Cal State East Bay to Receive $2.6 Million Grant

Cal State East Bay will receive a $2.6 million U.S. Department of Education grant to retain and help Hispanic and low-income students succeed in school, university officials said. The university will use the five-year grant to offer summer academies for sophomores, create a sophomore learning community for tutoring and advising and provide online resources such as online tutoring, university officials said.

The university will also help students identify what classes to take and begin working with the Institute for STEM Education to provide academic and social support for each STEM major, according to university officials.

“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,” Cal State East Bay’s Director of Assessment for Student Affairs Diana Balgas said in a statement. Balgas is also a co-principal investigator for the grant.

“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,” Executive Director of the Institute for STEM Education Stephanie Couch said in a statement.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded the grant under its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, university officials said. The program aims to make college more attainable for Hispanic students and helps universities increase their stability, program quality and academic offerings, according to university officials. “

Hispanics will soon represent nearly one in three American workers, and in this competitive global marketplace, a skilled workforce is a necessity,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement.

Duncan’s statement also said the money will help low-income students get an education and improve their quality of life. The grant is a Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution Grant, which is available to institutions with a Hispanic student population of at least 25 percent, university officials said. Cal State East Bay’s Hispanic population is nearly 30 percent, according to university officials.

By Bay City News

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