Contact information:

Mickey Beckham 

Phone: 803–327–7402, ext. 238

Fax: 803–327–3261 

E-mail: k.shepard@clintonjuniorcol 

 lege.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Clinton Junior College used its HBCU 

grant funds to conduct the following community revitalization activities on North 

Crawford Road, where the college is located:

n	 Affordable housing development.

n	 Renovation or rehabilitation of substandard housing and construction of 

new homes. 

n	 Renovation of Carroll Park, which is adjacent to the campus.

Community impact planned/accomplished: To implement these activities, the college and its partners aided in construction and sale of a minimum of 

four affordable, new, framed brick homes in the target area for low- to moderateincome persons. The homes featured 1,000 to 1,400 square feet, 2 to 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, kitchen, a small eat-in area, living-dining area, and a small 

den. In addition, the college rehabilitated a minimum of three deteriorating homes 

that are owned and occupied by low-income persons in the target area, at no 

charge to these owners, and conducted physical renovations at Carroll Park to 

include one or more items such as an outdoor walking trail or basketball court.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: My Brothers Keeper Community 

Development Corporation, city of Rock Hill, Family Trust Federal Credit Union, 

Crawford Road and Sunset Park Neighborhood Associations, and Weed and 

Seed Initiative of Urban Rock Hill.

College departments involved: Development.

A new home constructed using Clinton 

College’s HBCU grant. 
52 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Coppin State University

2500 West North Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21216

www.coppin.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$599,522

Contact information:

Thomas Haynes 

Vice President for Institutional 

 Advancement

Phone: 410–951–3814 

Fax: 410–333–3801

E-mail: thaynes@coppin.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Coppin State University is using its HBCU 

grant to provide economic assistance to the Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC) to carry out neighborhood revitalization in the Greater 

Coppin Heights/Rosemont community and to further strengthen the university’s 

relationship, involvement, and effectiveness in addressing community needs. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Collectively, the activities will 

provide needed housing, education, and economic assistance to low-income residents. CHCDC has completed the design phase for a rehab of one home and construction of two new homes. Construction is expected to begin in late spring 2009. 

CHCDC has contacted homeowners adjacent to the new home sites to request proposals for façade improvements. These improvements will include exterior paint, 

repairing and replacing floor decks, porches, roofs, and fencing. CHCDC provided 113 low- to moderate-income adults with financial literary education and counseling, and provided 689 low- to moderate-income elementary, middle, and high 

school students with financial literacy education in a program directed to Coppin 

Academy, a Coppin State University college preparatory high school founded by 

the university and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Eightyseven low- to moderate-income residents received housing counseling, including 

rental, purchase, and foreclosure prevention information. A financial literacy fair 

will be held in August 2009 in conjunction with a career fair. Finally, CHCDC 

hosted 10 meetings of the Greater Coppin Heights/Rosemont Alliance Steering 

Committee, hosted 6 community cleanups through a “Keep Our Vacant Lots Clean” 

project, paired 16 pre-screened and trained adults with 16 children living in the 

21216 ZIP Code area through their newly established Mentoring Children of 

Incarcerated Parents Program, engaged 10 female elementary/middle school students and their parents or guardians in a newly established Girl Scout troop, and 

provided 1,200 residents with lead poisoning-prevention outreach and education 

through door-to-door canvassing. A mural was completed at the Easterwood 

Recreation Center and Park, near the campus, in late 2008. A new capital grant 

program will begin in the spring of 2009 to create pathways, install benches, and 

plant additional trees in Easterwood Park.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: W.L. Blair Development, LLC; 

Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore; Baltimore Community Development 

Block Grant; Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development; and 

the Alliance of Rosemont Community Organizations, Inc. 

College departments involved: School of Management Science and 

Economics; School of Education; Office of Community Engagement and Strategic 

Partnerships, Division of Institutional Advancement; Coppin State University Development Foundation, Inc.; Department of Social Work and Social Sciences; School 

of Nursing; School of Arts and Sciences; and the Department of Physical Education 

and Collegiate Athletics.

Top: An artist’s rendering of proposed 

Coppin Heights housing. 

Bottom: A mural was added to the 

Easterwood Recreation Center in 2008.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 53 

Dillard University 

2601 Gentilly Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70122

www.dillard.edu

Grant received:

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Theodore Callier 

Assistant Vice President 

Research and Sponsored Programs

Phone: 504–816-4018 

Fax: 504–816–4011

E-mail: tcallier@dillard.edu

Mr. Nick Harris

Assistant Vice President

Economic and Community 

 Development

Phone: 501–816–4704

E-mail: nharris@dillard.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Dillard University utilized its HBCU grant 

for the Gentilly Neighborhood Investment Project to accelerate the recovery and 

repopulation of one of New Orleans’ most historic neighborhoods. The Dillard 

University Community Development Corporation (DUCDC), through the establishment of the one-stop Gentilly Resource Center (GRC) for community residents, is 

engaged in a number of community development initiatives, including an innovative owner-occupied home rehabilitation initiative of homes damaged by Hurricane 

Katrina, training opportunities in construction and environmental remediation, and 

the revitalization of the Gentilly Commercial Corridor (GCC) with the city of New 

Orleans and DUCDC development partners.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The successful implementation 

of this project will significantly advance the recovery of the university and create 

demonstrable evidence of growth and development within the wider New Orleans 

community. The GRC will provide residents with training; business startup and 

relocation assistance; and recovery assistance for housing acquisition, insurance 

information, zoning information, and rebuilding assistance. Fifty persons are targeted to receive training in the first year of the grant, 100 in the second year, and 

150 in the third year. The owner-occupied rehabilitation program provides rehabilitation and remediation assistance for homeowners in the surrounding impacted 

communities. While 15 homes were targeted to be rehabilitated, the successful 

leveraging of additional funding allowed a total of 25 homeowners to receive the 

assistance needed to successfully rehabilitate their homes. DUCDC is collaborating with development partners to attract and grow additional commercial development within the area. The implementation of an action-oriented plan has begun to 

revitalize the GCC, which will seek to recruit franchise businesses and assist the 

expansion and startup of up to 10 businesses.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Dillard leveraged additional funding 

and resources toward this project from NeighborWorks Corporation, Fannie Mae 

Foundation, the Whitney Bank/Whitney Community Development Corporation 

(CDC), and Dillard University Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. The 

Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Center for Commercial Development, and 

NeighborWorks Corporation also plan to provide resources to be utilized within 

the GRC. Other partners include the Neighborhood Reinvestment Institute, the 

Asset-Based Community Development Institute, the Center for Creative Leadership, 

and the Johnson C. Smith/Northwest Corridor CDC. 

College departments involved: Divisions of Business and Urban Studies, 

Dillard’s Community Development Corporation, Dillard University Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
54 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Hinds Community College–UTICA

CAMPUS

34175 Highway18 West

Utica, MS 39175

www.hindscc.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$592,382

Contact information:

Bobby Pamplin 

Phone: 601–885–7176 

Fax: 601–885–7183

E-mail: bjpamplin@hindscc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: In collaboration with the town of Utica, 

Friends of Utica, and other agencies, Hinds Community College–Utica Campus 

is using its HBCU grant to revitalize the Utica community. The college addressed 

community housing issues such as substandard housing conditions, decent and 

affordable housing, overcrowding, and homeownership counseling. The college 

worked with local business owners to expand or improve the appearance and perception of their businesses and offer resources for business startups and growth. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Of the six businesses that 

Hinds Community College proposed to assist, four have received assistance. Two 

of the four businesses were new operations—a dry cleaner and a childcare center. 

Together, all four businesses added nine jobs to a community that is struggling with 

a rising unemployment rate. The college had proposed to add 10 jobs as a result 

of its efforts, so the 9 jobs represent 90 percent of the goal in the first year. In addition, a microbusiness incubator was established in a vacant building owned by 

the college and is operating at full capacity with six occupants. The school plans to 

provide space and other resources to develop 15 new small businesses and generate employment for up to 25 low- to moderate-income individuals. Hinds Community College is conducting workshops and forums, and the occupants are building 

clientele that will help them continue to thrive after they have left the incubator. In 

the area of homeownership, Hinds Community College completed rehabilitation 

and energy-saving upgrades on six of the eight homes planned during the project. 

In some cases the college spent a little more than was expected; however the 

college wanted to provide the maximum benefit to the low-income individuals 

occupying these owner-occupied single-family housing units. A contractor handled 

the rehabilitation, rather than volunteers, because of the skill level needed to complete the work. In other areas, the college has held health fairs, teacher-training 

conferences, leadership conferences and workshops, and employment-related 

training sessions. The teacher educational workshop and the leadership session 

combined served more than 300 individuals. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The town of Utica, the Friends of 

Utica, the Jacobs Camp for Individuals of Jewish Descent, and other groups will 

assist the housing and economic development initiatives. The college worked with 

Jacobs Camp and the Friends of Utica to co-host a recognition and awards event 

highlighting support that the community had provided to assist in moving this community forward socially and economically. This well-attended event featured individuals that had received assistance from the HUD-HBCU Program, either through 

the business assistance or the rehabilitation activities. 

College departments involved: Entrepreneurship and Business Development, 

Workforce Development Center, Tech Prep, Student Support Services, Upward 

Bound, and Student Testing and Placement. 

Top: Hinds Community College’s new 

Business Incubation Center. 

Bottom: The college rehabbed houses in 

Utica and added energy-efficient upgrades.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 55 

Johnson C. Smith University

100 Beatties Ford Road

Charlotte, NC 28216

www.jcsu.edu

Grant received:

2007 HBCU––$600,000

Contact information:

Diane Bowles 

Phone: 704–378–1202 

Fax: 704–330–1330

E-mail: dbowles@jcsu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Johnson C. Smith University will use its 

HBCU grant to implement the Urgent Grant Rehabilitation Program to alleviate 

unsafe housing conditions in the Northwest Corridor target area, conduct homebuyer education workshops, hire an off-duty Charlotte–Mecklenburg police officer 

to serve as a safety patrol, and provide technical assistance for a newly created 

Women Enterprise Project that will assist low- to moderate-income women in an 

economically underserved urban area to develop a business.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The Urgent Grant Rehabilitation Project will improve 15 homes of eligible owner-occupants to preserve the 

existing housing stock in the target area. Five homes of senior citizens have been 

identified to participate in the program. These homes will receive up to $10,000 

in repairs and improvements. Initial inspections and work plans for all five residences have been completed. Ten Homebuying Counseling Workshops have 

been held with a total of 65 people attending. One hundred and forty four persons received individual counseling sessions, 34 individuals received counseling 

sessions to deal with loss mitigation and foreclosure prevention, and 3 persons 

purchased homes. On the business front, 55 women at various stages of business 

development have enrolled in the Women Entrepreneur Program. Classes were 

held in October and November 2008 on topics such as How to Start and Write 

a Business Plan, Writing a Business Plan, Budgeting 101/Financial Management, 

Obtaining a Small Business Loan, Taxes for the Small Business, and Evaluating 

Your Credit Report. The Northwest Corridor Community Development Corporation 

will award two $300 scholarships to 2 class participants to cover business startup costs. To qualify, the business owner must present a business plan along with 

a letter of qualification that will be reviewed by members of the CDC’s board of 

directors. New partnerships in this program include Mechanics & Farmers Bank, 

First Legacy Federal Credit Union, Oasis Day Spa, McGrant Tax Services, Mothers 

of Murdered Offspring, Mamalu Travel, and the Charlotte–Mecklenburg Minority/

Women Small Business Enterprise. Finally, since the Public Safety/Crime Prevention Project began, the officers have reported 3 calls for service, 16 traffic stops 

for illegal activities, 12 citations, and 1 arrest for illegal activity. By complementing 

the area’s Community Police Officers, the program will help attract potential developers for the vacant commercial land and encourage existing business owners to 

improve their business façades. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Northwest Corridor Community 

Development Corporation, city of Charlotte Housing Neighborhood Services 

Division, Branch Banking and Trust, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police. 

College departments involved: Business and Economics Department, 

Johnson C. Smith University’s Students in Free Enterprise Club, and Department 

of Sociology. 

Top: A Homebuying Counseling Workshop 

at Johnson C. Smith University. 

Bottom: Fifty-five women enrolled in the 

college’s Women Entrepreneurs Program.
56 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

LeMoyne-Owen College

802 Walker Avenue 

Suite Five

Memphis, Tennessee 38126

www.loc.edu

Grant received:

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Jeffrey Higgs 

Executive Director, LOC-CDC

Phone: 901−435–1654 

Fax: 901−942–6448

E-mail: jeffrey_higgs@loc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: LeMoyne-Owen College Community 

Development Corporation (LOC-CDC) used its HBCU grant to implement three 

new activities through its Project Renaissance IV program established with 2005 

HBCU funding: 

n	 Strengthen the capacity of the LOC-CDC to address the priority needs of the 

community and the city. 

n	 Construct the Soulsville Multi-Use Community Wellness Public Center that 

provides neighborhood residents with health and wellness activities and other 

community-based services. 

n	 Acquire 18 vacant lots for the Walker Avenue Residential Corridor to develop 

a combination of affordable townhomes and single-family homes on a lease-topurchase basis for low- and moderate-income clients. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: Providing core operating 

support and staff training for LOC-CDC will strengthen its capacity to carry out 

HUD Community Development Block Grant activities, including housing, community, and economic development activities to revitalize the LeMoyne-Owen Community. The Soulsville Multi-Use Center offers 6,000 square feet of mixed-use space 

for essential community services such as health and wellness activities, and for the 

LOC Family Life Center, which provides job training and placement, General Educational Development classes, homeownership and homebuyers’ education, and 

entrepreneurship training. The community center also contains three office suites 

for center administration and three “incubator offices” to provide temporary office 

space for entrepreneurs and small grassroots community organizations. The center 

also provides meeting space for community, student groups, and city code enforcement officers.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: West Tennessee Venture Capital and 

Tennessee Capital & Development, LLC, provided financing and assisted with 

property acquisition and homeowner financing. The city of Memphis Division of 

Housing and Community Development opened a community code enforcement 

office at the Soulsville Center. Burroughs Investments will also serve as a financing 

partner for the Walker Avenue Residential Corridor Project.

College departments involved: LOC–CDC, The LeMoyne-Owen College 

Division of Business and Economics, Business Development Institute, and the 

Department of Sociology.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 57 

Rust College

150 Rust Avenue

Holly Springs, MS 38635

www.rustcollege.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$598,577

Contact Information:

Clencie Cotton, Director

Rust College Community 

 Development Corporation

Phone: 662–252–4590

Fax: 662–252–8884

E-mail: clenciec@yahoo.com

Projects planned/accomplished: Rust College is using its HBCU grant to 

complete the Building Green for Low-Moderate Income Customers project. Working with the Rust College Community Development Corporation (CDC) and its partners, the college will promote neighborhood redevelopment and revitalization by 

expanding and promoting homeownership opportunities for low- and moderateincome residents; developing, promoting, and supporting the capacity of smallvolume local builders to integrate new products, techniques, and building practices 

into their construction process to produce affordable, energy-efficient homes in the 

target area; and increasing target area residents’ awareness of preventive healthcare practices, thereby reducing the disparity in healthcare within the target area 

and other areas of the city and county.

Community impact planned/accomplished: During the grant period, 

Rust College is working to build four energy-efficient homes on Martin Street, using 

HUD’s Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing principles and practices, 

and sell them to low- and moderate-income residents of the target area. It will also 

recruit six local/regional, small-volume production builders/contractors who will 

adopt progressive construction practices to build homes that are efficient, flexible, 

sustainable, and affordable. Rust College will provide the selected builders with 

the training and educational support they need to become certified by the U.S. 

Green Building Council and/or earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental 

Design for Homes certification. To promote homeownership, the college will provide quarterly homebuyer education and fair housing counseling to 150 first-time 

low- and moderate-income homebuyers in the target area. Thirteen participants 

have completed the Rust College Home Buyer’s Education and Financial Literacy 

Program and received certificates qualifying them to receive downpayment assistance as first-time homeowners. In the area of health promotion, Rust College will 

use its public radio and television stations to disseminate patient education materials from the National Library of Medicine to reduce health disparities that disproportionately affect African Americans.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The partners for the housing tasks 

are the Mississippi Development Authority, the city of Holly Springs, the city of 

Holly Springs’ Community Development Department, the Holly Springs Housing 

Authority, the Mississippi Home Corporation and Enterprise Corporation of the 

Delta, and Hope Credit Union. The National Library of Medicine and the Patient 

Education Institute will provide more than 175 hours of recorded and interactive 

programming for the college’s health initiative broadcasts.

College departments involved: Small Business Innovation Center of the 

Division of Business of Rust College and the Communications Department. 

Top: A house in Holly Springs before 

renovation. 

Bottom: The same house after renovation 

by Rust College.
58 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

South Carolina State University

300 College Street, NE

Orangeburg, SC 29117

www.scsu.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Merylin Jackson 

Phone: 803−536−8394 

Fax: 803−533−3679

E-mail: mjackson@scsu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: South Carolina State University is using its 

HBCU grant to expand its role and effectiveness in addressing community development needs through Project Restoration, a project of the university’s Northeastern 

Corridor of Orangeburg Community Development Corporation (NCOCDC). The 

project will create safe, decent, affordable housing—for the elderly, minorities, 

and female heads of household—in two programs: homeownership and owneroccupied housing rehabilitation.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Through its homeownership 

initiative, the NCOCDC acquired $80,000 in funding to assist low- and moderateincome first-time homebuyers with downpayment and/or closing costs. Each applicant could receive up to $10,000 in financial assistance towards their first home 

purchase after obtaining a mortgage loan from a South Carolina State Housing 

Authority preferred lender. Six single mothers and two male heads of household 

received the forgivable grant funding to purchase homes in Orangeburg County. 

Four of the grant recipients also received grant funding from the Federal Home 

Loan Bank of Atlanta for $8,725, giving them a total of $18,000 toward the purchase of their homes. The NCOCDC also obtained additional grant funding in the 

amount of $200,000 to assist 20 first-time homebuyers with downpayment and/

or closing costs. Four of the homebuyers completed the NCOCDC’s Home Buyer 

Education Workshop Series. Through its owner-occupied home rehabilitation initiative, the CDC dispersed grant funding from the South Carolina Housing Authority’s Housing Trust Fund Program to eight residents in the agency’s targeted service 

area. Six residents received up to $20,000 to provide major home repairs and 

two residents received $6,000 for emergency repairs. Repairs included heating 

and air conditioning unit replacement and installation, roof replacements, window 

replacements, electrical and plumbing repairs, and structural repairs. In addition, 

the CDC has obtained funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta in the 

amount of $172,000 to assist 20 homeowners with home repairs. The housing 

authority offers four funding cycles per year for qualified agencies to request 

funding assistance on behalf of their county residents. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: South Carolina State University, 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1890 Research & Extension, 

South Carolina State Housing Authority, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta; South 

Carolina Bank and Trust, Bryant, Fanning & Shuler; Federal Deposit Insurance 

Corporation, South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, South Carolina Center 

for Equal Justice; and the U.S. Department of Rural Development.

College departments involved: Department of Family and Consumer 

Sciences and School of Business. 

Top: NCOCDC conducted a major renovation 

of this Orangeburg home. 

Bottom: Another home renovated by 

NCOCDC.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 59 

Southern University at Shreveport

3050 Martin Luther King Jr. 

 Drive 

Shreveport, LA 71107

http://web.susla.edu/

 Pages/SUSLAhome.aspx

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Janice B. Sneed

Phone: 318–670–6470 

Fax: 318–670–6413

E-mail: jsneed@susla.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Southern University at Shreveport is using 

its HBCU grant to: 

n	 Strengthen and expand microenterprise business development.

n	 Partner with the city of Shreveport in developing a Ledbetter Heights 

Neighborhood Revitalization Plan.

n	 Establish a community technology center for low-income residents.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The microenterprise program 

provides both management and technical assistance to minority, disadvantaged, 

and startup businesses. Fifty-one participants have graduated from the entrepreneur training classes. The microenterprise programs have provided technical assistance to 64 clients to date with services that include business plan development, 

completion of articles of incorporation, application for employer identification number, and information on city and parish licensing requirements. Stakeholder meetings have been held for redevelopment plans for the Martin Luther King community, 

where the participants have designated the area where the university will develop. 

As a next step, the university will sponsor a community-wide meeting to receive 

citizen input and garner public support. These plans will serve as roadmaps to determine the quality, quantity, and costs of affordable housing and the types of businesses and services to be located in these communities. The community technology 

center in Shreveport’s Mooretown neighborhood will help bridge the digital divide 

for the community’s youth and elderly. It will enhance the computer skills of senior 

citizens and improve the employability skills of youth in the Mooretown neighborhood. A class of 17 senior citizens graduated in March 2009 and a new class for 

senior citizens began in April 2009. There were 30 youth enrolled in the tutoring 

program during spring 2009, with 20 more expected to enroll. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Morning Star Baptist Church; 

Urban Support Agency, Inc.; African-American Chamber of Commerce; and the 

Community Foundation of Shreveport–Bossier. 

College departments involved: Division of Community and Workforce 

Development, Division of Behavioral Sciences and Human Services, the 

Department of Workforce Development, the Service Learning Program, and 

the Information Technology Center.
60 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Tennessee State University 

3500 John A Merritt 

 Boulevard

Nashville, TN 37209

www.tnstate.edu/

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$584,119

Contact information:

Ginger Hausser Pepper 

Phone: 615−963–5383 

Fax: 615−963–5491

E-mail: ghausser@tnstate.edu 

Projects planned/accomplished: Tennessee State University (TSU) is using its 

HBCU grant to continue work with North Nashville nonprofits—Bethlehem Centers 

of Nashville, Grace Eaton Childcare, and Preston Taylor Ministries—to improve the 

services offered to the North Nashville community. In this grant, TSU has added 

two new partners, McKissack School and Affordable Housing Resources, to open a 

reading clinic for struggling readers and support a housing rehabilitation initiative 

for the elderly in North Nashville. TSU will use the grant funds to renovate physical 

facilities of two community-based organizations, improve the housing stock for 

low- to moderate-income residents by rehabilitating owner-occupied homes in the 

target area, improve technology for access to area youth through the creation of 

a computer lab at McKissack School, and improve educational access for area 

youth through the creation of a reading clinic at McKissack School and tutoring/

mentoring programs at partner community-based organizations.

Community impact planned/accomplished: HUD funds will allow TSU 

to conduct phase II renovations at Grace Eaton Childcare by replacing windows 

and doors to make the facility safer and more energy-efficient. TSU will provide 

new signage and an awning to the Shopping Bag Resale Shop of the Bethlehem 

Centers of Nashville. Both organizations serve low-income residents in North 

Nashville. In the area of housing, TSU and Affordable Housing Resources worked 

with three neighborhood associations (Hadley Park, Neighbors Reaching Out, 

and North Nashville Organization for Community Improvement) to select three 

homes, which are owned by elderly, low- or moderate-income individuals and 

need repairs to improve their safety and efficiency. Rehabilitation work will be conducted by paid laborers as well as TSU students, faculty, and staff. Work will be 

complete by spring of 2009. TSU is also using HUD funds to develop a computer 

lab at McKissack School, where TSU students and staff will teach computer skills to 

students. TSU opened a reading clinic at McKissack in the fall of 2007. To date, 

approximately 100 struggling readers have been served in the clinic. In 2008 

McKissack met No Child Left Behind academic performance requirements, with the 

percentage of students who are proficient in reading increasing from 81 percent to 

87 percent. TSU students also served as reading tutors to participants of the Preston Taylor Ministries and the Bethlehem Center of Nashville afterschool program in 

2007–08. In spring 2009, TSU graduate psychology students will provide career 

planning guidance to children participating in programs sponsored by Preston 

Taylor Ministries. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished. Metro Nashville Government, MetroNashville Public Schools, Affordable Housing Resources, McKissack School, Bethlehem Centers of Nashville, Grace Eaton Childcare, and Preston Taylor Ministries.

College departments involved. College of Education and the Department of 

Computer Science.

Top: Participants in the Bethlehem 

Centers’ spring 2008 service project. 

Bottom: An open house at the McKissack 

School in fall 2007.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 61 

Texas Southern University

3100 Cleburne Avenue

Houston, TX 77004

www.tsu.edu/pages/1.asp

Grant received:

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Ella Nunn 

Phone: 713−313−7785 

Fax: 713−313−7101

E-mail: nunn_em@tsu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Texas Southern University (TSU) and the 

TSU Economic Development Center are using their HBCU grant to:

n	 Create collaborations/partnerships among agencies, educational organizations, 

and the business community to support, nurture, and sustain the family.

n	 Assist community-based development organizations in carrying out 

neighborhood revitalization and community economic development.

n	 Provide technical and financial assistance to establish, stabilize, and expand 

microenterprises, including minority enterprises.

n	 Provide computer technology, career planning, job-preparation, and jobplacement workshops for target area residents who are low to moderate income, 

unskilled, unemployed, or homeless.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The program will create partnership agreements with Third Ward Community Center and City Church Houston 

Ministries, a community development corporation; Houston Community College; 

and TSU’s School of Business to carry out initiatives that support families. The 

university will also award a grant up to $35,000 for revitalization/expansion of a 

neighborhood daycare center and senior citizen building. In the area of business 

development, TSU will provide business planning, development, management, and 

financial planning through workshops and one-on-one technical assistance for up 

to 90 microbusinesses and minority enterprises, with 50 completing the program. 

It will also create 12 new or expanded businesses (2 professionals, 1 wholesale, 

4 retailers, and 5 services) and create 8 new jobs. The university will use HUD 

funds to enroll 60 unskilled participants in computer technology, career planning, 

and job preparation and placement with the intention that 40 participants will 

complete the program.

Partnerships planned/accomplished. Houston Community College and 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center.

College departments involved: School of Business, Entrepreneurial Center, 

and TSU Economic Development Center.

Top: EDC Director Ella Nunn presents 

an award to the Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Community Center for its services in 

Houston’s low-income communities.

Bottom: The Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Community Center’s Transitional Housing 

Center for homeless women with children.
62 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Tuskegee University

Morrison-Mayberry Hall

Tuskegee, AL 36088

www.tuskegee.edu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Ntam Baharanyi

Phone: 334–724–4840

Fax: 334–727–8812

E-mail: Baharany@tuskegee.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Tuskegee University is using its HBCU grant to 

strengthen the Tuskegee–Macon County Community Development Corporation (TuskMac CDC) and build on on its previous HBCU grant to address ongoing community 

and economic development needs. TuskMac CDC is in the process of acquiring and 

renovating one unoccupied, dilapidated residential structure for sale and occupancy 

to a low- to moderate-income homebuyer. This project will serve as a pilot effort for 

increasing TuskMac CDC’s capacity and leadership in housing development. TuskMac CDC has also initiated a project to assist business and property owners with 

façade and landscape improvements on the Old Montgomery Road/Franklin Road 

Corridor. The CDC continued support of economic and social programs, including 

revolving-loan, homeownership, first-time homebuyer training, and counseling 

programs that provide regular entrepreneurial and homeownership workshops 

and counseling. Spring and fall 2008 sessions on business plan development, loan 

application, and marketing were each attended by at least 12 startup business 

owners and applications for incubator office space have increased threefold.

Community impact planned/accomplished: This project’s positive impacts 

on the community include improved aesthetics and landscaping, improved pedestrian friendliness, increased public safety, and increased business ownership along 

the Old Montgomery Road portion of the Corridor. In addition, TuskMac CDC is 

becoming the place for training first-time and low- to moderate-income potential 

homebuyers and is also playing an active role in supporting housing rehabilitation. 

The community has announced the availability of grants up to $5,000 to enable 

six low-income elderly, handicapped, or disabled homeowners to repair/rehabilitate their homes. The university will partner with the Macon County Home Builders 

Association (MCHBA), which has developed an application process and will select 

and provide contractors. On the small business front, the monthly business startup 

training has resulted in the establishment of at least two new businesses per quarter. Tuskmac CDC has provided low-cost office space to assist at least six new businesses annually through the business incubator. Finally, TuckMac CDC has trained 

and worked one-on-one with up to 10 persons per month on personal finance 

management and participation in Individual Development Accounts to help them 

save and build assets.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Macon County Commission; the 

city of Tuskegee; the Tuskegee Housing Authority; Southern Community College; 

South East Alabama Self-Help Association, Inc.; Auburn University; Macon County 

Habitat for Humanity; the Macon County Ministers’ Council; the Macon County 

Homebuilders’ Association; A.C. Bulls Construction, Inc.; Major L. Holland 

Architects and Associates, P.C.; and Alabama Rural Ministry.

College departments involved: Cooperative Extension Program; College of 

Agricultural, Environmental, and Natural Sciences; Department of Architecture; 

and the College of Business and Information Science.

Top: The Old Montgomery Road/Franklin 

Road Corridor. 

Bottom: Model of the facade and landscape improvements planned for the Old 

Montgomery Road/Franklin Road Corridor.
Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 63 

Winston-Salem State University

601 South Martin Luther 

 King, Jr., Drive 

Winston-Salem, NC 27110

www.wssu.edu/wssu

Grant received: 

2007 HBCU—$600,000

Contact information:

Valerie Howard

Director, Office of Sponsored 

 Programs 

Phone: 336−750−2413 

Fax: 336−750−2412

E-mail: howardv@wssu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is 

using its HBCU grant to expand its role and effectiveness in addressing community 

needs and revitalizing neighborhoods along the Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive corridor through activities started by the Simon Green Atkins Community Development 

Corporation (SGACDC), an outreach arm of the university established in 1998. 

Efforts focus on developing a master plan to drive investment in the area. To expand affordable housing, SGACDC will acquire and rehabilitate six vacant houses 

for sale to eligible renters. WSSU will also provide entrepreneurship education and 

small business loans and assist target area resident groups with public safety issues. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: To ensure that future development of the target area is part of a holistic plan and proceeds in the best interest 

of the neighborhood, WSSU through the SGACDC is leading the community in 

creating a master plan for neighborhood revitalization. This master plan has four 

primary phases. Phase One included visioning sessions with WSSU/community 

stakeholders; land use assessment including zoning, ownership, traffic, and historical development patterns; stakeholder interviews; and preliminary analysis. 

Phase Two included detailed market analysis, opportunity analysis, and concept 

development. Phase Three features plan synthesis and refinement with more stakeholder interviews, ordering priorities, and an implementation plan. Phase Four 

will include final stakeholder input followed by preparation and review of the final 

document. To help neighborhood restoration/revitalization efforts, SGACDC has 

partnered with the WSSU Center for Community Safety to link its crime-prevention 

programs to the target area. The WSSU Center for Community Safety will share a 

crime prevention coordinator who will help SGACDC staff implement educational, 

recreational, and cultural activities for residents and coordinate the schedules of 

five Safe Haven programs for youth and adults. Twenty percent of the coordinator’s 

time will be spent communicating and planning with SGACDC staff and residents 

of the SGACDC target area to ensure that youth and adults can participate in 

educational, social, and physical activities that prevent violence and drug trafficking. In August 2008, a “Back to School Festival” was held in the Skyline Village 

neighborhood, a Section 8 subsidized apartment complex. More than 300 people 

participated in the activities that included a barbecue, Latino dancers, a Hands 

Without Guns finger painting activity for children, and distribution of free school 

supplies to children. Each year for 3 years, the SGACDC also plans to purchase 

two vacant houses that are neighborhood eyesores and rehabilitate them for sale 

to first-time homebuyers. If rehabilitation is not feasible, the homes will be demolished and replaced with new construction.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Twin City East-West Partnership, city 

of Winston-Salem Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development, The 

Winston-Salem Funders Collaborative, and the Local Initiative Support Corporation. College departments involved: School of Business and Economics and WSSU 

Center for Community Safety.

Top: A vacant house purchased by 

SGACDC. 

Bottom: WSSU’s student government 

president at the community planning design 

charette.
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Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 65 

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Chapter 2: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 65 

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Chapter 3: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program / 65 

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Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 65 

Tribal Colleges and 

Universities Program

With specialized curricula that integrate traditional college 

disciplines with indigenous languages and cultural traditions, 

Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) serve as repositories 

of higher education and Tribal knowledge. They also provide a broad 

range of community services and act as gathering places for Tribe members. Yet, TCUs face many obstacles as they strive to improve their physical infrastructures so they can meet the ever-growing demand for their 

educational and community services. This task is particularly challenging 

for those TCUs that have decentralized campuses.

To help TCUs address the educational, cultural, and 

social needs of the predominantly Native American 

populations they serve, the U.S. Department of Housing 

and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Office of University 

Partnerships (OUP) created the Tribal Colleges and 

Universities Program (TCUP). Through this program, 

TCUs may apply for 3-year grants to build, expand, 

renovate, and equip their facilities and to expand their 

role into the community by providing needed services.

Tribal colleges and universities that meet the definition 

of a TCU may apply for grant funds. Institutions must 

be fully accredited or provide verification of their 

candidacy for accreditation by a regional institutional 

accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

TCUP grantees implement projects designed to address 

at least one of the Community Development Block 

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TCUP 2006 Grantees

TCUP 2007 Grantees

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2006 and 2007 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program OUP Grantees

CHAPTER 4
66 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Grant national objectives: benefit low- and moderateincome persons, reduce slum or blight, or meet urgent 

community needs. Grantees have used their funds to 

implement a variety of projects, including:

n	 Build or renovate administrative offices, classrooms, 

and technology centers.

n	 Build and expand libraries and archives.

n	 Provide on-campus student housing.

n	 Develop trades and technology training facilities.

n	 Build and equip computer labs.

n	 Equip university facilities (i.e., lab equipment, library 

books, and furniture).

n	 Provide community health and wellness services.

n	 Build and provide childcare and early childhood 

development centers.

For more information about HUD’s TCUP program, 

visit www.oup.org or contact:

Sherone Ivey

Deputy Assistant Secretary

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–4200

E-mail: sherone.e.ivey@hud.gov

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2006 and 2007 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program OUP Grantees
Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 67 

Diné College

Box 188, 01 Circle Drive 

Navajo Route 1

Tsaile, AZ 86556

www.dinecollege.edu

Grant received:

2006 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Curtis Ray Benally

Vice President of Institutional 

 Advancement

Phone: 505–368–3624 

Fax: 505–368–2595

E-mail: crbenally@dinecollege.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Diné College is using its TCUP grant to plan 

and construct a library at Diné’s main New Mexico campus to better serve college 

constituents, the local Shiprock community, and northwestern New Mexico within a 

50-mile radius of the proposed project. Much of the preliminary planning has been 

done for the library. After securing a majority of the needed funding, Diné College 

selected an architectural and engineering firm, DLR Group, to commence the 

programming and design phase of the library.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Diné College completed a 

feasibility study in 2007 that revealed that a high-quality library facility is needed 

in Shiprock and the surrounding Four Corners region of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, 

and New Mexico. Construction of the new, user-friendly facility will increase 

library use by 35 percent. The new library will also provide an opportunity for five 

new community activities: summer literacy programming, seasonal cultural exhibits, 

community workshops, a summer film series, and community meetings. Each activity will strengthen the link between the college and the community, attract all age 

groups, promote a bilingual forum for Navajo and English speakers, and emphasize the unique traditions of the Navajo people and their culture. The new library 

will also correct the space limitations of the existing Shiprock Library. These limitations have threatened the long-term functionality and integrity of Diné College’s 

library system, as well as the college’s current initiative to implement a 4-year 

baccalaureate degree program in its Center for Diné Teacher Education academic 

program. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: State of New Mexico, Navajo Nation 

and Shiprock Chapter. Most of the funding support for the new library comes from 

the state of New Mexico legislature, including $5.4 million capital outlay and 

severance tax bond funds for the library since 2007. 

College departments involved: Diné College Board of Regents, The 

President’s Office, Office of Institutional Advancement, Office of Finance and 

Administration, and Diné College Library. 

Top: A conceptual rendering of the new 

Diné College library. 

Bottom: Diné College serves the Four 

Corners region of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, 

and New Mexico.
68 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Fort Peck Community College

605 Indian Street

Poplar, MT 59255

www.fpcc.edu

Grant received: 

2006 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Warren Means 

Phone: 406–768–5555 

Fax: 406–768–3026

E-mail: wmeans@fpcc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Fort Peck Community College (FPCC) used 

its TCUP grant to construct dormitory space to accommodate 36 students. This 

project, focusing on single student dormitories, is the first step in a comprehensive 

plan to develop a broad range of student housing and increase enrollment at 

FPCC. Revenue from increased enrollment will in turn provide for educational 

program growth and curriculum enhancement. The initial dormitory building was 

constructed by Building Trades Program students under the guidance of their 

instructors. FPCC maximized its grant dollars by assuming the role of general 

contractor for the dormitory project, which allowed the college to exercise its 

buying power for materials while providing the students with valuable hands-on 

experience. The 6,000-square-foot Building Trades Program is located inside the 

15,000-square-foot Vocational-Technical Education Center, which was financed in 

part by a 2002 TCUP grant. The program provides classroom activities and handson construction experience for students throughout the year and has the capacity 

to construct 2,000-square-foot modular buildings indoors—a necessity, given the 

winter weather in Montana.

Community impact planned/accomplished: This project will provide housing for 36 individuals who otherwise could not attend FPCC. With the addition of 

student dormitories and student housing, both educational and student service program capability and delivery will be greatly enhanced. This project will directly 

benefit low- and moderate-income students and community members from throughout the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Indian Reservation by expanding access 

to education opportunities and economic self-sufficiency. FPCC has completed one 

new 28-person dormitory to date. The dormitory has 14 student rooms, with each 

room accommodating two students; a bathroom is shared between two rooms. The 

dorm is currently housing students from around the region who are participating 

in special projects classes such as hazardous materials remediation. Being able to 

provide on-campus housing to students will enable FPCC to recruit and educate 

students from outside the standard 25-mile commuting service area as well as 

those from the immediate community.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Fort Peck Assiniboine and 

Sioux Tribes.

College departments involved: Building Trades and the Department of 

Institutional Development. 

Top: Exterior of the new Fort Peck 

Community College dormitory. 

Bottom: A room in the new dormitory.
Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 69 

Little Big Horn College

P.O. Box 370 

One Forestry Lane

Crow Agency, MT 59022

www.lbhc.edu

Grant received:

2006 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Dr. David Yarlott, Jr. 

President

Phone: 406–638–3107

E-mail: davidyarlott@lbhc.cc.mt.us

Projects planned/accomplished: Little Big Horn College (LBHC) used its 

TCUP grant to construct an administration and archives building on its campus. 

This is the final of four construction projects necessary to complete the first phase of 

LBHC’s 1999 new campus master plan. Completion of the 9,860-square-foot building in June 2008 provided much-needed space both for staff offices and for areas 

designated for student use. The project will also ensure that LBHC can continue its 

current growth trend. Even more important, this building will provide a safe and 

accessible area in which to relocate the LBHC archives, which contain invaluable 

Crow Indian cultural materials that are currently housed in a substandard building. 

Finance offices as well as the offices of the president and administrative dean were 

relocated into the new building.

Community impact planned/accomplished: LBHC enrollment increased 

from 287 full-time students in fall 2007 to 347 in fall 2008, surpassing a predicted 

10-percent increase. Student satisfaction will increase because of better quality 

student facilities and better access to faculty. A student satisfaction survey will be 

administered in spring 2009 to assess the impact of the new facilities on student 

perceptions. Completion of the new administration and archives building will 

allow increases in the archival collections of Crow Indian materials and in student 

and public access to the archives. Administrative staff productivity has increased 

because staff offices of related programs are now in close proximity to one another. 

Sensitive student records have been moved to separate locked storage areas 

located in the new building, increasing both privacy and confidentiality of student 

files. The new building, designed in harmony with Crow cultural ways and 

aesthetic themes, has greatly enhanced the image of the college in the Crow 

community. The community has shown increased pride in its college.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Crow Indian Reservation community.

College departments involved: LBHC Librarian and Archivist.
70 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Stone Child College

RR 1 Box 1082

Box Elder, MT 59521

www.stonechild.edu

Grant received:

2006 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Melody Henry 

Phone: 406–395–4875 

Fax: 406–395–4836

E-mail: mrbhenry@hotmail.com

Projects planned/accomplished: Stone Child College (SCC) is a Tribally 

controlled community college located on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. The 

reservation is the home of the Chippewa Cree tribe, which is the target population of this project. SCC used its TCUP grant to establish a technology laboratory 

and two technology/vocational education classrooms within the recently constructed SCC Learning Center. The project increased the college’s physical capacity 

to support its increased student enrollment, reduced the overcrowding in existing 

facilities, and provided students with access to modern technology that meets technological literacy standards. Featuring 11,304 square feet of instructional space, 

the new technology lab and classrooms allowed the college to house and expand 

its technology and trade programs. HUD funding also enabled SCC to properly 

equip the facility. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The learning center enabled 

SCC to properly allocate existing classroom spaces, add space necessary to support student enrollment growth, and provide students with access to modern technology that meets their educational needs. The completion of the facility allowed 

SCC to relocate the technology and trades programs that were utilizing classrooms 

designed to support other programs. This relocation allowed the college to use its 

existing classrooms to offer more sections of core courses, thereby increasing the 

number of students who can participate in these courses. The completed technology classrooms and technology/vocational laboratories can support at least 50 

additional students. Creating access to modern technologies increased students’ 

technological literacy skills and increased their employability. As a direct impact of 

the project, the college’s students now have access to a facility that is appropriate 

in size and designed to support the growth and expansion of the technology and 

trades programs.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: USDA Cooperative State Research, 

Education, and Extension Service; Montana State University-Bozeman; Technology 

Education Department; and the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation.

College departments involved: Director of Foundations and Research, 

facilities manager, business office, and the Technology and Trades Programs.
Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 71 

Turtle Mountain 

Community College

P.O. Box 340

Belcourt, ND 58316

www.turtle-mountain.cc.nd.us

Grant received:

2006 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Dennis Bercier 

Phone: 701–477–7810 

Fax: 701–477–7870

E-mail: dbercier@tm.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Turtle Mountain Community College 

(TMCC), a tribally chartered college serving the Turtle Mountain Band of 

Chippewa, used its TCUP grant to help fund construction of the Auto Body Repair 

and Refinishing facility, which is the first of three buildings within the TMCC Career 

and Technical Education (CTE) Center. This stand-alone structure serves the needs 

of a developing Auto Body Repair and Refinishing program of study. The facility is 

designed to easily connect to the larger CTE center at a later date. The new center 

greatly enhances the ability of TMCC to provide new vocational programs of study 

in areas needed to engage more students in all the many CTE and entrepreneurial 

fields. In addition, the facility provides dual credit opportunities for high school 

students and addresses the job-training needs of the local tribal workforce in 

preparing for new incoming industrial employment on the reservation.

Community impact planned/accomplished: By completing this project, 

TMCC provides more higher education opportunities for all potential students, 

particularly those Tribal members interested in vocational training and certificate 

programs of study. The Auto Body Repair and Refinishing facility, a pilot program 

of the larger CTE center, has many long-term positive impacts on TMCC and the 

target community: 

n	 Increasing college student enrollment.

n	 Offering programs of study that will attract more students––particularly the 

currently underserved male population––into college.

n	 Providing opportunities for dual-credit skills training at the secondary level to 

curtail the high secondary school dropout rate. 

n	 Providing career training and raising income levels in the Turtle Mountain 

reservation community, which has suffered from severe poverty, unemployment 

and economic depression for many generations. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation and the North Dakota State Board of Vocational and Technical Education.

College departments involved: Career and Technical Education Department, 

the TMCC Admissions and Financial Aid Committee, Library Committee, and 

Assessment Committee.

Top: Preparing the foundation of the TMCC 

Auto Body Repair and Refinishing facility. 

Bottom: Interior of the new Auto Body 

Repair and Refinishing building.
72 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Cankdeska Cikana 

Community College

Box 269

Fort Totten, ND 58335

www.littlehoop.edu/cccc/

 home.html

Grant received:

2007 TCUP––$599,309

Contact information:

Phillip Lewis Sr. 

Phone: 701−766–1360 

E-mail: Phillip_LewisSr@littlehoop.edu

Activities planned/accomplished: Cankdeska Cikana Community College 

(CCCC) used its TCUP grant to expand college facilities by constructing a building to house the agricultural science programs. The new facility was built on the 

CCCC campus located on the Spirit Lake Reservation. The design includes lecture 

and laboratory classroom space and a garage area for farm equipment such as 

tractors and seeders. This project not only enhanced the students’ access to agricultural careers, it also includes outreach to the community. Science students teach 

residents how to plant and care for home gardens.

Community impact planned/accomplished: By the time the project was 

completed, the college increased its physical plant by 5,000 square feet and expanded the agricultural science program and curriculum. Enrollment in the agricultural science program increased by 20 percent. The project increased the target 

area’s economic self-sufficiency by providing a degree program for students who 

wish to pursue agricultural careers. This also furthers the Tribe’s goal of increasing 

Tribal use and benefit from the land. One program, through which college agriculture students assist community members in planting and caring for family gardens, 

has had a positive impact on the community because it provides residents with 

access to food that is lower in cost and offers better nutrition.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Spirit Lake community.

College departments involved: Agricultural Science Program.
Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 73 

Fort Berthold Community College

220 Eighth Avenue North 

P.O. Box 490

New Town, ND 58763

www.fbcc.bia.edu

Grant received: 

2007 TCUP––$391,881

Contact information:

Keith Smith

Facilities Manager 

Phone: 701−627–4738, ext. 269 

Fax: 701−627−3609

E-mail: ksmith@fbcc.bia.edu

Activities planned/accomplished: Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC) 

is chartered by the Three Affiliated Tribes to meet the higher education needs of 

the people of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations. The college is using its 

TCUP grant to construct a 3,200-square-foot garage and storage structure, which 

will free up 55 percent of vocational classroom space on campus. The new storage 

facility will also enable FBCC to better retain selected equipment and keep materials and records according to federal, state, and Tribal regulations. In addition, 

grant funds will allow the college to renovate its existing library and offices, and 

enhance the learning environment for students. This renovation will help the college 

improve its enrollment, course completion, retention, graduation, and student transfer rates as well as the grade point averages of its students. The renovation will 

also improve safety for students, faculty, staff, and visitors and reduce property loss

Community impact planned/accomplished: The garage and storage building is 90-percent complete. The college anticipates that completion of this structure 

will free up badly needed space in the main facilities and improve safety for staff 

and faculty. All college records of the Business, Student Services, Academic, and 

Networking Departments will be organized and stored according to department, 

date, content, and type. The library renovation is now complete. Course study, 

research, and overall comfort has been greatly improved and student and visitor 

learning capabilities enhanced through the improved lighting system, upgraded 

computer cubicles and viewing room, and general appearance. The library improvements greatly enhanced FBCC’s safe and healthy environment. Re-carpeting 

the library and classrooms will further improve and enhance the learning environment for the students and residents of FBCC.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation 

community. 

College departments involved: Student senate, Research & Development, 

Business Department, and FBCC Library.

Top: The Fort Berthold Community College 

Library. 

Bottom: The new garage/storage 

building will enable better storage of 

equipment and materials.
74 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Oglala Lakota College

490 Piya Wiconi Road

Kyle, SD 57752

www.olc.edu/~afisher/ 

 education

Grant received:

2007 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Thomas Shortbull

President

Phone: 605−455−6020

Fax: 605−455−6023

E-mail: tshortb@olc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Oglala Lakota College (OLC) used its TCUP 

grant to construct a 2,250-square-foot bookstore at its Piya Wiconi campus on the 

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Masopiye Wowapi bookstore, which was completed in December 2008, will provide storage, access, and deliverability of textbooks and school supplies for more than 1,500 students a semester and provide 

Native American and Lakota language books and other materials to the 27,787 

people living on the reservation.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The new Masopiye Wowapi 

bookstore provides sufficient space, accessibility, and security to serve over 1,500 

students a year as well as the residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation, with space 

for textbooks, school supplies, and Lakota cultural and language materials. The 

new bookstore’s loading dock and improved accessibility make it easier for staff to 

load books and other materials for transport to the nine Instructional Centers on the 

Pine Ridge Reservation; the Instructional Center in Rapid City, South Dakota; and 

the Instructional Center on the Cheyenne River Reservation at Eagle Butte, South 

Dakota. The bookstore also provides space for college and community meetings.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the 

Tribal Council, and Oglala Sioux Tribe. The Oglala Sioux Tribe continued to lease 

the land for the Piya Wiconi Main Campus complex for $1 a year. The Tribe also 

gave support to a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, which provided leverage 

funds to complete the bookstore.

College departments involved: Construction Trades. The president’s office 

coordinated the construction with input from the bookstore manager. The business 

office managed the finances.
Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 75 

Sitting Bull College

1341 92nd Street

Fort Yates, ND 58538

www.sittingbull.edu

Grant received:

2007 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Koreen Ressler 

Vice President

Phone: 701−854–8001 

Fax: 701−854–8197

E-mail: koreenr@sbci.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Sitting Bull College (SBC) is using its TCUP 

grant to construct a student support center, which will include a 4,020-square-foot 

library and a 3,480-square-foot developmental education center with classrooms, 

computer laboratories, and offices for student support staff. The college’s 350-

member student body is more than 90-percent Native American and nearly all live 

on the Standing Rock Reservation. The new facilities will help SBC address the deterioration of its old campus facilities, which have adversely affected the college’s 

fiscal stability, services, and student retention rates. SBC’s campus improvements 

will help reverse the current fall-to-fall dropout rate of 62 percent.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Construction of the student 

support center is still underway with an estimated completion date of May 2009.

The building design was modified to reduce the number of classrooms from four 

to three due to overall construction costs. The new student center will house the 

Developmental Education/Library Complex. The developmental education portion 

of the center will include two classrooms and an additional room for group work 

or student study. It will also feature an adjoining 10-computer lab and a small resource library for one-on-one work with students. The library will house collections 

of fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, law, reference works, periodicals stacks, 

study carrels, climate-controlled archival space for tribal documents, a secure 

research room with Internet-linked computers, and an acoustically sound oral 

history studio with listening and recording equipment.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: U.S. Department of Education, 

American Indian College Fund, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, HUD-Special Appropriation, U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Kresge Foundation, Tom and Danielle Aman Foundation, and other private 

sources.

College departments involved: The vice president of academics, student 

services, and the director of library services.

Top: SBC’s developmental education 

building. 

Bottom: The new library will provide 

expanded room for books, periodicals, 

archived materials, research, and an oral 

history studio.
76 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

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Indian Arts

83 Avan Nu Po Road

Santa Fe, NM 87508

www.iaia.edu

Grant received:

2007 TCUP––$600,000

Contact information:

Laurie Logan Brayshaw 

Phone: 505−424–2305 

Fax: 505−424–0090

E-mail: llogan@iaia.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) 

is using its TCUP grant to renovate the existing 20,800-square-foot campus dormitory into the “family casitas” of IAIA’s new Student Residence Center. This project will enhance IAIA’s role as the only institute of higher education in the world 

dedicated to the study and practice of Native American arts and also as one of 

the few Tribal colleges that is multi-tribal and residential. The new Student Residence Center’s family casitas will provide on-campus, family-style two-bedroom 

apartments, which are specifically reserved as low-income housing for students 

who are married or single parents. The new facilities will be able to house 26 

to 52 students in apartment-style casitas, all with accessible design and energyefficient green features. The main objective in renovating the current student dormitories is to allow IAIA to recruit and retain a greater number and diversity of 

students. Expanded on-campus housing and the addition of family-style apartments 

for married or single-parent students will strengthen the institute’s ability to serve 

its target communities, allowing IAIA to fulfill its goal of providing quality arts and 

cultural higher education for Native American students.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The project will increase 

student enrollment by 25 percent and provide affordable, accessible on-campus 

housing for 26 to 52 low-income, married or single-parent students. IAIA hopes to 

increase student graduation rates by 25 percent as a result of the new residence 

center housing and IAIA’s support services to residents. The casita renovation project is expected to begin in March 2009. The college expects to have students and 

their families in the casitas for the fall 2009 semester. The impact on the community 

will be immediate. Seventeen current students and their families are living in offcampus housing and want to live in the casitas in order to reduce their expenses. 

At least eight other students and their families are on a waiting list for the casitas 

so that they can enroll at IAIA and complete their education. The renovation plans 

include a daycare facility for the children of students. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The state of New Mexico through 

its Capital Outlay Appropriation and the New Mexico Bond Placement Loan 

Program.

College departments involved: Associated Student Government; Center for 

Student Life; Office of Sponsored Programs; Facilities; Finance and Administration; 

Learning Support Center; Admissions, Records, and Enrollment; and the Center for 

Arts and Cultural Studies.

Top: IAIA’s family casitas will result from 

the rneovation of an existing dormitory 

(in background). 

Bottom: The Student Residence Center 

casitas will house 26 to 52 married or 

single-parent students.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program / 77 

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Chapter 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program / 77 

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Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 77 

Universities Rebuilding 

America Partnerships

I

n response to the devastation caused along the Gulf Coast by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in summer 2005, the U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) joined with the Corporation 

for National and Community Service to launch Universities Rebuilding 

America Partnerships (URAP). This initiative, overseen by HUD’s Office 

of University Partnerships, offered a one-time opportunity of funding and 

other resources to empower college and university students, faculty, and 

staff to lend their skills in rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

HUD provided $5.6 million to the URAP initiative: $2 million funded a 

collaborative design grant program to partner schools 

of architecture and planning with affected communities, and $3.6 million funded a grant program for 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to 

provide sustained services to affected communities.

URAP-Community Design (CD). Public or private 

nonprofit institutions of higher education granting 

2- and 4-year degrees in architecture, urban planning 

and design, or construction that are accredited by a 

national or regional accrediting agency and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education were eligible to apply for the URAP-CD grant. A consortium of 

eligible institutions could also apply for funding under 

this grant, as long as one institution was designated 

the lead applicant. Institutions that were previous OUP 

grant recipients were eligible to apply for these funds.

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Legend

� 2005 URAP-HBCU Grantees

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2005 Universities Rebuilding America Partnerships Grantees

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CHAPTER 5
78 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

URAP-HBCU. HBCUs as determined by the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with the Department’s 

responsibilities under Executive Order 13256, dated 

February 12, 2002, were eligible to apply for funding 

under this program. 

The grant program was available to applicants that are 

accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency 

recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information about the URAP initiative, visit the 

OUP website at www.oup.org or contact:

URAP-CD

Kinnard D. Wright

Grant Specialist

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–7495

E-mail: kinnard.d.wright@hud.gov

URAP-HBCU

Ophelia H. Wilson

Grant Specialist

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–4390

E-mail: ophelia.wilson@hud.gov
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 79 

Mississippi State University

College of Architecture, 

 Art + Design

P.O. Box AQ

Mississippi State, MS 39762

www.msstate.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-CD––$300,000

Contact information:

David Perkes, Director

Gulf Coast Community Design Studio

425 Division Street

Biloxi, MS 39520

Phone: 601–259–5616

Fax: 228–435–7181

E-mail: dperkes@gccds.msstate.edu

Website: http://gccds.org

Projects planned/accomplished: The Mississippi State University School of 

Architecture’s Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) worked with a local 

nonprofit organization—the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief, and Redevelopment 

Agency—to provide planning and architectural services to rehabilitate damaged 

houses and build new houses to resettle residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. 

The project included an assessment and geographic information systems mapping 

of the target neighborhoods to analyze and visualize the neighborhoods parcel by 

parcel. Neighborhood meetings were held to engage the community in the planning process and to identify rehabilitation and construction needs. The partners 

also designed innovative housing rehabilitation strategies and new house construction plans, developed construction documents for nonprofit developers and builders, and offered architectural services during construction.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The project’s objective was 

to enable at least 50 percent of the homeowners to resettle in improved houses 

within the first year by providing the assessment and design assistance to rehabilitate houses at a rate of 20 houses per week. Approximately 5,000 residential lots 

with houses in East Biloxi were flooded or completely destroyed by Katrina. Half of 

the lots were eventually cleared of damaged houses and the other half had houses 

that could be repaired. At the end of the 2-year project period, 75 percent of the 

houses (approximately 1,800 houses) that were left standing were repaired and reoccupied. Households occupying approximately 600 of the repaired houses were 

assisted by the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio and its community partner, 

the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief, and Redevelopment Agency. GCCDS provided design drawings for over 100 rehabilitated houses and produced design and 

construction drawings for 54 new houses. GCCDS has continued to work beyond 

the URAP project period and has become a long-term professional outreach program with approximately 15 architects, planners, and interns providing planning 

and architectural design assistance to many communities and affordable housing 

organizations working in East Biloxi and other low-income communities on the 

Mississippi Gulf Coast. The close partnership with the East Biloxi Coordination, 

Relief, and Redevelopment Agency has proven to be an effective strategy for 

community-based rebuilding and redevelopment. GCCDS has expanded these best 

practices to work in a similar partnership with three other housing providers. In 

addition, GCCDS has become the planning resource for a network of affordable 

housing organizations, assisting in selecting property, coordinating development 

plans, and working with the community to produce housing that is economically, 

culturally, and environmentally sustainable. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: East Biloxi Coordination, Relief, and 

Redevelopment Agency; and Architecture for Humanity.

College departments involved: Mississippi State University College of 

Architecture, Art and Design.

Top: Post-Katrina homes in East Biloxi, 

designed by GCCDS. 

Bottom: A map of GCCDS projects in 

East Biloxi.
80 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Ohio State University

School of Architecture

275 West Woodruff Avenue

Columbus, OH 43210

www.osu.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-CD—$266,741

Contact information:

Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Principal Investigator

Division of City and Regional 

 Planning

Phone: 614–247–7479

Fax: 614–292–7106

E-mail: Cowley.11@osu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture at the Ohio State University (OSU) helped Harrison County, Mississippi, develop a plan to identify where rebuilding should occur and revise regulations to 

encourage the development of affordable housing in its unincorporated areas. The 

project built on the work of the Mississippi Governor’s Commission for Recovery, 

Rebuilding, and Renewal by creating community plans and policies that reduce 

regulatory barriers and ensure the availability of affordable housing in the county. 

Activities included developing citizen participation opportunities, sponsoring a 

strategic planning meeting with the planning commission and board of supervisors, 

creating community plans, and revising the building code and zoning ordinance. 

The project developed community plans in six communities.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The project had the following 

outcomes:

n	 Reduction of the regulatory barriers identified in the zoning ordinance.

n	 Development of rebuilding plans and policies for implementation. 

n	 Development and maintenance of effective processes to engage citizens in the 

planning process. 

Harrison County unanimously adopted all six of the community plans developed as 

part of this grant. These plans have moved forward into implementation. Communities have obtained grants to support trail planning, recreation, and beautification. 

In addition, Harrison County adopted a series of zoning ordinance amendments to 

modular housing, home occupation, and outdoor lighting. OSU’s quality work as 

part of this URAP grant led to two additional grants, totaling $850,000, to continue the planning process in Harrison County.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Harrison County, Mississippi.

College departments involved: Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture, 

Ohio State University.

Top: A stream corridor overlay was adopted 

by Harrison County to protect waterways. 

Bottom: Saucier community plan recommended creation of a farmers’ market, 

which was organized by local residents.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 81 

Pratt Institute

200 Wiloughby Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11205

www.pratt.edu

Grant received:

2005 URAP-CD––$266,741

Contact information:

Brad Lander 

Phone: 718–636–3486

Fax: 718–636–3709

E-mail: blander@pratt.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: In March 2006, Pratt Institute and the New 

Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) received a URAP grant to engage architecture 

and planning students in the rebuilding of New Orleans East, an area off Lake 

Pontchartrain that was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. Ultimately the faculty leading 

the project selected the Plum Orchard area of New Orleans East for the 2-year 

effort. A team of faculty and professionals from Pratt Institute and NJIT joined together to plan and implement the project. ACORN Housing Corporation served as 

their community-based partner and was responsible for community outreach and 

coordinating pre-development planning for the specific sites designed during the 

2-year grant period. During the summer of 2006, five interns from Pratt Institute 

were dispatched to New Orleans to work directly with ACORN on community 

organizing and planning for recovery. Starting in the fall of 2006, faculty and 

students from Pratt and NJIT made numerous trips to New Orleans to survey the 

neighborhood, meet with community residents, and consult with ACORN Housing 

Corporation. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The work funded by HUD

 has resulted in a recovery implementation plan to rebuild the Plum Orchard 

neighborhood of New Orleans East as an affordable, ecologically sustainable, 

well-resourced and regionally connected transit village. The Pratt and NJIT team 

created a plan for a Model Neighborhood that addresses environmental conditions, housing needs, and design. The team developed a housing prototype that 

is affordable and environmentally and ecologically sustainable; mapped an infrastructure plan that addresses water retention issues throughout the area; provided 

technical assistance to ACORN Housing Corporation as it worked to develop 150 

adjudicated properties in the neighborhood using the plan and the design prototypes; and created a series of brochures, reports, and handbooks about various 

recovery-related issues such as water management through landscape measures, 

community planning strategies, retrofitting surviving structures, and financing 

housing development in the neighborhood.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: ACORN Housing Corporation, 

New Jersey Institute of Technology, Association for Community Design, 

Enterprise Foundation, Architects for Humanity, and PolicyLink.

College departments involved: Pratt Center for Community Development, 

an independent department of Pratt Institute that conducts community-based 

planning work.

Top: Pratt students take a break from 

cleaning out hurricane-damaged homes in 

East New Orleans. 

Bottom: Plum Orchard residents meet 

with ACORN Housing Corporation to plan 

their neighborhood’s recovery.
82 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Tulane University School of 

Architecture

6823 St. Charles Avenue

New Orleans, LA 70118

http://architecture.tulane. 

 edu/home

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-CD––$299,128

Contact information:

Ila Berman 

Phone: 504–865–5389 

Fax: 504–862–8966

E-mail: iberman@tulane.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Tulane University School of Architecture 

(TSA) used its URAP-CD grant to develop the Tulane URBANbuild program, an 

outreach community design and construction program that would become a center for post-Katrina reconstruction efforts in the greater New Orleans area. Through 

the center, which was located in the downtown Tulane City Center, TSA provided 

a wealth of local knowledge, urban research, analysis capacity, architectural programming, design, and technical expertise to implement an effective community 

response to the hurricane. TSA also took a leadership role in consolidating Tulane’s 

academic programs with the resources and efforts of community organizations as 

well as local, regional, and national governmental authorities in order to implement 

the city’s rehabilitation and reconstruction. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: By the end of the 2-year grant 

period, URBANbuild created 12 neighborhood plans, each of which outlined urban redevelopment strategies for 6 of the 72 identified pre-Katrina neighborhoods 

in New Orleans. The plans included 16 multifamily housing prototypes and 4 new 

homes for the city. The program also makes available the results of its activities, 

in both Web-based and print media formats, for free distribution to neighborhood 

and governmental agencies throughout the city. A full publication of the work of 

URBANbuild is included in the forthcoming book: URBANbuild: local/global.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc., 

of New Orleans and the Tulane Center for Bioenvironmental Research. 

College departments involved: School of Architecture.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 83 

University of Missouri–Kansas City

Department of Architecture, 

 Urban Planning and Design

5100 Rockhill Road

Kansas City, MO 64110-2499

www.umkc.edu

Grant received:

2005 URAP-CD––$273,747

Contact information:

Dr. Jacob Wagner

Assistant Professor of Urban 

 Planning and Design

Phone: 816–235–6053 

Fax: 816–235–5226

E-mail: wagnerjaco@umkc.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Missouri–Kansas City and 

the Urban Conservancy in New Orleans partnered to develop strategies for neighborhood recovery with a focus on local businesses and heritage tourism. The team 

identified more than 13 potential locations in which a heritage tourism strategy 

could enhance local business recovery while serving the needs of residents returning to rebuild. The team then selected three high-priority sites as areas of focus, 

including Mid-City, Treme, and the Lafitte Greenway. Team members developed a 

plan for each of these heritage tourism sites outside of the French Quarter.

The team worked with homeowners, low- and moderate-income residents, and 

small business owners and their employees. Project activities included conducting 

demographic and spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems, collecting community input and economic analyses, and developing priority sub-plans for 

implementing housing resettlement and infill opportunities. The Urban Conservancy 

developed its Stay Local! program to promote local business recovery.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The team assisted with the 

neighborhood recovery process by providing technical assistance, including 

planning and design analysis, grant writing, meeting facilitation, field research 

on recovery conditions, and a business recovery summit. This effort led to the 

nomination of two National Main Street districts on Oak Street and St. Claude 

Avenue and more than $300,000 in additional grant funds to implement the 

Lafitte Greenway.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Urban Conservancy, Mid-City 

Neighborhood Organization, the Friends of Lafitte Corridor, and Oak Street 

Main Street.

College departments involved: Department of Architecture, Urban Planning 

and Design, University of Missouri–Kansas City; and Department of Planning and 

Urban Studies, University of New Orleans.
84 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

114 Othmer Hall 

P.O. Box 880642

Lincoln, NE 68588-0430

www.unl.edu

Grant received:

2005 URAP-CD—$293,660

Contact information:

James D. Goedert, Ph.D., P.E.

Principal Investigator 

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

College of Engineering

Phone: 402–554–3281

Fax: 402–554–3304

E-mail: jgoedert@unomaha.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) 

partnered with Catholic Charities to develop rehabilitation strategies for 10 houses 

in the Esplanade Ridge neighborhood in New Orleans near the French Quarter. 

UNL developed plans for three types of restoration: new construction; reconstruction, in which an existing home is torn down and rebuilt according to its original 

floor plan; and rehabilitation, which involves extensive remodeling in homes that 

are damaged but salvageable. The project team conducted market analyses, 

identified innovative building technologies, prepared schematics, identified regulatory barriers, prepared cost analyses, conducted charettes with local stakeholders, 

prepared final drawings, and identified sites.

The major contribution from this grant is delivery of 10 new final construction designs, each with two possible adaptations, for a total of 20 designs from which a 

builder can choose. Each design and strategy responds to environmental elements 

and sustainability issues and the project design included means to gain feedback 

and support from those impacted by the destruction.

Community impact planned/accomplished: This project provides broad 

impact on the community through integration of hurricane-resistant and sustainable 

designs into the local codes and the community’s housing. The designs preserve 

the cultural integrity of the community while providing housing that will remain 

intact against environmental forces and serve the community for decades into the 

future. The documented procedures for rebuilding will be helpful in future disaster 

remediation efforts.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Catholic Charities Archdiocese of 

New Orleans.

College departments involved: Charles W. Durham School of Architectural 

Engineering and Construction.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 85 

University of Washington

1100 NE 45th Street

Suite 300 Box 354945

Seattle, WA 98105

www.washington.edu

Grant received:

2005 URAP-CD—$299,982

Contact information:

Fredrick Wagner

Phone: 206–543–7459 

Fax: 206–685–4486

E-mail: fwagner@u.washington.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The University of Washington (UW) used its 

URAP-CD grant to address the needs of the low- to moderate-income populations in 

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana for affordable housing, public facilities, and employment 

opportunities. Project activities included an analysis to gather and analyze existing 

conditions and identify issues to be addressed, and the development of a website 

that featured project documents and online surveys to obtain community input and 

develop interactive lessons to train local officials, community leaders, and residents 

on best practices in neighborhood design strategies. The university conducted a 

series of community workshops to present findings of the analysis and identify critical issues. It also presented alternative plan scenarios that were developed through 

faculty-student independent studies, and organized a symposium during which public officials and community leaders shared best practices and models for the reconstruction effort. Finally, the project identified strategies and tools for implementing a 

plan and prepared the final plan document and video presentation.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The overall aims of the 

planning process were to: 

n	 Ensure that the parish will address the pressing needs of its population and 

take advantage of opportunities to increase its density, affordable housing, and 

commercial development.

n	 Ensure that the planning process is conducted in ways that engage meaningful 

public participation and result in a realistic set of steps to achieve its objectives. 

n	 Adopt the plan and implement strategies to increase affordable housing units, 

foster land conservation, provide more efficient infrastructure and services, and 

create communities that are more resilient to natural hazards, and a citizenry 

that is better informed and more engaged in urban policy. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Northwest Center for Livable 

Communities and Jefferson Parish.

College departments involved: UW Department of Urban Design and 

Planning.

Top: University of Washington students 

at a planning meeting to develop recovery 

plans. 

Bottom: A community planning meeting 

in Jefferson Parish.
86 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Alcorn State University 

15 Campus Drive 

Natchez, MS 39120

www.alcorn.edu/newweb/

 default.aspx 

Grant received:

2005 URAP-HBCU––$349,682 

Contact information:

Dr. Linda Godley

Phone: 601–304–4301 

E-mail: godley@alcorn.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The overall goal of Alcorn State University’s 

(ASU’s) Partnering for Healthy and Sustainable Communities project was to help 

restore healthcare networks and infrastructure in low-income coastal and rural 

underserved communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. The School of Nursing 

faculty and staff proposed providing short-term onsite primary healthcare to the 

Turkey Creek community and assisting in rebuilding the infrastructure to meet the 

immediate and long-term healthcare needs of the community.

Community impact planned/accomplished: To achieve its goal of restoring 

healthcare networks and infrastructure to low-income rural, underserved individuals 

and families residing in targeted Hurricane Katrina communities, ASU worked to:

n	 Increase access to healthcare by providing primary healthcare to the Turkey 

Creek and the Natchez/Adams County communities. Alcorn’s faculty, staff, 

and mobile health van provided healthcare services to residents of these 

communities.

n	 Develop a model for rebuilding and sustaining high-quality, continuous primary 

healthcare services as disaster first-relief responders.

n	 Empower low-income coastal and rural underserved communities to achieve 

and sustain healthy lifestyles, a precursor for active engagement in recovery, 

rebuilding, and renewal of communities. 

n	 Utilize contact opportunities with individuals and families during primary 

healthcare delivery to conduct an assessment of perceived housing needs and 

health status for the purpose of establishing a user-friendly database, which will 

guide short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term interventions.

n	 Utilize housing assessment data to determine resources for meeting housing 

rehabilitation needs, a fundamental element for rebuilding communities after 

Hurricane Katrina.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: St. Paul United Methodist Church, 

Coastal Family Health Center, Mississippi Association of RC&D Councils, Southwest Mississippi RC&D Council, and Mississippi Coastal Plains RC&D Council.

College departments involved: School of Nursing.

Top: ASU faculty, staff, and students in 

front of the school’s mobile health van. 

Bottom: ASU’s mobile health van visits 

the Turkey Creek community.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 87 

Elizabeth City State University

1704 Weeksville Road

Elizabeth City, NC 27909

www.ecsu.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-HBCU––$350,000

Contact information:

Morris Autry, Director

Community Development Program

Phone: 252–335–3702

Fax: 252–335–3735

E-mail: maautry@mail.ecsu.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Elizabeth City State University provided 

housing assistance services and technical assistance to organizations in the Ninth 

Ward and other areas of New Orleans impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The housing assistance project implemented a comprehensive housing counseling, technical 

assistance, and referral program to assist residents in making informed decisions 

regarding their housing options. It provided home repair assistance for substandard homes owned and occupied by low- to moderate-income households and 

provided downpayments and closing cost financing to assist renters in becoming 

first-time homeowners. The services to organizations included assistance to the 

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana to restore programs and services and 

install technology equipment for academic learning as well as technical assistance 

to other community-based development organizations and institutions of higher 

education.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Affordable housing options 

for victims in the disaster area were increased as a result of the college’s activities. 

Restoration of programs, services, and facilities in the affected area enabled local 

organizations to provide necessary services to residents as they began to rebuild 

their lives. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast 

Louisiana and Neighborhood One.

College departments involved: Community Development Program.

Top: Linda Barret, staff; Addison and 

Yolanda Penn, homeowners; and Morris 

Autry, program director, in front of the 

Penn’s Ninth Ward Home. 

Bottom: ECSU students Dequan Spencer 

and Anthony Hailey in front of a damaged 

home in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward.
88 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Grambling State University

P.O. Box 1022

Grambling, LA 71245

www.gram.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-HBCU—$350,000

Contact information:

Dr. Benedict N. Nwokolo 

Project Director

Phone: 318–274–2716

Fax: 318–274–3503

E-mail: Nwokolo@gram.edu

Top: Grambling implemented outreach 

programs to meet the needs of hurricane 

evacuees. 

Bottom: Grambling’s Development Center 

building.

Projects planned/accomplished: Grambling State University (GSU) assisted 

evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita who have relocated to northwest areas 

of Louisiana. The university partnered with the city of Grambling, which acquired 

and renovated a public building for use as a community center. GSU then implemented outreach programs at the new community development center to meet 

the critical social services, technical assistance, and job training needs of the 

evacuees. The activities hosted in the center include a computer lab for a computer 

literacy program, health/nutrition fair, reading tutorial and General Educational 

Development (GED) and adult literacy program, counseling for marital and family 

conflict and substance abuse, job training, and other social programs.

Community impact planned/accomplished: This project improved the lives 

of those who relocated to northwest Louisiana as a result of hurricanes Katrina and 

Rita. The job training, computer literacy, reading, and GED programs increased 

the employability of the evacuees. The counseling programs provided much 

needed support to this hard-hit population.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: City of Grambling.

College departments involved: Department of Engineering Technology, 

College of Business, College of Social Work, and School of Nursing.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 89 

Top: A New Orleans house with its 

original windows. 

Bottom: The house after new windows 

were installed.

Howard University

2400 Sixth Street, NW

Washington, DC 20059

www.howard.edu

Grant received:

2005 URAP-HBCU—$350,000 

Contact information:

Rodney D. Green

Principal Investigator

Howard University Center for 

 Urban Progress 

Phone: 202–865-8572

Fax: 202–232–6751

E-mail: rgreen@howard.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Howard University and the Coalition for 

Environmentally Safe Communities, both in the Washington, D.C. area, partnered 

with Dillard University and its community-based partners in New Orleans to address the housings needs of low- and moderate-income households in the Tremé, 

Mid-City, and Gentilly areas of New Orleans. The partnership developed and 

implemented two training programs in Environmentally Safe Renovation and Rehabilitation Work Practices for housing: one program for residents and one for businesses. It also subsidized environmentally safe renovation and remodeling in 25 

units in areas of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. Finally, it provided 

geographic information systems, analysis and planning support to help Dillard 

University participate in the rebuilding process of New Orleans, including the 

three New Orleans target neighborhoods.

Community impact planned/accomplished: Among the outcomes of 

this grant:

n	 Community residents and businesses have learned environmentally safe work 

practices, which are sustainable because individuals in the community are now 

trained to teach these environmentally safe work practices to others.

n	 Homes have been rehabilitated safely. 

n	 Plans drawn up by planning committees at various governmental levels include 

data-driven reports to ensure that low- and moderate-income households benefit 

from the redevelopment.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Coalition for Environmentally Safe 

Communities and Dillard University.

College departments involved: Howard University Center for Urban 

Progress, Department of Economics.
90 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Southern University and 

A&M College

P.O. Box 9503, S.U. Branch

Baton Rouge, LA 70813

http://web.subr.edu

Grant received:

2005 URAP-HBCU––$350,000

Contact information:

Alma Thornton 

Phone: 225–771–4249

Fax: 225–771–4716

E-mail: alma_thornton@subr.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Southern University-Baton Rouge–

University Rebuilding America Partnership (SU-URAP) assisted low- to moderateincome (LMI) residents in the target disaster-designated parishes to become selfsufficient and improve their quality of life. The activities included providing life skill 

and certification training to 65 LMI residents, providing entrepreneurship training 

to 86 LMI residents, and establishing two neighborhood technology centers in 

designated LMI census tracts in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The SU-URAP program focused 

on an area including the Hurricane Katrina disaster-designated communities 

located in an 80-mile corridor from East Baton Rouge Parish to St. Bernard Parish. 

Eighty-two percent of the Baton Rouge workforce development training graduates 

were or had been gainfully employed one year after course completion. Graduates 

of New Orleans basic and environmental remediation skills training entered programs with pay and gained access to college, general educational development, 

or onsite training courses. Five environmental remediation training participants 

were able to move to their own homes following training. The neighborhood technology centers connected Hurricane Katrina victims with programs providing housing, medical, and other assistance. The Baton Rouge neighborhood technology 

center served as the only location for city-wide Medicare Part D training and registration for the elderly. The New Orleans neighborhood technology center received 

a donation of 10 additional computers and a digital projector due to its outstanding community efforts.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: The Corporation for National and 

Community Service, Greater King David Baptist Church (Baton Rouge), Vision 

Media Training Institute (New Orleans), Israelites Baptist Church (New Orleans), 

Louisiana Department of Economic Development, BMC3 Environmental Remediation Trainers, LVI Services, The Hope Center, Urban Restoration Enhancement 

Corporation, Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce, and New Homes Family 

Worship Center International.

College departments involved: Center for Social Research.

Spring entrepreneur training class graduates 

display their certificates.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 91 

Southern University at 

New Orleans

SU Box 9380

Baton Rouge, LA 70813

www.suno.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-HBCU––$350,000 

Contact information:

George Amedee

Social Sciences Department

Phone: 504–813–4497

Fax: 225–771–3219 

E-Mail: gamedee@suno.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: The Southern University at New Orleans 

(SUNO) received this grant to carry out three specific tasks in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Task 1 was to help in the expansion of e-learning classes 

for SUNO students and other students displaced by the hurricanes by conducting 

10 workshops and 10 courses over the period of a school year. Task 2 was to 

create a university/faith-based partnership that would function as a coalition for 

community rebuilding. This included creating a computer literacy training lab, 

creating an information referral/assistance center, and sponsoring community 

rebuilding projects that would involve university and faith-based groups. Task 3 

was to conduct citizen participation vision workshops for the Lower Ninth Ward 

and New Orleans East communities.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The creation of the new 

e-learning courses built the university’s capacity to deliver education during periods 

of disaster and had the immediate effect of helping current students to complete 

their coursework. The computer literacy lab and assistance center provided community services to returning residents. The vision exercise benefited the community 

by including many more stakeholders in the process of articulating the future 

rebuilding of this hard-hit area.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Christian Bible Fellowship, 

Southern University at Baton Rouge, and Jackson State University.

College departments involved: Southern University at New Orleans Social 

Sciences Department.
92 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Southern University at Shreveport

3050 Martin Luther King, Jr. 

 Drive 

Shreveport, LA 71107

http://web.susla.edu/Pages/

 SUSLAhome.aspx

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-HBCU––$350,000 

Contact information:

Janice Sneed, Vice Chancellor

Southern University at Shreveport

Division of Community Outreach 

 and Workforce Development

Phone: 318–674–3470

Fax: 318–674–3413

E-mail: jsneed@susla.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Southern University at Shreveport used its 

HBCU-URAP grant to provide financial support to displaced small businesses from 

the Gulf Coast region, establish a Center for Transitional and Relief Services at 

the downtown campus of Southern University at Shreveport, provide construction 

training and homeownership counseling for displaced Gulf Coast residents, and 

provide outreach and service programs for the region’s displaced youth. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: The university business provided financial assistance and services to 24 displaced small businesses, with two 

businesses utilizing its business incubator for office space. More than 300 families 

and individuals received assistance through the Center for Transitional and Relief 

Services. Resource fairs, handouts, and referrals aided in the process. Sixty 

displaced residents enrolled and 32 completed housing and financial literary counseling. To date, two residents have purchased homes while others are working to 

improve their credit through the college’s one-on-one counseling. Eight out of nine 

participants completed the Construction Training program. Twenty students enrolled 

in the Youth Network Initiative Program. Southern University’s partnership with The 

Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Louisiana far exceeded expectations by enrolling over 200 students in the New Orleans area. Twenty-five students attended the 

“Where Are You Headed” URAP Youth Retreat.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: Boys and Girls Club of Southeast, 

Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana United Way of Northwest 

Louisiana, city of Shreveport, Louisiana Association of Non-Profit Organizations, 

Shreveport Housing Authority, The Coordinating & Development Corporation, 

Volunteers of America, Queensborough Neighborhood Association, Red River 

Bank, Bancorp South, Primerica, American Dream Home Inspection Services, 

Wells Fargo, Capital One, Realty 2000, Realty Executives, Summit Executive 

Realty, Caddo Parish School Board, Community Support Services, David Raines 

Health and Community Center, SPAR, Centerpoint, St. Vincent D’Paul, Goodwill 

Employment Assistance Program, Louisiana Spirit Counseling, Diabetes Association 

of Shreveport, Saint Community Center, The Road Home Program, Black Nurses of 

Association, Red Cross, Volunteers of America, and Community Support Services.

College departments involved: Division of Community and Workforce 

Development, Division of Student Affairs, and the university’s Information 

Technology Center.
Chapter 5: Universities Rebuilding America Program / 93 

Tennessee State University 

3500 John Merritt Boulevard

Nashville, TN 37209

www.tnstate.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-HBCU––$350,000

Contact information:

Deena Sue Fuller 

Phone: 615–963–5383 

Fax: 615–963–5140

E-mail: dfuller@tnstate.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Tennessee State University (TSU) used its 

URAP-HBCU grant in partnership with local organizations to plan and lead the 

Supercharge Summer Day Camp in New Orleans during the summer of 2006. 

This camp provided a safe and educationally stimulating environment where 

young hurricane victims were engaged in high-quality academic learning activities, 

emotional counseling, mentoring, and fun recreation. The camp allowed parents 

to transition back into a work routine with the knowledge that their children were 

safe. The camp provided academic instruction consistent with Louisiana Academic 

Content and Learning Standards; a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snack each 

day; and fun-filled afternoons. Campers went on field trips to the zoo, IMAX, and 

the aquarium.

Community impact planned/accomplished: The 4-week Supercharge 

Summer Day Camp served 250 elementary-age students. These students had 

missed almost a whole year of school and were far behind in their academics. 

Yet, by the end of camp, they had made gains of more than 60 percent in their 

math and language arts scores based on pre- and post-tests. According to parent 

surveys, the program accomplished its goals of improving the academic abilities, 

self-esteem, coping skills, and overall emotional health of campers. 

Partnerships planned/accomplished: A–Z In-Home Tutoring, New Heights 

Family Health Center/Baton Rouge AIDS Society, Parent Information Resource 

Center, New Orleans Public School District, and the Algiers Charter Schools 

Association. 

College departments involved: TSU Center for Service Learning and 

Civic Engagement and the College of Education

Top: TSU Camp Supercharge counselors. 

Bottom: A counselor and a camper design 

a mask during arts and crafts.
94 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Xavier University of Louisiana

1 Drexel Drive, Box 29

New Orleans, LA 70125

www.xula.edu

Grant received: 

2005 URAP-HBCU––$350,000

Contact information:

Nedra Alcorn

Center for Leadership and Service

Phone: 504–520–7365, 7357

Fax: 504–520–7929

E-mail: nalcorn@xula.edu

Projects planned/accomplished: Xavier University of Louisiana used its 

URAP-HBCU grant to assist low- and moderate-income residents in rebuilding in 

the Hollygrove, Gert Town, and Tremé communities in post-Katrina New Orleans. 

The project established two Neighborhood Technology and Health Information 

Centers (NTHICs). The college recruited, trained, and managed a cadre of volunteers, including service-learning and community service students, faculty, residents, 

and health professionals, to aid children, youth, and family revitalization and 

development. 

Community impact planned/accomplished: This grant provided increased 

access to Internet and information technology, which was so critical to the recovery 

process and community revitalization after Hurricane Katrina. The project trained 

and referred over 500 student volunteers to assist in children/youth and family 

educational enrichment and developmental programs. The university and its partners also disseminated health information to residents about new risks and health 

threats as a result of the post-storm debris and environment. An annual health and 

technology fair and onsite health/environmental and wellness counseling, computer training and city business information and resource referral network were 

also provided. Xavier also assisted with community revitalization by providing 

assistance to low- and moderate income, elderly, and uninsured homeowners on 

gutting, clearance, and demolition. It also provided a large pool of volunteers to 

assist with house gutting and debris removal and to assist with children, youth, and 

family services. The university and its partners also disseminated health information to residents about new risks and health threats as a result of the post-storm debris and environment, and provided professional mold testing and treatment. The 

NTHICs assisted residents returning in 2006–07 to access information technology 

and Internet-based neighborhood, school, and employment resources. It managed 

a team of over 1,000 volunteers to assist with gutting, clearance, and demolition 

of 13 houses, and provided technical assistance on mold issues to 59 homeowners 

through testing, use of High Efficiency Particulate Arresting filters, or minimal treatment and licensed remediation.

Partnerships planned/accomplished: McDonogh # 35 High School/Little 

Zion Baptist Church provided community NTHIC sites, information dissemination, 

training sites, and center staffing. Gert Town Revival Initiative offered community 

coordination, identified residents, and helped them access resources. The City 

Health Department cosponsored health information forums and workshops. EarthWalk provided computing equipment, resources, and training. Information Technology Center offered technical assistance for the project’s national volunteer website 

and clearinghouse. 

College departments involved: Center for Leadership and Service; Division 

of Education; College of Pharmacy; Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental 

Affairs; the Office of Facility Planning; and Division of Student Services.

Top: Debris removed from storm-affected 

homes in New Orleans. 

Bottom: Xavier students assist with debris 

removal from a damaged home.
Chapter 1: Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 95 

Doctoral Dissertation 

Research GrantS

T

he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 

is empowering a new generation of scholars through its Doctoral 

Dissertation Research Grant (DDDRG) program. HUD’s Office of 

University Partnerships (OUP) administers this program, which enables 

doctoral students, sponsored by accredited institutions of higher education 

(IHEs), to cultivate their research skills through the completion of dissertations on policy-relevant housing and urban development issues.

HUD competitively awards one-time grants to doctoral students currently 

enrolled in accredited programs to fund research studies that may have 

an impact on federal problem solving and policymaking and that are 

relevant to HUD’s policy priorities and annual goals and objectives.

The DDRG program is open to doctoral students who are sponsored by 

IHEs that are accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency 

recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. A doctoral student is 

eligible to apply for a 1-year grant if he or she:

n	 Is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident enrolled full-time in an 

accredited doctoral program.

n	 Has a dissertation proposal/prospectus accepted by the full dissertation 

committee by the application deadlines.

n	 Has an assigned faculty advisor.

n	 Has satisfactorily completed all other written and oral doctoral degree 

requirements (including examinations) except the dissertation by 

September of the year in which the application is due.

CHAPTER 6
96 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Research topics applicable to DDRG include:

n	 Increasing homeownership opportunities.

n	 Promoting decent affordable housing.

n	 Ensuring equal opportunity in housing. 

n	 Embracing high standards of ethics, management, and 

accountability.

n	 Promoting participation of faith-based and community 

organizations.

HUD welcomes applications from students in any academic discipline who can provide policy-relevant insight on 

research issues encompassing HUD’s mission and program 

commitments. Past awardees have represented a wide 

range of disciplines, including:

n	 Architecture.

n	 Planning.

n	 Anthropology.

n	 Sociology.

n	 Social work.

n	 History.

n	 Economics.

n	 Political science.

n	 Public policy.

For more information about OUP’s DDRG program, 

visit www.oup.org or contact:

Susan Brunson

Program Analyst

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–3852

E-mail: susan.s.brunson@hud.gov
Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 97 

Debbie Becher

Dissertation School: Princeton University

Dissertation Title: Valuing Property: Eminent Domain for Urban Redevelopment, 

Philadelphia 1992–2007

Grant Amount: $22,220

Abstract: In the last 15 years, Philadelphia has used eminent domain on approximately one of every hundred privately owned properties to stem decay caused by 

decades of population decline, job loss, and building deterioration. The author is 

completing a multimethod study of proposed and completed “takings” of private 

property for private redevelopment by the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia 

from 1992 to 2007. The study is designed to answer three empirical questions: 

1. When does government exercise eminent domain power for private 

redevelopment?

2. What are the discrete outcomes of attempts to invoke eminent domain 

(acquiescence, agreement, contestation, or government abandonment of project)?

3. What is the compensation decision process (including relocation), and how 

does it contribute to outcomes above? 

Data come from archival sources and observations of government agencies and 

original interviews of approximately 150 bureaucrats, politicians, attorneys, 

appraisers, business owners, activists, and residents. The dissertation provides 

both an overview of Philadelphia practice and case studies of a small sample of 

development projects. The study reveals that in clear-cut cases, government and its 

constituents draw a bright line between public good and private property. In projects with ambiguous legitimacy, stakeholders move beyond this dichotomy to define obligations and limits of government power. Cooperative negotiations center 

on coping with uncertainty and limited knowledge. Conflicts over property rights 

engage questions about the relative importance of property’s many kinds of value 

and about how to convert these forms of worth to other objects. These findings 

build discussions in economic and political sociology, and law and society on how 

government supports community development through its relationship to property. 

It will contribute to theoretical literatures on policy implementation, on legal construction and protection of property, on competing interests in the urban political 

economy, and on contesting conceptions of value enacted in negotiations over 

property policy.
98 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Matthew Desmond

Dissertation School: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Dissertation Title: Eviction and the Reproduction of Inner-City Poverty 

Grant Amount: $25,000 

Abstract: At the height of the national housing crisis, there exists no book-length, 

social-scientific treatment of eviction. Even before the crisis, thousands of Americans 

were forcibly removed from their homes each year—a traumatic experience linked 

to homelessness, job loss, and suicide. With the sharp deterioration of the housing 

market, the dearth of sociological research on evictions no longer marks a mere 

scholarly lacuna but increasingly hampers the informed design of suitable policy 

interventions. This study aims to fill that gap. Employing survey-based and ethnographic methods to study tenants and landlords living and working in inner-city 

Milwaukee, it explores some of the causes, dynamics, and consequences of eviction, thereby providing a unique glimpse into the structures and practices of poor 

neighborhoods and the intricate workings of the low-cost housing market. A thorough analysis of eviction—its antecedents, consequences, and social ramifications

—will not only advance the sociological understanding of inequality, but also 

will provide policy-relevant insights into the central role of housing with respect to 

urban poverty.
Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 99 

Diana Karafin

Dissertation School: Ohio State University

Dissertation Title: Neighborhood Integration, Housing Inequality, and Safety

Grant Amount: $24,968

Abstract: This dissertation critically assesses the current framing and understanding of U.S. racial and ethnic neighborhood integration in an increasingly 

heterogeneous society. Using information from the Neighborhood Change Database and unique data on crime and mortgage lending from the National Neighborhood Crime Study, existing research is extended by illuminating complexities in 

the patterns and consequences of metropolitan neighborhood integration between 

1980 and 2000. The author challenges the often implied, yet rarely empirically 

validated, assumption that neighborhood integration is a simple remedy for the 

deleterious consequences associated with residential segregation within the context 

of a racialized society. 

This study provides a descriptive portrait of the frequency and stability of integration over 2 decades based on a typology which more fully incorporates differential 

combinations of Latinos, Blacks, Whites, and others in neighborhoods than heretofore employed. It shows vast differentiation in the frequency, stability, and paths 

of change among various types of integrated contexts. The proportion of integrated contexts grew from 17.3 percent to 29.2 percent between 1980 and 2000, 

almost exclusively due to a drop in White contexts. Stability across the integrated 

contexts ranges from 0 to 72 percent. Latino-White, Black-White, and Latino-Black 

contexts were the most common form of integration, with Latino-Black contexts 

remarkably stable (72 percent), and Latino-White and Black-White contexts much 

less stable (47 percent and 52 percent, respectively). 

The author evaluates the factors associated with stable integration versus various 

patterns of neighborhood change using hierarchical multinomial models. The 

results demonstrate that net of various metropolitan and neighborhood population 

and housing characteristics, the most advantaged integrated contexts were the 

least stable and the most likely to transition to all White contexts. In contrast, the 

most disadvantaged integrated contexts were the most stable, with those that do 

change being more likely to transition to predominantly Black or Latino contexts. 

The final portion of the research assesses differentiation in levels of advantage/

disadvantage, employment, crime, and housing inequality across the diverse types 

of integration in a national sample.
100 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Julia Koschinsky

Dissertation School: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Dissertation Title: Modeling Spatial Spillovers From Owner to Rental Housing: 

The Case of Seattle

Grant Amount: $24,957

Abstract: The traditional research question under which conditions subsidized 

housing generates spillover effects for values of neighboring single-family homes 

is extended in two ways: (1) By incorporating unsubsidized rental housing in the 

context of single- and multifamily zoning, and (2) by exploring how far spatial 

dimensions of the data, research design, and methodology affect the reliability 

and precision of impact results from state-of-the-art adjusted interrupted-time series/

difference-indifference models. Although these models are widely applied, little 

systemic research exists that identifies and assesses potentially remaining sources 

of bias. 

A comprehensive dataset was compiled for the city of Seattle, Washington (1987–

97), including 52,142 sales records, 302 subsidized project-based and 1,156 

tenant-based sites, 369 unsubsidized multifamily apartments, and aerial images. 

The main substantive finding is that, if rental spillover effects exist, they are 

generally associated with neighborhood upgrading of lower value microareas. 

However, this result is very context-sensitive: It only holds for areas in single-family 

zones, near wealthier neighborhoods, with either higher or lower racial diversity, 

and without prior subsidy exposure. In contrast, none of the subsidized or unsubsidized rental sites impact prices in multifamily zones. Larger concentrations of 

vouchers are the only rentals with net negative spillovers in both low-income and 

high-income areas. Plausible explanations are Seattle’s comprehensive dispersion 

policies and gentrification, which resulted in a possible net loss of low-income 

rental housing. 
Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 101 

David Madden

Dissertation School: Columbia University

Dissertation Title: Urbanism in Pieces: Publics and Power in Urban Development

Grant Amount: $25,000

Abstract: This dissertation examines the changing nature of urban development 

since World War II and the role that the public (as both an idea and a participant) 

plays in the urban development process. It is based on the premise that in order 

to understand urban development, the public needs to be seen as an empirical 

question. The public is not a pre-constituted group, nor is the public interest a preestablished goal. Rather, the ways in which planners conceive of the public and 

the ways in which urbanites act in its name are crucial variables for understanding 

the outcome of the developmental process. This study therefore will provide data to 

answer questions such as the following: Historically, what has been imagined as 

the public in an abstract sense, and how has that image changed? What types of 

urban knowledge contributed to the social construction of the public? How were 

these images of the public used to shape the built environment? What groups have 

acted in the name of the public, and what conflicts have arisen as diverse groups 

promulgated different versions of the public good? How have our understandings 

of the public and the public good changed between today and the period of 

mid-20th century century urban renewal?

To answer these questions, the dissertation is an extended case study of the neighborhood historically known as Fulton Ferry or the Navy Yard District, located along 

the downtown waterfront in Brooklyn, New York. In the high modernist period of 

the late 1940s and early 1950s, the city built a 10-building public housing project, the Farragut Houses. This was part of a massive slum clearance program that 

produced an archipelago of public housing that was at one time considered the 

largest public housing project in the world. Across the street from Farragut, in the 

1980s and continuing today, sections of the neighborhood were renamed Dumbo 

(an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and are paradigms 

of post-modernist residential conversion and gentrification. The Farragut Houses 

and Dumbo sit in juxtaposition as the products of two different modes of development and two different types of housing that reference two radically different conceptions of the public good.

This project researches the history of planning and participation in these sections 

of downtown Brooklyn. It explores the planning doctrines, the social-scientific expertise, and the goals of community groups that shaped the government-built housing of the industrial period. It traces the economic, social, and technical changes 

that transformed the area into a post-industrial cityscape marked by stark social 

and spatial contrasts. And it examines conflicts that arose between tenants, developers, planners, and others. In doing so, it sheds light on the politics of place in 

the contemporary city and argues for the production of critical urban knowledge 

that can democratize the process of urban development.
102 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Charles Nier

Dissertation School: Temple University

Dissertation Title: Tell Them, General, We Are Rising: Credit Discrimination and 

African-American Homeownership During the Great Migration, 1910–60

Grant Amount: $25,000

Abstract: In 2002, the median African-American household had a net worth of 

$5,998 whereas the median White family had $88,651 in net worth, 15 times 

that of African Americans. Furthermore, scholars have demonstrated that the most 

important means of accumulating assets is homeownership. In 2003, the AfricanAmerican homeownership rate was 26.7 percentage points below the White rate. 

One of the explanations for the enormous racial wealth disparity is the gap in the 

homeownership rates between White and African-American households.

This dissertation will answer two key questions. First, it will determine whether and 

how African-American homeownership was impacted by discriminatory access to 

credit during the time period from post-Emancipation through post-World War II. 

Second, it will examine the agency demonstrated by African Americans in overcoming such barriers and creating homeownership opportunities by developing 

indigenous minority financial institutions.

This dissertation explores the topic of homeownership in the African-American 

community through a Philadelphia case study representative of a major urban 

center in the North during the Great Migration and:

n	 Provides background by exploring the central role of land ownership and 

the historical origins of racial predatory lending in the South following 

Emancipation. 

n	 Examines the internal dynamics of the African-American community by 

presenting a social and economic portrait of the migrants arriving in 

Philadelphia from the South.

n	 Examines structural discrimination in the credit system and other predatory 

lending financing that impeded African-American homeownership in the North.

n	 Explores the historical development and successes of indigenous financial 

institutions in Philadelphia as a vehicle for creating homeownership opportunities 

for African Americans.
Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 103 

Evelyn Perry

Dissertation School: Indiana University

Dissertation Title: Race in Place: Evaluating the Promise of Residential 

Integration

Grant Amount: $24,842

Abstract: Researchers have convincingly demonstrated that in the United States 

persistent segregation constrains the social mobility of large segments of minority populations, exacerbates tensions in interracial relations, and maintains a 

profoundly uneven geography of opportunity. Many academics and policymakers, 

therefore, advocate increased neighborhood racial integration as a policy goal. 

Social integration is, in turn, a prerequisite for many of the assumed benefits of 

residential integration, such as resource sharing, improved racial relations, and 

collaborative community development. 

Through a multimethod study of a stably integrated neighborhood in Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin, this dissertation aims to fill gaps in existing research by examining 

how living in a diverse community shapes the racial makeup of residents’ local 

social networks qualitatively and quantitatively. It addresses the following research 

questions: 

n	 How do the social networks of residents vary in their heterogeneity and the 

perceived utility, meaning, and importance of cross- and same-race ties?

n	 How do local commercial, civic, service, religious organizations facilitate 

cross-race social integration and reinforce social segregation?
104 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Charlene Reiss

Dissertation School: North Carolina State University

Dissertation Title: Measuring Client Participation in Organizational 

Decisionmaking: A Survey of Agencies Providing Emergency and Temporary Shelter

Grant Amount: $25,000

Abstract: This dissertation examines the relationship between organizational 

structure and client involvement in decisionmaking within agencies providing emergency and temporary shelter for the homeless. For this research, 600 government 

and nongovernmental agencies providing shelter in three U.S. states will be surveyed about their organizational structures and practices. The data collected will 

be used to examine the effects of isomorphism on bureaucratic and collectivist 

structures and policies concerning client participation. Regression analysis will be 

used to determine the relationship between organizational attributes and increased 

client involvement. 

Increasing client involvement can improve services by closely aligning them with 

client needs and priorities. For example, drawing on past experiences, clients can 

suggest new approaches to working with the homeless and identify barriers to 

using services. Client participation also increases the accountability of agencies by 

creating transparent processes for decisionmaking. As the users of services, clients 

are well-situated to determine the quality of programs and can provide a valuable 

service to society by holding agencies accountable for the use of public resources. 

Involving clients in organizational decisionmaking can help build self-confidence, 

teach valuable skills, and allow individuals to advocate on their own behalf. This 

can enable homeless individuals and families to become active participants in 

developing services to meet their own needs rather than remaining passive recipients of public benefits. 
Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 105 

Yong Jun Shin

Dissertation School: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dissertation Title: Interaction Between Urban Politics and Communication 

Ecology: With the Case of a Local Low-Income Housing Policy

Grant Amount: $25,000

Abstract: This dissertation provides a comprehensive investigation on the influences of mass media and Internet-driven network media on low-income housing 

policy, programming, and civic participation in Madison, Wisconsin. The central 

argument of this research is that the outcome of local housing policy depends on 

this complex community/media interaction and has three dimensions: 

For the first dimension, in order to identify the present field of local low-income 

housing, this research will historicize the local low-income housing field through 

document analysis and qualitative media content analysis. While the overall history of the local low-income housing issues is briefly discussed, multiple stakeholders will be identified, including local government officials, housing developers, 

nonprofit organizations, and low-income housing advocates through the document 

analysis and indepth interviews with the stakeholders. Main local news media reports on low-income housing issues over the past 5 years from 2002 to 2007 will 

be gathered and coded in matrices, through which major themes will be identified 

and organized into a comprehensive timeline of policy debates and key decisions.

For the second dimension, two main local newspapers will be investigated as 

in the first dimension, and the mainstream media’s framing of a significant lowincome housing issue such as inclusionary zoning policy, will be examined and 

compared across the media. The news articles will be analyzed for major themes, 

and the frames will be correlated and mapped with the matrix of key stakeholders 

through two-mode network analysis. In this dimension, since media will be understood as a main cultural institution that affects the audiences’ perception of social 

issues in certain frames, the two semantic networks from mainstream media will be 

compared and discussed. In addition, the frames and the key stakeholders’ positions will be mapped and compared across the media for assessing the interaction 

between urban politics and communication ecology centered on low-income housing issues.

The third dimension basically aims to look into local citizens’ policy debate 

through network media. It will gather all discussions of local housing policy from 

local independent websites and blogs and citizen journalism projects. All reports 

will be coded to identify major themes and organized into a comprehensive timeline of policy debates and key decisions. Then, the interaction between low-income 

housing policies and the discussions will be investigated and compared across the 

media by using social network and semantic network analyses. Finally, this study 

will compare the coverage in the mainstream and alternative media and demonstrate differences in framing of low-income housing issues and their impacts on 

housing policy outcomes. 
106 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Jenna (Rosie) Tighe

Dissertation School: University of Texas at Austin

Dissertation Title: Opposition to Affordable Housing: How Perceptions of Race 

and Poverty Influence Views

Grant Amount: $25,000

Abstract: The development of affordable housing often involves a contentious 

siting process. Advocates, developers, and researchers have long suspected that 

some of these concerns stem from racial or class prejudice, yet these assumptions 

have not been measured empirically. This research will examine the roles that perceptions of race and class play in shaping opinions that underlie public opposition 

to affordable housing. The results will provide advocates, policymakers, developers, and researchers with a more accurate portrayal of affordable housing opposition, thereby facilitating the shaping of a more appropriate response. 

Concerns such as loss of property value, increased crime, unsightly design, and 

poor management are those most often voiced by neighbors when affordable 

housing is proposed. However, research evidence demonstrates that well-managed 

housing that fits the scale of the neighborhood seldom produces the negative impacts mentioned above. Despite this evidence, neighborhood opposition continues 

to be a major barrier to the successful development of affordable housing. This research will field a survey that measures a number of suggested underlying determinants of opposition to affordable housing, focusing on those that have been most 

widely discussed in the literature: ideology, attitudes toward minorities, and attitudes toward the poor. 

This research will increase significantly an understanding of how attitudes toward 

affordable housing are shaped, leading to a more focused policy approach to 

equal opportunity for minorities and the poor and a more appropriate response to 

neighborhood opposition when it arises. 
Chapter 6: Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants / 107 

Andrée Tremoulet

Dissertation School: Portland State University

Dissertation Title: Manufactured Home Park Closures

Grant Amount: $25,000

Abstract: Manufactured housing (MH) represents a large but underexamined segment of affordable housing. Nationally, 7.6 percent of all housing units are mobile 

homes; in Oregon, the percentage is 10.3 percent, according to the 2000 Census. 

That Census and the Oregon Housing and Community Services suggest that MH in 

parks constitutes at least 10 percent of the affordable housing available statewide 

and potentially is the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing. This case 

study will describe, analyze, and assess policy responses to manufactured home 

park closures in Oregon and will address two central questions: 

n	 What state policy solutions were adopted in 2007 to address the closure of 

manufactured home parks and why?

n	 How will these policies be likely to impact residents of parks that are closing, 

affordable housing availability in impacted communities, and the continued 

viability of this form of housing in the state?

Nested within the larger case study is a comparative analysis of three jurisdictions 

experiencing park closures. Data sources include key informant interviews; focus 

groups with residents; review of newspaper, public records, and other documents; 

observations of public and private meetings to which the researcher has been 

granted access; public databases such as the annual Oregon Population Survey 

conducted by the state; and site visits to MH parks.
108 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Anita Zuberi

Dissertation School: Northwestern University

Dissertation Title: Neighborhood Safety and Moving to Opportunity: Understanding Gender and Life Course Differences Using a Mixed-Methods Approach

Grant Amount: $23,796

Abstract: Housing policy for low-income families in the United States has dramatically shifted in the past 2 decades. Lower density mixed-income communities 

are replacing high-rise public housing developments, and thousands of families 

are relocating to the private market with rental vouchers. Underlying these policy 

changes is the notion that living in concentrated poverty neighborhoods has negative effects on families. This dissertation consists of three studies that examine gender and life course differences in perceptions of neighborhood safety as related to 

neighborhood poverty.

The first study uses data from the interim evaluation of the experimental Moving to 

Opportunity (MTO) program, which offered public housing residents a chance to 

move to low-poverty neighborhoods. This study estimates program impacts on exposure to neighborhood danger for children by gender and age and, in contrast 

to past research, compares neighborhood danger reports for brothers and sisters 

living in the same family.

The second study compares MTO program impacts for mothers and children on 

exposure to danger and explores how this translates into perceptions of safety. 

The study first uses survey data to estimate program impacts on danger exposure 

for children compared to their mothers. Second, the study uses in-depth qualitative 

interviews conducted with a subsample of MTO youth and their mothers to explore 

how exposure to varying levels of danger compares with perceptions of safety.

The third study focuses on how parents’ perceptions of neighborhood safety shape 

children’s exposure to neighborhood. Using the nationally representative sample 

from the child development supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 

this study examines associations between parents’ perceptions of neighborhood 

safety, parental monitoring behavior, and children’s activity participation.
Chapter 7: Early Doctoral Student Research Grants / 109 

Early Doctoral Student 

Research GrantS

T

he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is 

empowering a new generation of scholars through its Early Doctoral 

Student Research Grant (EDSRG) program. HUD’s Office of University Partnerships (OUP) administers this program, which enable doctoral 

students, sponsored by accredited institutions of higher education (IHEs), 

to cultivate their research skills through the preparation of research manuscripts on policy-relevant housing and urban development issues.

HUD competitively awards one-time grants to doctoral students currently 

enrolled in accredited programs to fund research studies that may have 

an impact on federal problem solving and policymaking and that are relevant to HUD’s policy priorities and annual goals and objectives.

The EDSRG program is open to pre-candidacy doctoral students who are 

sponsored by IHEs that are accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. A precandidacy doctoral student is eligible to apply for a 1-year grant if he 

or she:

n	 Is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident enrolled full-time in an 

accredited doctoral program.

n	 Has a major concentration within a field related to housing and urban 

development.

n	 Has not taken the preliminary/comprehensive examinations.

n	 Has completed at least 2 semesters or 3 terms of a doctoral studies 

program.

n	 Has an assigned faculty advisor.

CHAPTER 7
110 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Research topics applicable to EDSRG include:

n	 Increasing homeownership opportunities.

n	 Promoting decent affordable housing.

n	 Ensuring equal opportunity in housing. 

n	 Embracing high standards of ethics, management, and 

accountability.

n	 Promoting participation of faith-based and community 

organizations.

HUD welcomes applications from students in any academic discipline who can provide policy-relevant insight on 

research issues encompassing HUD’s mission and program 

commitments. Past awardees have represented a wide 

range of disciplines, including:

n	 Architecture.

n	 Planning.

n	 Anthropology.

n	 Sociology.

n	 Social work.

n	 History.

n	 Economics.

n	 Political science.

n	 Public policy.

For more information about OUP’s EDSRG program, visit 

www.oup.org or contact:

Susan Brunson

Program Analyst

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of University Partnerships

Phone: 202–402–3852

E-mail: susan.s.brunson@hud.gov
Chapter 7: Early Doctoral Student Research Grants / 111 

Courtney Cronley

Dissertation School: University of Tennessee

Dissertation Title: Assessing the Relationship Between Organizational Culture 

and Technology Utilization Among Homeless Service Providers

Grant Amount: $15,000

Abstract: In its 2005 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, HUD reported that 

754,000 persons are staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or on the 

street on any given night in the United States. HUD has recently introduced homeless management information systems (HMIS) as a new tool for collecting more 

consistent and thorough data on the nature of homelessness and improving coordinated service provision to the homeless.

This research conducts a pilot study examining how the culture of agencies relates 

to HMIS utilization among homeless service providers. Specifically, it hypothesizes 

the following: 

n	 Organizational culture is related to the consistency and comprehensiveness with 

which homeless service providers use the HMIS. 

n	 Homeless service providers with more proficient and less resistant cultures are 

more likely to utilize HMIS consistently and comprehensively. 

This study will assess organizational culture and HMIS utilization among the 12 

homeless service providers in the Knoxville Continuum of Care. It will use a crosssectional survey of staff members to assess agency social context, and data available in the HMIS to assess HMIS utilization by agency. The findings will supply 

policymakers, practitioners, and academics with new information about how to 

improve technology utilization and maximize use of HMIS as a tool of practice for 

improving homeless service provision. 
112 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Elizabeth Holt

Dissertation School: Tulane University

Dissertation Title: Housing Conditions and Health: An Evaluation of the Impact 

of Residents’ Health Knowledge

Grant Amount: $15,000

Abstract: A growing body of literature suggests that poor housing conditions 

are related to adverse health outcomes such as asthma symptoms, lead poisoning, 

injury, and infectious disease transmission. Rates of asthma morbidity and mortality 

and the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels are disproportionately high in urban centers, particularly among minority youth. The most common 

sources of lead exposure for children are lead paint in older, dilapidated housing 

and lead-contaminated dust and soil. 

This study proposes to assess whether higher levels of health knowledge are associated with reduced environmental hazards and improved health outcomes among 

children living in inner-city New Orleans. Data for the proposed analysis will come 

from the HUD-funded New Orleans Healthy Homes Initiative, a 12-month randomized controlled trial of home-based environmental and educational interventions 

aimed at improving asthma and lead health outcomes among inner-city youth. 

Through analysis of existing data, this study will examine whether: 

n	 Baseline levels of lead- and asthma-related health knowledge are low in this 

population compared to other populations. 

n	 Higher levels of lead- and asthma-related health knowledge are associated 

with higher socioeconomic status, exposure to health education, and preventive 

behavior.

n	 Higher levels of lead- and asthma-related health knowledge are associated with 

a lower burden of environmental health triggers in the home, such as allergens, 

lead, and environmental tobacco smoke. 

n	 Higher levels of lead- and asthma-related health knowledge are associated with 

lower blood lead levels and fewer asthma exacerbations. 
Chapter 7: Early Doctoral Student Research Grants / 113 

William Larson

Dissertation School: George Washington University

Dissertation Title: Estimating Differences Across Cities and Household Types in 

the Effects of Housing Vouchers on the Welfare and Housing Choices of Recipients

Grant Amount: $14,700

Abstract: This research will be a definitive study on how housing vouchers affect 

consumption behavior across different types of low-income households. Income 

and price elasticities of demand for housing appear to vary across different types 

of households, especially in the number of dependents and marital, retirement, and 

disability status of the inhabitants. It is also possible that income and price elasticities differ across cities. This means that the effects and effectiveness of housing 

vouchers will tend to vary in the population and across housing markets. This project will use available data to estimate income and price elasticities to understand 

and predict the differential effects of housing voucher subsidies within the population and across cities. 

The required analysis will be performed using thre HUD’s Longitudinal Occupancy 

Demography Income and Consumer Satisfaction Survey databases to first construct 

Metropolitan Statistical Area-level price indices, and then to estimate structural demand parameters. A battery of elasticity estimates and standard errors using the 

parameter estimates acquired from the demand equation will be obtained. These 

elasticity estimates show which types of households would increase their housing 

consumption the most in response to receiving Section 8 vouchers and evaluate 

geographic variation across cities. This will help to evaluate and understand 

differences in performance of voucher programs across areas where both housing 

market conditions and the characteristics of households vary. 
114 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Stephanie Moulton

Dissertation School: Indiana University

Dissertation Title: Targeting the Underserved: An Evaluation of State 

MRB Programs

Grant Amount: $14,413

Abstract: Due to changes in mortgage lending over the past few decades, the 

underserved homebuyer today is a highly targeted individual with substantial credit and income needs. Research suggests that many of these underserved borrowers 

are predominantly being served by subprime and often predatory lenders. 

Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) programs, administered predominantly by state 

housing finance agencies, are tax-subsidy initiatives designed to facilitate lowincome homeownership. In 2005 alone, $9.8 billion was generated through the 

sale of tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds by state housing finance agencies, 

according to the National Council of State Housing Finance Agencies. These 

bonds subsidized roughly 90,000 home purchases by low-income borrowers 

across the United States and the largest federal tax expenditure benefiting lowincome homebuyers. Previous research, while outdated, is skeptical about the 

ability of MRB programs to serve a targeted low-income population. Unfortunately, 

there is no current research on the ability of the MRB program to serve the mortgage needs of the current “underserved” low-income population.

This manuscript will address this research gap through an empirical evaluation of 

state-administered MRB programs, examining factors contributing to variation in 

the types of borrowers served and outcomes of borrowers over time.

n	 What types of borrowers participate in the MRB program?

n	 To what extent do originating lender and implementation characteristics 

contribute to the participation of “highly targeted” borrowers?

n	 What individual and institutional factors influence MRB borrower mortgage 

payment performance?

Based on a comprehensive literature review and preliminary analysis of the data, 

it is hypothesized that variations in originating lender and implementation characteristics contribute significantly to the ability of the MRB program to serve targeted 

borrowers. 
Chapter 7: Early Doctoral Student Research Grants / 115 

Richard J. Smith

Dissertation School: University of California, Berkeley

Dissertation Title: Immigration, Minority Businesses, and Spatial Mismatch in 

HUD Renewal Communities, Empowerment Zones, and Enterprise Communities

Grant Amount: $15,000

Abstract: Has community economic development planning in HUD programs 

kept up with changes in immigration patterns? This study will describe immigration 

dynamics in HUD’s Renewal Community, Empowerment Zone, and Enterprise 

Community (RC/EZ/EC) programs and identify ways to integrate immigrant-owned 

businesses with the services they need for growth. It will identify changes in minority-owned businesses, jobs, and spatial mismatch in RC/EZ/ECs in the context of 

immigration and will identify case studies describing ongoing planning efforts for 

immigrant economic development. 

Federal urban development policy in the 20th century had three major waves of 

place-based initiatives to address the decline of inner cities. First, urban renewal 

in the 1950s improved infrastructure but was criticized by displaced residents. 

Second, the Model Cities program and other antipoverty initiatives of the 1960s 

allowed inner-city residents to design and control federal redevelopment funds with 

participation of faith- and community-based organizations. Finally, in the 1980s, 

while HUD focused on housing vouchers and urban development action grants, 

states experimented with business tax incentive areas called enterprise zones. 

HUD’s emphasis on place-based initiatives returned in the 1990s with the EZ/

EC initiative. This married the community-based grant focus with tax incentives for 

businesses. 

This study will determine if immigrants have been replacing native-born persons 

in RC/EZ/ECs and will seek evidence of the programs’ effect on rates of entrepreneurship among immigrants. Next, the study will examine if minority-owned 

businesses have higher rates of formation and survival inside the RC/EZ/ECs, 

compared to areas outside these zones. The dissertation will close with implications for entrepreneurship, theory, and policy.
116 / Office of University Partnerships Programs and Grantees

Hannah Thomas

Dissertation School: Brandeis University

Dissertation School: How Did I Get to Foreclosure? A Qualitative Study of the 

Processes Leading to Foreclosure

Grant Amount: $13,580

Abstract: This research specifically asks why it is that homeowners who are in 

financial trouble do not decide to dispose of their homes at an earlier point. Economists have proposed two possible reasons why borrowers do not dispose of their 

home earlier. The first is that a borrower with a house in negative equity will be 

unable to sell the house. The second, proposed by economists Christopher Mayer 

and Todd Sinai in 2007, is that humans tend to steer away from acknowledging a 

negative loss if there is a chance that they will be able to avoid the loss altogether. 

This dissertation suggests that a third and very important psychosocial reason 

has been ignored in the foreclosure literature to date: the role of meanings of 

home. The author proposes that the meanings associated with the home impact 

the decision-making process to stay in or leave the house, resulting in a household 

continuing to make mortgage payments even after it stops making financial sense 

to do so. Foreclosure prevention programs, homeownership education programs, 

financial regulators, and lenders must understand this decision-making process as 

they attempt to respond to spiraling foreclosure rates across the country.

This paper is based on a series of indepth interviews with borrowers entering the 

city of Boston’s foreclosure prevention initiative, a comparison group of Boston 

homeowners not in foreclosure, and borrowers from the city of Lawrence who are 

in foreclosure.

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