A $2.6 Million Federal Grant Will Help Underserved Students at CSU East Bay
- October 26, 2015
Cal State East Bay has been selected to receive a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to boost the success and retention rates of its rapidly growing Hispanic and low-income student population.
The five-year grant is awarded under the federal agency’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, which provides grants to make college more attainable for Hispanic students and allows institutions to enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability.
“Writing the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) grant was a group effort that showed the dedication and leadership of this university, and receiving it emphasized the need we have and the quality of the grant,” said Lettie Ramirez, a professor in CSUEB’s Department of Teacher Education and the grant’s co-principal investigator.
“We are extremely pleased to have been awarded a Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Grant,” said Diana Balgas, director of assessment for student affairs and co-principal investigator for the grant. “This provides an outstanding opportunity to develop and implement new strategies that will help engage, retain, and graduate significantly more students prepared for work in their chosen career.”
Title V HSI funding is available to institutions whose student population is at least 25 percent Hispanic. Cal State East Bay, with a Hispanic student population of nearly 30 percent, was named a Hispanic-Serving Institution in April 2014.
"More Hispanics than ever before are enrolling in college, and this grant program will help even more students have access to post-secondary degrees and credentials, which are key to building a highly skilled workforce," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "Hispanics will soon represent nearly one in three American workers, and in this competitive global marketplace, a skilled workforce is a necessity. The grant program also provides opportunities for low-income students to improve their life outcomes by obtaining a quality education."
Under this grant, Cal State East Bay will institute summer academies for rising second-year students, create a sophomore cohort-based learning community, implement new online supplemental resources, develop a student information system, and establish a partnership with the Institute for STEM Education to have academic and social support networks for STEM majors that are discipline specific.
“This grant provides sorely needed resources to enhance course offerings and support services so that more students graduate from our campus and enter the workforce fully prepared to meet regional needs,” Executive Director of the Institute for STEM Education Stephanie Couch said. “There is an emphasis on ensuring that our diverse student body is aware of opportunities in STEM fields and disciplines, and that students get the encouragement and support needed if they choose a STEM related field as part of their college/career pathway,”
CSUEB was also awarded a $1.5 million Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) grant — the maximum amount awarded through this federal program. Current federal law, however, prohibits institutions from accepting more than one “Strengthening Institution” grant and the university was forced to choose between the two grants. According to officials, the decision was “difficult” because both populations count on services to achieve student success.
The federal government officially designated Cal State East Bay an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution in 2011. To qualify for designation, a school’s enrollment of undergraduate students must be at least 10 percent Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander, and at least 50 percent of the student body must be eligible for federal need-based financial assistance.