U.S. Department of Education

FY 2014 Project Abstracts for

New Grantees

Funded under Title V, Part B Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Program

(CFDA Number: 84.031M)

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC 20006-8517

Introduction

ThePromoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Programis authorized under Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The purposes of the program are to:(1) expand postbaccalaureate opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students; and (2) expand the postbaccalaureate academic offerings as well as enhance the program quality in the institutions of higher education that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students complete postsecondary degrees.

In order to receive a grant under the PPOHAProgram, an institution of higher education must offer a postbaccalaureate certificate or postbaccalaureate degree program and have applied for and been designated as an eligible institution. The Notice Inviting Applications for the Designation as an Eligible Institution was published in the Federal Register on January 13, 2014 (79 FR 2161). In addition to basic eligibility requirements, an institution must have at least 25 percent enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent (FTE) Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

The PPOHA Program awards Individual Development Grants (one eligible Hispanic-Serving Institution). The maximum award amount for Individual Development Grants is $575,000 per year. The grant period is five years.

The PPOHAProgram supports many institutional activities that include: purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purposes; construction, maintenance, renovation, and improvement of classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and other instructional facilities, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services; purchase of library books, periodicals, technical and other scientific journals, microfilm, microfiche, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program materials; support for low-income postbaccalaureate students including outreach, academic support services, mentoring, scholarships, fellowships, and other financial assistance to permit the enrollment of such students in postbaccalaureate certificate and postbaccalaureate degree-granting programs; support of faculty exchanges, faculty development, faculty research, curriculum development, and academic instruction; creating or improving facilities for Internet or other distance education technologies, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services; collaboration with other institutions of higher education to expand postbaccalaureate certificate and postbaccalaureate degree offerings; and other activities proposed in the application submitted pursuant to section 514 that: (A) contribute to carrying out the purposes of this part; and (B) are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application.

The Notice Inviting Applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014 was published in the FederalRegister on May 29, 2014. The deadline for the transmittal of applications was June 27, 2014. As required by the Department of Education, applications for grants under the FY 2014PPOHAgrant competition were submitted electronically using Grants.gov.

Table of Contents

Grants are listed in “state” order.

Individual Development Grants

Grant Number / Applicant Name / First Year Funding / State / Page
P031M140025 / California State Polytechnic University Pomona / $574,494 / CA / 4
P031M140041 / California State University Dominguez Hills / $575,000 / CA / 5
P031M140040 / California State University Fresno / $558,485 / CA / 6
P031M140049 / California State University Fullerton / $573,554 / CA / 7
P031M140050 / California State University Long Beach / $574,825 / CA / 8
P031M140010 / California State University Los Angeles / $550,000 / CA / 9
P031M140054 / California State University Northridge / $461,786 / CA / 10
P031M140002 / Mount St. Mary’s College / $575,000 / CA / 11
P031M140034 / Woodbury University / $574,745 / CA / 12
P031M140031 / Adams State University / $574,327 / CO / 13
P031M140015 / Nova Southeastern University / $575,000 / FL / 14
P031M140020 / New Mexico Highlands University / $498,310 / NM / 15
P031M140042 / Dewey University / $574,984 / PR / 16
P031M140052 / Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German / $521,560 / PR / 17
P031M140030 / San Juan Bautista School of Medicine / $575,000 / PR / 18
P031M140035 / University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez / $563,493 / PR / 19
P031M140027 / St. Mary’s University Texas / $574,962 / TX / 20
P031M140053 / Sul Ross State University / $574,998 / TX / 21
P031M140021 / Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College / $574,933 / TX / 22

P031M140025

California State Polytechnic University Pomona, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) proposes a comprehensive educational project, MENTORES (Mentoring, Educating, Networking, and Thematic Opportunities for Research in Engineering and Science), for increasing the number of Hispanic, underrepresented minority (URM), and low-income students earning master’s degrees. Currently, Hispanic students represent 37 percent of its undergraduate enrollment and 28 percent of its graduate enrollment. By eliminating institutional gaps that inhibit graduate school entry, retention, degree attainment, post-graduate employment, as well as acceptance into Ph.D. programs, MENTORES will expand existing services/programs within the university in order to produce a talented pool of professionals and leaders for the STEM workforce. Though the project will be focused on California’s acute need for a skilled workforce, specifically trained inwater/energy infrastructure development, it can include other urgent multidisciplinary issuesrequiring STEM solutions. At Cal Poly Pomona, the Colleges of Engineering, Science,Agriculture, Environmental Design, Letters, Art, and Social Science will participate in thisproject; it is a veritable campus-wide project with strong support from the Office of the Provost.Key personnel will come from the departments of civil engineering, geological sciences, biology,chemistry, and urban/regional planning; faculty in these disciplines believe that this project willmeet their department’s educational objectives for producing the best and brightest in the STEMworkforce. Particular emphasis on collaboration with the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies,the university’s premier sustainability project, is envisioned. The new Environmental/WaterResources graduate program—which requires faculty, lab facilities, and expertise across a broadrange of disciplines—is the ideal prototype for this project. Consistent with Governor Brown’semphasis on developing sustainable water/energy supplies for the state (in the face of severedrought, climate change, and population growth), is the university’s pledge for meetingCalifornia’s goal to reduce water/energy consumption by 20 percent within the next six years. Thisproject will greatly enhance Cal Poly Pomona’s efforts to meet this ambitious goal by harnessingthe full intellectual power of STEM faculty and graduate students on the problem ofwater/energy sustainability on campus while meeting urgent societal needs. MENTORES will:

  • Identify talented and promising Hispanic, URM, and low-income students;
  • Assist students to enter master’s degree programs by marshaling a variety of resources;
  • Assist students to successfully earn master’s via enhanced mentoring and other services;
  • Develop and prime the pipeline of Hispanic, URM, and low-income students intocompetitive doctoral programs (such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell, and MIT);
  • Educate faculty about the cultures and needs of students;
  • Expand the Learning Resource Center to better serve graduate students;
  • Expand the Maximizing Engineering Potential (MEP) and Science EducationalEnhancement Services (SEES) programs;
  • Expand Library and Writing Center services to serve unique needs of graduate students;
  • Strengthen and broaden relationships with industry and government agencies through theCareer Center to expand students’ opportunities for paid research/internships;
  • Provide financial aid, research stipend, and travel support for students;
  • Upgrade existing laboratory facilities to better support specialized research and training; and
  • Develop online courses to optimize access and flexibility to graduate students.

P031M140041

California State UniversityDominguez Hills, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

To expand the number of Hispanic and disadvantaged graduate students to successfully enroll in and complete postbaccalaureate degrees, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), a comprehensive public university located in Carson, California, has created Graduate Writing Institute for Excellence (GWIE). GWIE will endeavor to excel in the following areas: of student academic services, student enrichment opportunities, student community partnerships and internship opportunities, and faculty scholarship and culturally adaptive curriculum enhancement.

The grant’s services will align and extend CSUDH’s Mission Statement, Vision and 2010-2015 Strategic Plan of becoming a Comprehensive Model Urban University that provides accessible and transformative education, scholarship, and services to help its students achieve academic excellence. GWIE will create learning opportunities beyond classroom instruction to fulfill these needs, embracing technology, transforming diversity into knowledge, and providing pathways and guidance to graduate student success. More importantly, GWIE will seek to achieve the following goals: 1) strengthen the academic performance of the targeted students; 2) build targeted students’ self-efficacy, empowerment, and collaborative dispositions through training, internships and service activities; and 3) help faculty to engage and mentor students on thesis and collaborative research and publications; and adapt curricular modifications that better personalize to the needs of diverse, nontraditional graduate students.

To achieve these goals, GWIE will design and develop a graduate writing, research and internship site to address academic writing, research and professional internship. The GWIE will provide students with: 1) regular and progressive workshops and seminars in academic reading comprehension and writing, graduate study skills, critical thinking and analysis of research in the discipline, scholarship presentation and exclusive boot-camps and incentives to student theses and capstone project writing pursuits; 2) internship and service learning opportunities to bridge professional and content skill applications and build partnerships in the community; 3) provide new and special student orientations and services designed to familiarize students with campus resources, graduate academic policies, and applications to doctoral programs and professional employment opportunities; 4) promote and facilitate collaborative scholarly research among faculty and students, including incentives to pursue theses and capstone projects; and 5) seminars to support faculty on why and how to tailor pedagogy to the needs of their Hispanic and other underrepresented graduate students.

GWIE will positively impact at least 1500 graduate students and 250 faculty over five years. Students who take part will graduate with more diverse professional and personal skills to take control of their learning, optimize their academic experiences, and succeed in their professional lives. Moreover, GWIE will build an institutional infrastructure in the Graduate Writing, Research and Internship Center that will permanently support and promote the academic excellence of Hispanic and other underrepresented graduate students at CSUDH.

P031M140040

California State UniversityFresno, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

Project Title: The Blue Ribbon Online Graduate Campus:California State University, Fresno (“Fresno State”) is the largest Hispanic-Serving Institution north of Los Angeles. Providing responsive postbaccalaureate educational opportunity to the Valley’s growing Hispanic population has never been more important than today—or more challenging for the university. The growth in Fresno State’s graduate programs reflects their value to the community, especially in addressing core community needs. However, growth of Hispanic enrollment in graduate programs has not kept pace with undergraduate Hispanic enrollment, and advanced degrees are increasingly critical for both employment in and development of the region. Hispanics are underrepresented in most graduate programs, and the Division of Graduate Studies lacks resources to be responsive to their needs, especially in a vast service area (17,000-plus square miles).

Main Project Components: Create a blue ribbon online graduate campus through Fresno State’s Division of Graduate Studies.Fresno State has a growing number of online courses and programs that are critical to increase access in a huge service area (the San Joaquin Valley). These online programs and courses are developed by faculty and housed within Fresno State’s individual schools and colleges. The consequence is that the online offerings are frequently and severely under-resourced: campus-wide resources and services are minimal to non-existent. The proposed project develops and implements across-the-board online resources and services that fully support the growing number of online programs and courses housed within the individual colleges and schools so they are able to attract, retain, and graduate a significantly increased number of Hispanic students. Currently, Fresno State has four new online master’s programs; a 95 percent online doctoral program; an entirely online doctoral program about to launch; and 50-65 online graduate courses offered each semester. These offerings need to mushroom, and they need to model excellence. The success of the new and growing online programs and courses and the across-the-board online resources and services that support their success are critical to boost the capacity and confidence of other departments to increase online courses and programs, particularly for graduate programs that are under-subscribed by Hispanic students. The proposed project emphasizes: (1) professional development of faculty, staff, and graduate students as a strategy to use the university’s greatest assets to its best advantage in developing online graduate education;(2) developing the wealth of online resources and services and Library electronic holdings needed to make online graduate education the highest quality;and (3) providing direct assistance to students to promote Hispanic enrollment and degree completion, particularly through supporting them to develop and publish research projects; rewarding meritorious academic performance with paid Peer Consultant positions; and supporting job internships.

Major Five Year Project Objectives:

  1. To increase enrollment of Hispanic students in Fresno State’s online graduate programs by 25 percent during the five-year grant period (fivepercent increase each year over 2014-2015 baseline) and to sustain improved enrollment rate after the grant period with no additional federal cost.
  2. To increase 10 percent, over the five-year grant period, the number of online master’s, doctoral and first-professional degrees and postbaccalaureate certificates awarded at Fresno State.

All project strategies are designed to significantly expand access to Fresno State’s Graduate Studies for Hispanic, low income, and/or first generation students; to bolster their performance; to support them in progressing swiftly toward degrees earned; and to support them in moving into satisfying highly skilled careers or Ph.D. programs.

P031M140049

California State UniversityFullerton, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) is the largest campus in the 23-campus California State University system, serving the Southern California region, particularly Orange County, with 34.1 percent of its 3,114,363 population identified as Hispanic. The total student body at CSUF, the only Hispanic Serving Institution in Orange County, of 37,677 (fall 2012) comprises no ethnic majority though 35 percent of its total student population is nearly. However, among graduate students, only 19.5 percent are Hispanic. Moreover, campus climate for graduate education is weak, as show through surveys of graduate student surveys from 2012 and 2013, where students report isolation, lack of department support, misguided advisement and lack of resources for graduate studies. Graduate rates and time-to-degree data show disparities between Hispanic and the general population.

The Latina/o Graduate Students: SOAR (Strengthening Opportunities, Access and Resources) at CSUFproject addresses the university’s institutional gaps and weaknesses, and serves to develop the campus climate for graduate education. The overarching project’s goal is to increase the number of Hispanic students who enroll in and achieve a graduate degree in a timely manner at CSUF, to which the project will foster meaningful engaged learning experiences for Hispanic students, expand academic offerings and enhance program quality that advance Hispanic and/or disadvantaged students in graduate education.

The project accomplishes these objectives by targeting three Activity areas: 1. Supporting Student Academic Achievement (with improved advising for entering and at risk students and online peer learning communities);2. Improving Student Educational Engagement (with Graduate Student Success Center, scholarships, and a Latina/o graduate student club);and 3. Strengthening University Environment for Graduate Studies (with faculty development, new curriculum and a teaching/graduate assistant hiring system). Each of these three areas contains strategies and services directly improving Hispanic and disadvantaged student academic success and degree completion.

The project’s well-designed management plan crosses university divisions—academic affairs, student affairs and information technology—and includes management team, faculty coordinators and advisory committee. The assessment plan allows for informal and formal feedback, requires regular assessment providing for improvement in the plan, and will assist in institutionalizing services at the end of the grant-funded project.

P031M140050

California State University Long Beach, CA

Individual Development Grant

ABSTRACT

The overarching goal of Project HOGAR is to develop the graduate program of one of the nation’s largest HSI universities, both in terms of quality and in its capacity to significantly enhance post-baccalaureate opportunities and success for Hispanic and underserved students.

The five-year project goals are:

Goal 1:Strengthen the University’s outreach efforts of Hispanic and underserved postbaccalaureate students by developing and implementing a comprehensive recruitment plan;

Goal 2:Improve the experience and success of Hispanic and underserved postbaccalaureate students;

Goal 3:Enhance the scholarship, research, and mentorship capacity of faculty to support Hispanic and underserved postbaccalaureate student success;

Goal 4:Improve the University’s graduate-level infrastructure to support Hispanic and underserved postbaccalaureate student success.

The transition between undergraduate degree attainment and post-baccalaureate program entry represents a critical juncture in the pipeline for Hispanic and other underserved students. Unfortunately, many students with great potential are lost at this juncture, representing a leak of talent that could be developed to contribute to the leadership in the nation’s advanced workforce. Master’s programs provide critical opportunities for these students, who may have discovered career interests late in their undergraduate programs or may have faced challenges (e.g., financial or family obligations) that limited their ability to prepare for advanced professional programs.