Roane State Community College has received a $2 million federal grant to support student success initiatives.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions grant will fund various projects to help students plan their academic goals and achieve them. The $2,013,554 grant will be distributed over five years, with the first installment of $446,493 this fall.
“My role on the House Appropriations Committee allows me to take an active role in securing funding for vital grants such as this,” said Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. “I’m proud to help support Roane State Community College in their work to prepare students for successful careers.”
Grant-funded initiatives will include the purchase of class scheduling software and the addition of more Success Coaches to work one-on-one with students.
“We have many initiatives in place to encourage student success,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “This grant will greatly strengthen those efforts, and I am deeply thankful for the work of the grant-writing team and for the support from Representative Fleischmann.”
Course scheduling is often a barrier for students, especially if they are working and have family obligations. To complete their degrees, many students need classes at specific times. The class scheduling software uses data and analytics to generate student-friendly course schedules.
“Roane State offers thousands of classes,” project director Karen Brunner said. “The scheduling software projects what classes are needed, where they are needed, and when, so that our schedule is optimized to meet students’ needs.”
Two Success Coach positions will be funded with the grant. Roane State Success Coaches work one-on-one with all first-time, degree-seeking students to help them register for classes, complete their financial aid, develop their academic plan, and stay on track.
“We started our Success Coach program this fall, and the grant will allow us to expand it and provide even more individual attention to students,” Brunner said.
In addition, college officials will use grant funds to purchase career-planning services that allow students to view labor market data and make informed decisions about their educational goals.
Roane State is a two-year college providing transfer programs, career-preparation programs and continuing education. Founded in 1971, the college has campuses in Crossville, Harriman, Huntsville, Jamestown, Knoxville, LaFollette, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge and Wartburg.
For more information, visitroanestate.edu or call (866) GO2-RSCC (1-866-462-7722).
Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.
Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Leave a Reply