CSU Awarded 5-Year Funding for $2.4 Million for a Cooperative Title III Grant from U.S. Department of Education

A Title III proposal submitted to the U.S. Department of Education was selected for an award of $2.4 million dollars beginning October 1, 2009. This award allows CSU and Tri-C Metro to develop a model for an urban college transfer initiative, the "Cleveland Transfer Connection". Funds from this grant will allow both institutions to re-energize their commitment to using the community college as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree.

This new award for a transfer initiative aligns perfectly with the Ohio Board of Regent's Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2008-17. It provides programming for students to move seamlessly from a community college after successfully completing a 2-year degree to a 4-year institution. Further, it seeks to increase the number and percent of full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled at both institutions of higher education. It also seeks to increase the percentages of retention and successful transfer of those students while increasing the percentages of students enrolled at Tri-C Metro graduating within three years and at CSU graduating within six years.

By focusing on Tri-C Metro as a gateway to educational attainment at all levels this new grant will allow us to graduate, keep and attract more students in the downtown area, thus making downtown Cleveland a sought after hub for affordable and high quality education in a thriving metropolis.

The grant award allows both CSU and Tri-C Metro to jointly develop the following four initiatives:

• Student Services: Student success teams.
• Academic Programs: Learning Communities.
• Infrastructure: Develop co-sponsored Transfer Success Centers at Tri-C Metro and CSU that include tutoring/financial aid, student tracking, program agreements, etc.
• Faculty Development: Develop structured programs for faculty teams that include incentives for them to sharpen their skills in teaching and learning, and retaining students.
• Endowment Funds: An endowment of 7.6 percent of grant funds will help sustain new practices and improvements in transfer initiatives at both institutions and fund transfer scholarships.