SWTJC receives grants to increase equity and access to higher education

Uvalde, TX, November 5, 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic brought many issues to all industries, and higher education was not immune to those crises, especially when it came to funding.
 
Community colleges get most of their funding from state appropriations, taxes, tuition, and grants.
 
SWTJC has received approximately $7 million in grants since August 2021. The offerings include the Noyce Scholars en la Frontera Grant (Noyce Scholars on the Border), Title III Grant, and the Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity (IREPO) Grant.
 
The $1.5 million Noyce Scholars en la Frontera Grant from the National Science Foundation is a joint venture between SWTJC and Sul Ross State University to address the critical need to prepare and increase the number of highly qualified mathematics and science teachers serving high-need schools located on the Texas-Mexico border.
 
The college's second grant was the Title III HSI Grant from the U.S. Department of Education for $3.9 million. The grant focuses on increasing the number of Hispanic and low-income Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math graduates and developing transfer agreements with universities.
 
The third grant awarded to the college is the IREPO Grant in August. The college will receive $1.5 million over the next two years to help expand educational opportunities post-COVID-19.
 
Under the IREPO Grant, SWTJC has developed a project entitled Engaging Students Remotely Across the Frontera. To resume operations, serve the needs of students, reduce disease transmission, and implement safe and effective instructional delivery models.
 
According to Dr. Robert Ayala, SWTJC Arts and Sciences Division Chair, and contributing architect in the development of the three grants, being a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) has allowed the college to offer the financial means for students to excel in their higher education.
 
"In our efforts to authentically serve our community as a designated HSI, these grants and our institutional commitment to their objectives will help move us from a Hispanic-Serving to a Hispanic-Thriving Institution," said Ayala."
 
The grants will assist in enrollment, retention, more degree and certificate programs, improve student services, upgrade technology, expand dual credit courses, enhance remote instruction, provide professional development for faculty and staff.