Houston Christian University awarded five-year, 2.8-million-dollar grant to enhance services for the university’s Hispanic student population
Houston, Texas, April 27, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Houston Christian University (HCU) a five-year, 2.8-million-dollar grant under the Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) funding program.
The DHSI grant will fund Project LEAP which stands for “Learn, Engage, Achieve, Persist” and represents the University’s third successful Title V project. The project development team included Dr. Kristie Cerling, Scott Bertrand, Dr. Sarah “Katie” Alaniz, Samantha Bottoms, Dr. Emily Stelzer, Sandy Mooney, Dr. T. C., and Dr. Danielle Bevan with consult from Dr. Stan Napper, Dr. Tristan Fernandez-Cablay, Todd Cockrell and Dr. J. Matt Boyleston.
“We are proud of our designation as an Hispanic-Serving Institution and are confident that these significant Title V funds will accelerate and enhance the learning experience of our students,” said HCU President Robert Sloan.
Project LEAP heightens student retention and persistence rates through the strategic hiring of staff and faculty and investing in faculty development. A keen focus on the first-year experience helps tailor learning and college approaches for HCU students. To help facilitate learning across disciplines, the Center for Learning Innovations and Teaching Excellence (C-LITE) is partnering for in-depth training and ongoing faculty development.
Focus will be placed on the HCU first-year experience as well as remediation and growing student identity as a college student. To do this, HCU will implement evidence-based strategies focused on student academic and holistic growth.
The primary goals of Project LEAP are:
Goal 1: Implement best practices in remediation for freshmen-level English and mathematics courses.
Goal 2: Improve academic outcomes through expanded academic support programs.
Goal 3: Create a robust Writing Center that is utilized by HCU students to enhance their grammar and composition skills.
Goal 4: Strengthen access to educational opportunities, particularly in English and mathematics, by upgrading wireless infrastructure in academic buildings.
Goal 5: Improve fiscal stability through heightened retention and persistence rates while investing in faculty development.
The advances in support services, infrastructure gains and strategic staffing that are bolstered by this award will benefit all students at HCU with a specific focus on Hispanic students. HCU sought this grant to help increase student success and academic achievement to help close gaps that may impede student progress toward retention, persistence and graduation.
“I am grateful to the US Department of Education for recognizing the merits of this proposal and providing the funds to meet a significant need. I am grateful and proud of our team of faculty and student affairs leadership who developed a multi-year, multi-million dollar plan that will enable many more of our students to develop the math and writing and other academic skills needed for a successful launch for their academic degrees,” said Dr. Napper, HCU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Project LEAP is the launching pad for the College of Science and Engineering’s (COSE) Orange Shirt Program. The Orange Shirt program provides a clear pathway for STEM students that are entering COSE majors and programs mathematically under-prepared. In collaboration with the College of Arts and Humanities (COAH), the grant also forms a formalized Writing Center on campus to build inter-departmental alignment between English faculty, peer tutors and student ambassadors.
Student support services will see great enhancements through the grant award. HCU’s signature bridge program, Summer Launch, will see academic revisions to align with college readiness and metacognitive strategies. Mental health support will also widen through new offerings in Spanish.
For more information on the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, visit the website of the U.S. Department of Education.
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ABOUT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose resulting from our central confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.
ABOUT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The U.S. Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program provides grants to assist Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to expand educational opportunities for and improve the attainment of Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability. For more information, visit the website of the U.S. Department of Education.