STC receives $2.5 million Hispanic-Serving Institution Grant
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded South Texas College $585,315 for year 1 of a grant that is anticipated to provide more than $2.5 million over five-years under its Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program.
South Texas College has been given a significant boost in funding from the U.S. Department of Education under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program.
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded STC $585,315 for year 1 of a grant that is anticipated to provide more than $2.5 million over a five-year period. STC will use these funds to increase access to online tutoring, provide online financial literacy resources to help students effectively manage debt and stay on a path leading to program completion and employment, and to integrate academic coaching and intervention support to help students successfully pass their courses. The five-year grant period is from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2025.
South Texas College qualifies for this grant as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) with a student body that is currently about 94 percent Hispanic. In addition, 70 percent of its students are the first in their family to attend college.
“This is all about student support so they will be successful and complete their chosen program,” said Dr. Virginia Champion, Executive Director for Resource Development, Management and Compliance. “It’s an institutional grant, and it’s based on a comprehensive plan.”
The Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Division of the US Department of Education provides grant funding to institutions of higher education to assist with strengthening institutional programs, facilities, and services to expand the educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans and other underrepresented populations.
South Texas College has been ranked in the Top 3 nationwide and No. 1 in Texas for enrolling and graduating Latinos according to a study published in August by Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve education outcomes for Latino college students.
STC enrolled 31,949 students in fall 2018, 95 percent of which were Hispanic (30,419) according to Excelencia’s findings. The college also awarded a grand total of 4,112 associate degrees for the 2017-2018 school year, 95 percent of which were awarded to Hispanics (3,923), placing the college second in the nation overall among associate degrees awarded.