HCU awarded Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Grant | Houston Christian University
Summary
The project development team included Dr. Kristie Cerling, Scott Bertrand, Dr. Sarah Katie Alaniz, Samantha Bottoms, Dr. Emily Stelzer, Sandy Mooney, Dr. Tia Caster, 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. 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.The primary goals of Project LEAP are:Goal 1: Implement best practices in remediation for freshmen-level English and mathematics courses.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. 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.For more information on the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, visit the website of the U.S. Department of Education.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.