The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Cal State Fullerton two grants totaling nearly $9 million to support research and development and improve retention and graduation rates for underserved students.
Cal State Fullerton is the only California State University campus to receive the grants to propel students, including students of color, to earn a college degree and close equity gaps in higher education.
The grants are part of the U.S. Department of Education’s $93 million in grant awards to 20 inclusive and diverse colleges and universities nationwide to support research and development at Minority-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and to improve completion rates for underserved students.
CSUF is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.
A $4,997,384, four-year grant will go toward the new “Investing Now to Expand Faculty Research Through Capacity Building Program” to support technology infrastructure for research enterprise, increase research opportunities for faculty and students and promote cross-disciplinary collaborations.
“This highly competitive grant funding will help us enhance our current research development infrastructure and provide support to eventually increase our research productivity and extramural research funding,” said Binod Tiwari, associate vice president for research and sponsored projects, who will lead the program.
“I’m glad that the funding agencies rated our projects very high, and as a result, we received funds under both the Research and Development Infrastructure program and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant program — nearly 10% of the total funds available in these programs.”
Promoting Student Retention and Academic Success
A second grant of $3,999,436 over three years will be used to establish the new “Fullerton RISES: Re-Imagining Success for Every Student” program. The program aims to provide support and interventions for students at risk of being, or on, academic notice.
“We believe in the transformative and uplifting power of education,” said Yuying Tsong, associate vice president for student academic support, who will direct Fullerton RISES.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant from the Department of Education to carry out our commitment and dedication to providing students the needed support to succeed academically and reach their academic goals and aspirations.”
Fullerton RISES’ support will target students with a 2.5 GPA or lower. Strategies will contribute to improving retention and degree completion for all students and closing equity gaps in timely graduation and retention of first-generation, underrepresented, minority college students, Tsong added.
Some of the program’s activities include proactive and holistic academic advising, supplemental academic support and skills-building, and extended time to improve grades before disqualification from college.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Research and Development Infrastructure program provides funds to help transform research infrastructure, including strengthening research productivity, faculty expertise, physical infrastructure and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.
The department’s Postsecondary Student Success Grant program aims to equitably improve postsecondary student outcomes, including retention, transfer, credit accumulation and completion, by leveraging data and implementing, scaling and rigorously evaluating evidence-based approaches.
These grant awards will help create opportunities for students of color and other underserved students to succeed in today’s most cutting-edge fields, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in the announcement of the grant awards.
“This is how we raise the bar for college excellence and attainment in this country and close equity gaps in higher education that have no place in the 21st century,” Cardona said.